Y7: A Simple, Sweaty Aesthetic

No matter which Y7 location you visit, you’ll find the same simple aesthetic of black and white.

According to Sarah Levey, Y7’s co-founder, the studio’s vibe is designed to welcome any new student to yoga. “The whole vibe is simple and clean,” she said. “It’s designed so that whoever comes into the studio, whatever their level of practice may be at, they feel comfortable to make it their home. The clean lines and the black and white is just to make it all about you, your practice and what you want to bring to the table.”

Y7’s brand, with 12 locations between New York City and Los Angeles, isn’t just about its visual look, however. Since Sarah and her husband Mason opened their first location in they’ve made waves with their unique class style: a fusion of traditional Vinyasa practice, candlelight and hip hop music, leaving students dripping with sweat after class.

“For us, it was just the kind of music that we love to listen and work out to,” Sarah said. “Yoga doesn’t need to be so serious, and we wanted to bring something different to the table.”

Between its look and musical choices, Y7 is popular among millennials—which makes sense, since Sarah launched Y7 when she was just 26. At first, Y7 was a side project for Sarah and Mason but quickly evolved to a full-time commitment.

“As we grew, we realized that this is a business and we need to commit more time to it,” Sarah said. “It’s been very fast learning and intense at times, but it’s always been really, really fun.”

For Sarah, part of committing to Y7 was investing in more resources for the business, including purchasing business management software. For that, they turned to Mindbody to help sell their retail items, accept payments and manage bookings and memberships in one place.

“A big part of using Mindbody is the ability to integrate our payment processes with our sign-ups and take care of all the different packages,” Sarah explained. “It’s like an all-in-one stop. All of our products are uploaded to Mindbody, all of our class packs, all the signups, everything is run through one central place.”

Another benefit of Mindbody for Sarah and the Y7 team is that it scales across locations. When Y7 opened its first location in Los Angeles in 2016, they could use the same tools they used in New York, helping create a smooth transition to a new market.

This flexibility enabled them to focus on other concerns. “I think we underestimated the need for parking with our first LA location,” Sarah said. “Moving forward, we’ll change that.”

And with all of the growth and excitement surrounding Y7, it’s clear that’s where the studio chain is heading: forward.