Saturday, January 2, 2010

Bikram101 - Class 1 + 2 and FitToes

Well, not the smoothest start to 101 Days of Bikram! Class 1 was 105 minutes long and I believe I have ranted here before about how it makes me irate when classes run long and how I think it is unprofessional! So not a great start. Then during Class 2 in the afternoon, my left knee started hurting. I've been struggling with knee issues off and on for the past few years and my knees have been bugging me for the past few weeks, but still it was a disappointing start to things. I hobbled down to Starbucks first thing this morning and I was really feeling like class was probably not going to happen today... but after reading "Youth in Revolt", chatting with a good pal, and eating some pho, the knee seems to be feeling better. So I'll be doing 5pm class today but I intend to take it easy.

----

I know that some of my fellow yogis are anti-product, anti-materialism, anti-brand, etc. While I would like to be one of those people, I am not one of those people. I like to have the right gear for my hobbies! And of course, I have used Bikram101 as an excuse to stock up on gear. I wasn't sure whether I would use my Breathe yoga mat/towel combos during the 101 days or whether to go back to Yogitoes and a yoga mat. My studio sells the Breathe mat/towels for $44.00 which is a great deal. I bought another one yesterday so I'm planning to use my 3 Breathe mats as much as possible - they really do seem more hygenic to me since they are washed after every use unlike my yoga mats. However when doing some research on Yogitoes, I discovered that they have a new discount line called Fittoes. They are sold at Sports Authority and other chain stores. I checked them out yesterday and the nubs on the back of the towel are slightly different than Yogitoes, but they are only $25-$30 and because Bikram isn't flow yoga, you don't really need ubernubs anyways. I would recommend checking them out if you are looking for a cheaper yoga towel.
I'll talk more about my new yoga backpack and yoga wetbag in a future post.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi,
I totally caught your blog entry whilst reseach Fittoes online. Do you have one, or just suggested it? I just bought a Yogitoes but lo and behold ran into a Fittoes towel today, and now I can't decide whether to return my Yogitoes for the half price option. Do you know if they are the same save the nubs? I know there are less than the Yogitoes...

a. said...

I don't have a Fittoes, but I have a couple of Yogitoes. The towel part felt the same to me when I looked at the Fittoes. The Fittoes has nubs - they're just different than the Yogitoes. I would try one if I hadn't switched to Breathe mat/towels. I think Yogitoes are incredibly overpriced. Do you do Bikram yoga? If so, I think the Breathe yoga mats are a great option because it's a mat and towel in one and you can wash it after every class. I was never all that vigilant about keeping my mat clean. http://www.breathemat.com/

Unknown said...

I literally just got my Yogitoes, not even opened. I was actually going to go for the Manduka towel because when I was researching online, people were actually saying it was better than Yogitoes. And then the guy at Lululemon talked me out of it. He swore by his Yogitoes...so I was like...ok why not. the Fittoes had a lesser density of nubs than the Yogitoes...but I doubt that would cause that huge a difference? I mean, it's literally half the price at 30$. WAY cheaper.

I practice Moksha yoga, which is another version of hot yoga in case you haven't heard of it :)

Do you know if Yogitoes has any guarantees? I mean, they charge so much, if it doesn't work or the thread edging unravels (which I heard happens a lot) shouldn't they have a return guarantee? Bleh.

a. said...

I have heard of Moksha. I would like to try it but I don't believe we have a Moksha Yoga studio here in Seattle. I think the smaller number of nubs could make a different if you were doing a "flow" yoga but in Bikram the poses are held so I don't think it matters. I just liked the way the Yogitoes covered my whole mat and was flatter than a bath towel. I asked a girl at Lululemon about the Manduka towel and she told me she loved it, but like I said, I'm using the Breathe mat/towels now. My studio sells them for $44 which is an amazing price! I don't know about any guarantee from Yogitoes, but they don't seem super durable to me. Also they bleed A LOT in the wash when you first wash them. My red towel turned some stuff pink. I think they now have a warning label because of this :) Good luck finding a towel you like!

alex/yogitoes said...

Hi! I thought I would give you some clarification on the difference between the two lines... the Fittoes line is a lighter weight of microfiber and as noticed, there are only half the amount of silicone nubs. It was produced for less specific use, i.e. placing over a weight bench, pilates reformer, etc. We have found that the orginal SKIDLESS line (the heavier weight and higher nub count) works best for keeping it place for more vigorous asana practice. In the end of course, it is all a matter of personal preference :)
Shanti,
yogitoes

AA said...

I've actually been using exclusively my FitToes towels for Bikram since January. They work very well. No need to spend $60 on a towel when the $30 version works just as well.

Anonymous said...

Hello!

I just bought a Fittoes at Sports Authority today! I do something called Sumit Yoga - a mixture of Bikram and "flow" yoga - it's pretty fast paced and the beach towel I've been using has NOT been working out. I was trying to figure out why anyone would spend twice as much for a Yogitoes and I'm glad I found this blog! I can't decide if I should keep my Fittoes or exchange for Yogitoes... The Fittoes seems to have PLENTY of nubs!

Sue said...

I just bought a Fittoes towel at Sport Authority today. They have friends and family the next few day with a 25% off coupon. I am sure you can go on line to find it (and other coupons). I rented a Yogitoes towel last night for hot yoga and wasn't that impressed with it. I still couldn't get a great grip. I figured for more than half the cost (30 - 25%, about $23) Fittoes would do the job. The cheapest I saw a Yogitoes towel was $54 on Amazon with free shipping.

Sue said...

Oops I meant for less than half the cost (I'm sure you all figured that out).

Anne said...

A, you mentioned your studio sells the breathe mat/towels for $44. which studio are you at? i just took my first bikram yoga class yesterday & was slipping all over the place :/

a. said...

Hey Anne,
I moved so I'm now at a different studio, but I got my $44 Breathe towels at Bikram Yoga Seattle in Fremont. I haven't been there since September or October so I'm not sure if they still have them. Might be worth giving them a call...
http://www.bikramyogaseattle.com/

Anne said...

A, thanks for the info :D i'll check them out before my next hot yoga class :D are you still going to hot yoga regularly? where do you go now & do you like your current studio? there are so many places out there & although i prefer to go to a place in downtown seattle as i could bus in this area a bit more easily, the prices here are nearly an arm & a leg!

a. said...

Life sort of got in the way of my yoga practice over the past 6 months or so... but I'm trying to get back into a regular Bikram practice. I now go to the Sweatbox just because it's much more convenient for me location wise. There are a ton of places, but personally I prefer Bikram classes, not hot flow, Vinyasa, etc. But we are lucky in that because there are so many studios in Seattle, I think every studio has a new student special so you can try out all of the studios in order to find one that you like. But yes, Bikram/hot yoga tends to be more expensive than other yoga and you do have to practice pretty often (approx. 10+ times a month) in order to get your money's worth out of a monthly package.

Anne said...

a, i just picked up a breathe towel today & didn't realize til after that it wouldn't work well by itself on a hardwood floor :( so i'm still stuck with a mat & towel combo for now. going to do some research on yogitoes now :/

do you go to the sweatbox in cap hill? i heard that place had carpeted floors :/ i am currently trying out urban yoga seattle in dt seattle. i can't really compare it to any other studio cuz the only other yoga class i took was a free one at the Y :D but it's nice & clean & spacious. they're running a new student special 2 months for $99. you should check it out :D

a. said...

If you don't want your Breathe towel, you can sell it to me :) I've been thinking that it would be nice to have a new one.
Yes, I practice at the Sweatbox on Capitol Hill and the studio is carpeted. All official Bikram studios are carpeted and the Breathe towels are great for practicing on a carpeted floor. Also you only have to remember to bring one thing to class with you since the towel and mat are combined :) I've heard that Urban Yoga Spa is nice, but I'm a Bikram girl! I've also heard that Breathe Hot Yoga downtown is nice, but I haven't tried it myself since I stick to the Sweatbox or Bikram Yoga Seattle.