Become a Studio Owner and Franchise with Hotpod Yoga
Turn your passion for yoga into a career
Franchising is a well-established and powerful business model, allowing budding entrepreneurs to buy into an existing, proven brand to create their own business. Hotpod Yoga franchises are independent businesses, run by passionate individuals (or small teams), that are supported and empowered by the Hotpod Yoga brand and head office team.
60+ franchises
7 countries
500k+ Classes
500k+ Customers
75k+ Social Media Followers
Join our next open evening
Join us on Wednesday 3rd July 2024 at our Brixton HQ, London for a chance to learn more about owning your own Hotpod Yoga studio, with our co-founder Max Henderson and special guest speakers.
What you get as a Hotpod franchisee
Exclusive Territory
You’re allocated a specific territory, in which no other Hotpod studio can launch. Once you have signed in a given territory, our property agents will help you with searching for the perfect site, as well as negotiating in order to get you the best deal possible.
Brand and Hotpod Kit
We are proud of our highly accessible, down-to-earth and modern take on the ancient practice of yoga, where innovation is embraced and customer satisfaction is guaranteed. At the center of our brand is our patent-protected Pod, and you’ll get everything you need to run a class.
Training
We provide our new franchisees with everything they need to know about running a HPY business at our intensive one week franchise training. Beyond this, we offer various ongoing franchisee trainings, teacher immersions for all teachers in the HPY network, and even have our yoga teacher training academy.
Support from HPY HQ
We have experts in property, marketing, commercials and teaching, who provide the support tools and expertise to ensure optimal performance at your studio. Our team helps you with setting up, launching your business and throughout your journey with Hotpod.
Ecosystem
You’ll have access to the HPY tech, infrastructure and full ecosystem. We’ll provide you with your studio data dashboards, booking systems, email marketing, bespoke website, app and more!
Community
Community is at the heart of everything we do here at Hotpod Yoga. We’ll support you in building a thriving community at your studio, but also encourage and facilitate relationships with other franchisees around the country, via virtual meet-ups, yearly reunions, and dedicated messaging channels.
Basic Requirements
While our franchisees come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from yoga teachers to professional martial artists to investment bankers, we look for a few key things in anyone hoping to open a Hotpod Yoga franchise.
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Start-up capital: £50k - £150k, depending on the location of your franchise and property fit-out costs. We work with a finance provider who can support with lending.
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Commitment: willing to dedicate full-time hours to the business, or two people part-time.
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Passion: You could be a yoga Instructor or non-instructor, but either way you have a passion for the brand, the practice and the pod.
Franchisee stories
Gary
HPY Hove Throughout his journey towards opening Hotpod Yoga Hove, Gary discovered just how supportive, empowering and transformative franchising can be.
Gary
HPY HoveAfter a previous career as a franchise fitness owner left him feeling alone, Gary found Hotpod and discovered just how supportive, empowering and transformative franchising can be.
Gary’s journey to becoming a Hotpod Yoga franchisee started during the pandemic. As he juggled a busy career as a franchise fitness studio owner whilst caring for his 6 month old daughter, Gary felt like he needed some space for himself. He tried his first Hotpod Yoga class in Worthing, and as he left, feeling blown away by the concept, the pod and the experience, he thought “How is this not in Brighton?”
Before committing to opening a Hotpod Yoga franchise, Gary spent time getting to know all aspects of the Hotpod business, including completing his teacher training in 2022. “I had to know that the integrity, support, vision, values, everything ran through all veins of the business from the top down” he says. “I had a previous franchise journey that lacked support, lacked systems and processes. I felt alone, and this was not a journey I wanted to travel again.”
After signing, Gary appreciated the highly hands-on and supportive business model. “The HQ team has been accessible, responsive, welcoming, and just super supportive. Nothing is ever a bother. I’ve valued the support throughout the process, from searching for a site to launching. I’ll always be grateful to the franchise growth team and their unwavering professionalism.”
Gary found the perfect property in Hove and opened his studio there in April 2023, quickly becoming a beloved part of the local community. “I have to say my biggest success is the welcome we’ve received from our community both before and after launching. I have been thanked too many times to mention for opening the studio, and bringing Hotpod to my community. It’s so heart warming, to be received with open arms.”
Gary is hoping to one day open another Hotpod Yoga studio in Brighton, and often recommends franchising to other entrepreneurial yoga lovers. His key advice would be “it’s important to love all aspects of your business and its journey. Marketing, recruiting, managing a team, customer service, operations, cleaning toilets, literally everything. It’s a rollercoaster, and it’s a lot of learning, but with Hotpod by your side you’re well equipped for success.”
Tash & Joe
HPY Leicester A former kickboxer and lawyer, Tash never expected to fall in love with yoga, let alone open her own studio, but has built a thriving business and community in the heart of Leicester.
Tash & Joe
HPY LeicesterA former kickboxer and lawyer, Tash never expected to fall in love with yoga, let alone open her own studio. "I just never felt attracted to it as I was a kickboxer, and back then, it didn't seem as if the two went well together, or with the personality that I carried with me back then."
When Hotpod Yoga Leicester opened in 2017 under its original ownership, Tash tried a class and was immediately hooked. She bought the studio in 2020, and since then, has made it her mission to bring the benefits of hot yoga to as many people as possible, describing her studio as the “front door to yoga” in the Leicester community.
“Hotpod Yoga breaks down the barriers that would usually stop people like me from ever stepping onto the mat,” she says. “It was a no-brainer for me to become a franchisee and continue to hold a space like this in my hometown.”
Since taking ownership of the studio, Tash and her partner Joe have built a thriving community of regular customers. They've also established ongoing sports partnerships with teams such as the Leicester Riders, the Leicester Tigers, Leicestershire County Cricket, LCFC Women and more.
Tash feels that more and more people are becoming aware of yoga, and has noticed her regular customers bringing their partners, parents, siblings and skeptical friends who would never have tried yoga. “Our average customer, honestly, is your next door neighbour. Our community is so diverse, which is something that we are extremely proud of.”
With the ongoing support of the HQ team, Tash and Joe look forward to inviting more and more people to experience the wonderful benefits of the pod.
Shennon
HPY Southampton After leaving a promising career in Singapore to move to the UK, Shennon bounced from job to job until discovering her calling as the owner of Hotpod Yoga Southampton.
Shennon
HPY SouthamptonWhen Shennon moved back to the UK after building a promising marketing career in Singapore, she found herself bouncing from job to job, struggling to settle and feeling somewhat lost. She was trained as a yoga teacher and enjoyed teaching as a hobby, but it didn’t occur to her to build a career in yoga until she came across Hotpod Yoga and the possibility of franchising.
As a marketer herself, Shennon was first drawn to Hotpod’s marketing activities. She traveled to London and attended her first class at HPY Belgravia, and resolved to bring the pod closer to her home on the Isle of Wight.
The timing of Shennon’s launch couldn’t have been trickier; she signed her lease in early 2020 and ended up opening her studio in the midst of the pandemic. With the support and encouragement of Hotpod HQ, she navigated the various challenges that came alongside COVID-19, and despite all odds, grew her studio into a thriving business. “I couldn’t have done it without their belief in me, and encouragement,” Shennon says of the HQ team. "For example, I've always hated dealing with finance, but with HQ's vast and accurate knowledge, backed up by historic data and insight, I can trust that everything will be fine."
Hotpod Yoga Southampton has become more than just a yoga studio, with a community built around friendship and shared interests. Shennon’s customers often enjoy coffee and pastries together after a class, and she’s even formed a running group with some of her weekday regulars, while others attend meditation classes together.
Shennon has built a close-knit team of teachers as well, but continues to teach classes herself, and of course practices in the pod as much as possible. “I believe that yoga is a cure for EVERYTHING if you maintain your practice,” she says. “I love the physical practice, and eventually the mental wellbeing falls into place without you even noticing.”
To any prospective Hotpod Yoga franchisees, Shennon has this advice to share: “If you have the means and you’re passionate about sharing your love of yoga, go for it! If you’re afraid to take the first step in business, don’t be - you’ve got a fantastic team working with you.”
Meet the team
Misha Patel
Misha is our Business Development Manager. She’s the first point of contact for all new enquiries and will support you through the entire journey of becoming a franchisee. Misha is a yoga teacher of 10 years and also has a corporate sales and account management background. She’s worked with some of the leading wellness brands in the UK.
Lynne Caffrey
Lynne is our Head of Franchise Growth, and has various touch points throughout the overall journey from signing to launching each Hotpod franchise business. Lynne has a background in property, franchising and project management for a number of large F&B companies throughout her career. Lynne is also a Hotpod trained yoga teacher and qualified in transformational life coaching.