At Hotpod Yoga, our mission is to inspire everyone, everywhere to feel great. And while we do that by inspiring people to take up yoga, we also believe that people should understand and be comfortable with how their data is used when they engage with us.How we handle your data is set out in this policy, but if you’d rather reach out with a question please do – we’d be delighted to hear from you. If you have any questions about this policy, something isn’t clear or you feel we’ve missed an important perspective, please contact us at [email protected] or write to us at 40 St Matthew’s Road, London, England SW2 1NL.

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make any material changes we will notify you by posting an update on our website, emailing you or using another method that is likely to reach you.

This policy was last updated on 10th Nov 2023.

Who’s involved?

We operate using a franchise model, meaning there’s a central administrative HQ and individual Studios run by a mixture of us and third parties. The administrative HQ is run by Hotpod Holdings Ltd and our sister companies: (i) Hotpod Yoga Franchising Ltd, (ii) Hotpod Yoga Limited and (iii) Hotpod Home Ltd. In this policy, we call our administrative centres Hotpod HQ, and each individual studios a Studio. Some of our Studios are owned and operated by Hotpod HQ, and others are owned and operated by separate companies (Franchises). We get that this is complicated. We’re trying to be as transparent as possible and please just reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.

Depending on why your personal data is collected, either Hotpod HQ, the Franchises, or both may be responsible for how your data is used – this is called being the data controller. In the How do you use my data? section below we’ve set out who is the data controller for each purpose.

If you have any questions about how your data is used by your Studio you can contact your Studio by searching for them on our Find your Studio webpage.

If you have any questions about how your data is used by Hotpod HQ, you want to exercise any of your rights set out in this Privacy Policy or if you’re unsure who to contact you can always contact [email protected].

Are there any age limits to use the website?

Our website is not intended to be used by anyone under the age of 16. If we learn someone under the age of 16 has used the website or that their personal data has been shared with us, we will take appropriate action to remove their personal data.

How do you use my data?

• When you create an account we will collect your name and email address. We collect this to take steps to enter a contract with you so you can book our classes, and so that both Hotpod HQ and the Franchise that owns the Studio can manage your account. This includes sending necessary services messages such as booking confirmations, notice of cancellations and confirmation of payments. Hotpod HQ and the Franchises are joint controllers of this data.
• When you make a booking we will collect your name, email address, phone number, postcode, gender and payment details. We collect this to take steps to enter a contract with you so you can book our classes and so that both Hotpod HQ and the Franchise that owns the Studio can manage your bookings. We also collect your date of birth so we can send you an offer on your birthday. Hotpod HQ and the Franchises are joint controllers of this data.
• When you visit a new Studio for a class we will collect the name and contact details of a person you would like to appoint as your emergency contact, and details of any health conditions that may affect your ability to participate in the class. It is your responsibility to ensure you have your emergency contact’s permission before giving their details to us. This data will be held by the individual Franchise (if any) and Hotpod HQ, under our legitimate interests to protect your safety. Hotpod HQ and the Franchises are joint controllers of this data.
• To send you marketing information. Where you have previously expressed an interest in our products or services, for example by booking a class (and not opted-out of marketing) the owner of the Studio (who may be Hotpod HQ or a Franchise) will use your name and email address to send you updates because it is in their legitimate interests to promote other products and services related to the Studio they think you might be interested in.

If you have opted in via our website to receive updates on Hotpod Yoga products and services including offers, promotions and new classes and Studios, Hotpod Yoga Limited will process your personal data to provide these updates to you in line with the preferences you have provided, and will only use your personal data in this way with your consent.

The individual Studio(s) emailing you (which may be run by Hotpod HQ or a Franchise) are independent controllers of this data. You can withdraw your consent to marketing at any time by contacting the Studio that sent you the marketing or the central [email protected] address, or where relevant, by following the unsubscribe link in any marketing communication you receive from the Studio.

• When you contact us either by phone, email or on social media, we will usually collect your name, contact details and social media handle. This data will be used by both Hotpod HQ and any Franchise to which your query relates because it’s in our legitimate interest to make sure we can properly respond to your query. Hotpod HQ and the Franchises are joint controllers of this data.
• When you use our website and consent to our use of cookies we will collect data about how you use our website. We use this data to administer and protect our website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data), improve our website and to better understand how visitors use it. More detail on the data we collect and how we do this is set out in our Cookie Policy below. Hotpod HQ is the controller of this data.
• Where you enter a promotion Hotpod HQ are running we will collect your name, email address and any other personal data that forms a part of the promotion entry (this may differ depending on the promotion). We do this under our legitimate interest to run our promotions effectively and to award the prizes to the winner. Where necessary, we will provide the winner’s data to the relevant Franchise so they can provide the prize. Hotpod HQ and the Franchises are joint controllers of this data.

Where you enter a promotion a Franchise is running they will collect your name, email address and any other personal data that forms a part of the promotion entry (this may differ depending on the promotion). The Franchises do this under their legitimate interest to run their promotions effectively and to award the prizes to the winners, and will be independent controllers of this data.

• If our business is sold. We process your personal data for this purpose because we have a legitimate interest to ensure our business can be continued by the buyer. If you object to our use of your personal data in this way, the buyer of our business may not be able to provide services to you. Hotpod HQ will be independent controllers of personal data processed for these purposes (including where Hotpod HQ re-acquires a Studio owned by a Franchise).

Who do you share my data with?

Franchises for the purposes set out above (and Franchises will share data with Hotpod HQ for the purposes set out above).

Business partners, suppliers and subcontractors for the performance of the contract we enter into with them or you, for example to enable you to make class bookings on our website, payment processing, hosting and website management.

Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram (we will only share your name, email address and city) to identify individuals with similar interests to you who are likely to be interested in Hotpod Yoga. We do this because of our legitimate interest to promote our business.

Regulators/ Authorities/ Enforcement Agencies if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our clients or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection.

Prospective buyers of our business under our legitimate interest to ensure our business can be continued by the buyer.

Where do you store my data?

We store your data on third party servers which are based both in the UK and outside of the UK.

When working with our international Franchises (for example our Studio based in South Africa) or third parties (for example our booking platform provider TeamUp) we may need to transfer your personal data outside of the UK and / or EU.

Whenever we transfer your personal data outside of the UK and the EU, we ensure it receives additional protection as required by law. To keep this policy as short and easy to understand as possible, we haven’t set out the specific circumstances when each of these protection measures are used. You can contact us at [email protected] for more detail on this.

How long do you keep my data for?

We will only retain your personal data for as long as we need it unless we are required to keep it for longer to comply with our legal, accounting or regulatory requirements.

In some circumstances we may carefully anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you, and we may use this anonymised data indefinitely without notifying you. We use this anonymised data to improve the way we work.

What are my rights under data protection law?

You have various other rights under applicable data protection laws, including the right to:

• access your personal data (also known as a “subject access request”);
• correct incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you;
• ask us to erase the personal data we hold about you;
• ask us to restrict our handling of your personal data;
• ask us to transfer your personal data to a third party;
• object to how we are using your personal data; and
• withdraw your consent to us handling your personal data.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with us or the Information Commissioner’s Office, the supervisory authority for data protection issues in England and Wales. If you are based in the EU you can find your relevant supervisory authority here.

Please keep in mind that privacy law is complicated, and these rights will not always be available to you all of the time. If you would like to make a request to exercise any of these rights please contact [email protected].

Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also helps us make improvements.

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or in your device’s storage. We only use (and store) non-essential cookies if you provide your consent.

You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our website.