Acro yoga at The Hotel Wilshire's rooftop // © 2013 Mindy Poder
I'd take yoga roll-out service over turn-down service any day at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. While I'm not one to refuse a good piece of chocolate, I find that what I really seek out when I travel are opportunities to rejuvenate. Not every trip, however, can be a full-blown health and wellness vacation __ that doesn't mean it's not easy to squeeze in some well-being time if you know where to look.
Kimpton's newest feature for guests involves the makings of an in-suite solo studio: a rolled-out yoga mat, a yoga block, a strap, fruit-infused water, dried fruit and nuts and a personal yoga class, available anytime on Kimpton's on-demand yoga and Pilates channel. Any client can ask for this service, which rolled out in April, but if the Kimpton property knows that you are interested in yoga, fitness and/or health and wellness (via its loyalty program or through a good travel agent), it will go ahead and greet you with the yoga service before check-in. The brand-new yoga mats, supplied by Gaim, are also stocked in guestroom closets if you rather set up your own yoga space.
I took a different approach and tried out the yoga amenities outside, on the rooftop of The Hotel Wilshire through a small class with a local Lululemon Robertson yoga instructor, followed by poolside acro yoga (partner yoga). After flying above the skyline of Los Angeles on top of a skilled teacher's limbs, I was ready to shift gears and enjoy the hotel's food and cocktails, whipped up by chef Eric Greenspan, who heads The Roof on Wilshire.
As part of the new focus on yoga, Kimpton properties will be will be partnering with local Lululemon ambassadors to create unique events for each property __ be sure to check individual properties for schedules. I for one can't wait to return to The Hotel Wilshire's rooftop this summer, when they blend my love for yoga and rooftop pools in aqua yoga classes.
