Shala Yoga Loft’s Success Story: Growing a Loyal Community with WellnessLiving

Shala Yoga Loft is a small studio in Plano, Texas with a strong sense of community. Their initial mission was to give yoga instructors and students a welcoming and nurturing space to engage in their practice in the wake of the pandemic.

“When we were coming out of COVID, we felt like it was a good time. People needed to get back together, form communities, get offline, and get back into the studio,” says co-founder Ruth Darrow. “Coming out of COVID was our real driver,” Tina agrees. “There were yoga teachers who were dear to us who had lost their studios and communities, who no longer had a place to call home or to teach.”

Today, Shala Yoga Loft boasts a tight-knit community, a popular outdoor yoga summer series, and tons of success reaching a broad audience of students.

From client management to leveraging highly specific data, WellnessLiving helps them better understand clients’ needs and preferences. Read on to learn how they’ve utlizied WellnessLiving’s features to keep clients engaged and bring them back for more. Then, learn how WellnessLiving can help you boost client retention.

Shala Yoga Loft at a Glance

📍Location: Plano, Texas

📍Business Name: Shala Yoga Loft

📍Business Co-Owner & Co-Founders: Tina Finks and Ruth Darrow

📍Website: https://www.shalayogaloft.com/

📍Business Size: Medium

📍Joined WellnessLiving Date: Sept. 16, 2022

📍Active Subscriptions: Professional Plan

Meet Tina Finks and Ruth Darrow, co-founders of Shala Yoga Loft

Tina Finks and Ruth Darrow met 10 years ago through yoga teacher training. The two went on to travel and advance their yoga teacher training together.

Ruth has a tech background and worked as an engineer and software consultant for years. After the birth of her second son, she got into yoga as a way to bring balance and calm into her life as a busy mom.

Tina also has a background in software and tech. Born and raised in Western Canada, her yoga journey goes back to 1998. “When I moved to the US, my practice didn’t serve me anymore, and I couldn’t figure out why,” she recalls. So, Tina began exploring different types of disciplines and training. That’s how she met Ruth.

“Our original vision was for studio owners to have a home. ‘Shala’ in Sanskrit means home, community, and growth,” Tina says. “Our original goal in opening our doors was to give back to the community that had given so much to us.” They’ve remained true to that goal since opening Shala Yoga Loft in September 2022.

What does Shala Yoga Loft offer?

Shala Yoga Loft offers a variety of classes and services ranging from gentler styles of yoga and meditation classes to more vigorous strength-focused practices. Their team of expert teachers ensures no two classes are the same.

• Yoga Classes:
  • Beginners Foundation
  • Gentle
  • Yin
  • Yoga Nidra
  • Trauma-Informed Gentle
  • Vinyasa
  • Ashtanga-Inspired Vinyasa
  • Ashtanga Full Led Primary
  • Prasana Vinyasa
  • Wall Yoga
• Teacher Training
• Yoga Labs and Workshops:
  • Free Yoga at McCall Plaza (summer series)
  • Free Children’s Yoga at McCall Plaza (summer series)
  • Yoga Lab: Introduction to Inversions, Arm Balances, and Bandhas w/ Con
  • Workshop Series – Beginners Yoga Foundations
  • Sound Therapy
  • Restorative Yoga
• Private sessions: 1:1 instruction personalized to individual needs, interests, and goals
• Wellness Services
  • Detoxification
  • First Line Therapy
  • Food Sensitivity Testing
  • Mineral Testing
  • Holistic Weight Loss
  • Oral Health
  • Bio Compatibility Testing
  • Cavitation and Infection Testing
  • Gut Health

What sets Shala Yoga Loft apart?

Shala Yoga Loft’s approach to yoga sets them apart. “We and our teachers are all very dedicated to authentic yoga. It’s not workout yoga. It’s not a gym,” Ruth explains.

Their physical space is unique with a private rooftop deck and second-floor loft. Classes are led by teachers with 15–30 years of experience, who set students up for yoga journeys as opposed to just sporadic classes.

Their weekly classes serve a broad range of students through meditation, gentle yoga, teacher training, and more. Meanwhile, their yoga labs highlight various physical skills and community building. Some workshops are led by guest instructors who share their expertise on subjects and techniques Shala Yoga Loft doesn’t already offer.

To promote balance, the studio also has instructors who specialize in therapy and naturopathic wellness. “Our focus is on building community and a sustainable practice that you can take out into the world,” Tina confirms.

The studio’s commitment to community

Shala Yoga Loft’s commitment to community building goes beyond the studio’s doors, from free summer classes to Salvation Army initiatives. Their community focus is evident in every class. So, it’s no surprise that students praise the studio for being a warm and welcoming space.

“We’re not a chain, we’re a boutique. When I say boutique, I don’t mean specialty. I mean we’re a small studio, and we’re an actual community,” Tina explains.

“We’re not looking to make a franchise out of this,” Ruth adds. Both co-founders are very mindful of maintaining a strong community despite being approached by large companies like Groupon. Ruth says these models don’t work for Shala Yoga Loft because their ideal student is someone looking to stay with the community long-term.

How Shala Yoga Loft nurtures loyal members

Expertise and warmth keep students coming back for more. Online reviews concur. “Warm energy. We hear that a lot. You walk in and get this feeling of calm,” Ruth adds.

There’s something for everyone at Shala Yoga Loft. “We’re not just trying to appeal to a broader audience, but bring in teachers from different backgrounds so that as a student, you can find something that resonates with you,” Tina says. “For example, gentle yoga can be a broad discipline. It can include Iyengar or Krama Yoga. These are all different types of yoga that individual teachers bring to the class.”

Loyal students can rely on Shala Yoga Loft for the variety of classes they need in order to progress in their practice. “It’s about coming in and having experiences with the right teacher for you who’s going to help you grow,” Tina adds.

Why Shala Yoga Loft chose WellnessLiving

With both their backgrounds in tech, Ruth and Tina knew what their business needed. They used a detailed software selection process, sat through demos, and tracked everything in a spreadsheet.

They initially chose a small and budding software provider but realized it couldn’t support all their studio’s needs. “We had some unique things we wanted to do like rent out and schedule sessions in our private room. Because of that, we couldn’t really work with their system,” Ruth says.

Ultimately, their web design team recommended WellnessLiving, citing positive past experiences with the software and our team.

“WellnessLiving gave us a great demo. Then we jumped right into onboarding and implementation,” says Ruth. With their software expertise, the process was a breeze.

“The software was so intuitive we figured it out ourselves,” says Tina. “We got it up and running in two weeks.”

The WellnessLiving features that help Shala Yoga Loft thrive

As a small business, Shala Yoga Loft cares about optimizing the features that WellnessLiving comes with. From checking students into classes to managing introductory offers to accepting payments, their team is able to better serve clients more easily using WellnessLiving.

“Our yoga teachers don’t necessarily have software backgrounds,” Tina explains. “They can figure out the software when we’re not here. It’s extremely user-friendly.” As a result, the team saves time on daily tasks and training.

Here are the features they leverage most often to provide positive student experiences and retain clients:

Advanced Reporting

With advanced reporting, business owners can view sales trends, payroll data, memberships, client attendance, and more.

The other software solution Tina and Ruth first considered required contacting the software provider to pull any reports. Now, Shala Yoga Loft uses WellnessLiving’s reporting two to three times per week. “It saves a lot of time because you can find the answers quickly,” says Ruth, who is also an avid user of the power search tool.

Tina uses client reports to re-engage clients. “I’ll use it to find clients who bought class passes that expired. Then I’ll use that report to send a customized email saying, ‘Hey, you bought this and never came in. I’ve now extended your expiry date another two months,’” Tina says. They can do the same for introductory passes and gift cards.

Meanwhile, Ruth uses sales reports to track popular purchases and client progress toward memberships.

The Achieve Client App

Most of Shala Yoga Loft’s bookings come from the Achieve Client App. Clients love how easy it is to use—they can sign up for classes, check in, view and sign waivers, and make payments, all from their smartphones. 

The studio has seen broader adoption across different client groups. “We’ve noticed more older clients using the app, even those who wouldn’t normally use mobile apps,” says Tina. “We’re also seeing growth as clients move from our website to the app because it’s so convenient.” 

The Elevate Staff App

The Elevate Staff App is a powerful tool that allows you to view and edit client information, see batch and sales reports, reach out to clients, complete sales, and more, all from any mobile device.

“I like that I can drill right down to the client in the Elevate Staff App,” says Tina. Both Tina and Ruth also appreciate the icons within the app that make it easy for their team to spot new students, and clients celebrating birthdays, injuries, pending waivers, and more. This helps them provide a more customized client experience.

Forms

WellnessLiving’s Forms feature lets businesses create, track, and automate forms including intake forms, liability agreements, and more.

Contracts have proved useful for Shala Yoga Loft since they offer a rentable space and yoga teacher training. “We love the functionality and that they have to sign the contract before they can even book or pay for the space,” Tina says. It makes the scheduling and renting processes simpler and more efficient.

Automated Marketing Suite: Email, SMS, and Push

Our automated marketing suite with email, SMS, and push notifications help businesses automate communications to easily convert leads into paying clients and re-engage those at risk of churning.

Shala Yoga Loft has seen positive results from using notifications. “We’ve gotten people to leave reviews through a notification that automatically goes to new clients,” Ruth shares.

They also use the MailChimp integration for their monthly newsletter which helps engage prospects.“Far more people sign up for our newsletter through WellnessLiving prospect profiles than through our website,” Tina says. “The majority of our mailing list consists of prospects who have come through WellnessLiving.”

Tina and Ruth attribute this growth to the ease of filling out the client profile, which helps them capture lead data from free events like their summer series. They follow up with thank-you messages and introductory offers to turn attendees into long-term students.

Website Widgets

Shala Yoga Loft uses customizable website widgets for pricing and scheduling. They’d planned on developing a pricing page but changed their minds once they implemented the widget and found it to be effective.

They also liked the ability to change the appearance of the scheduling widget, so users still feel like they’re on the Shala Yoga Loft website. “Our look and feel is very important to us,” Tina says. “It’s very deliberate,” Ruth adds.

Find a solution you can rely on with WellnessLiving

Tina and Ruth recommend WellnessLiving wholeheartedly. Our features have helped them easily access important client and studio data to continue offering an elevated client experience.

“When anyone asks me, I’ve said WellnessLiving hands down. Don’t go anywhere else,” Tina says.

They’re also fans of our customer support team, whom they can rely on to help them optimize various software features. “The customer service is outstanding. Even if you have to leave a message they get back to you within an hour,” Tina says.

She recommends WellnessLiving for several reasons. “I’ve recommended WellnessLiving to three different studios. The integration is seamless, and from an owner’s perspective, it’s incredibly easy to use. Our teachers love how simple it is to check clients in, and we never hear complaints from our community about booking or scheduling,” Tina says.

 

Ready to transform your client experience, strengthen your community, and increase retention? Book your free demo today.