CorePower Yoga - The Loop — Local services in Chicago

The second-floor yoga studio at 158 W. Washington Street shouldn't work. Squeezed above the bustle of Chicago's financial district, CorePower Yoga's Loop location occupies painfully cramped quarters where students routinely complain about crowded classes and minimal amenities. Yet it maintains stellar ratings, drawing a devoted following of downtown professionals who treat it like a sanctuary.

The success reveals something fascinating about urban wellness: sometimes limitation breeds loyalty.

"The instructors are fantastic," says a recent review, echoing dozens of similar testimonials. Students repeatedly praise teachers by name, creating personal connections that transcend the studio's physical shortcomings. Analysis of CorePower reviews nationwide confirms skilled and engaging instructors are a major positive highlight across the chain.

For Loop workers, proximity trumps luxury. The ability to escape from a corporate tower to an hour of mindless heated yoga—and return within a lunch break—outweighs desires for spacious locker rooms or premium amenities.

The building carries its own rebellious legacy. In the 1920s, the Covici-McGee bookstore operated at this address, publishing controversial works including Ben Hecht's "Fantazius Mallare," which led to owners being fined $1,000 for obscenity. That spirit of defying convention feels fitting for a yoga studio thriving in an unlikely setting.

The experience isn't without friction. Temperature regulation remains a recurrent issue across CorePower locations, with heat becoming excessive in windowed rooms. Classes are famously packed, with mats less than a foot from your neighbor—a reality that somehow enhances rather than diminishes the communal energy.

CorePower as a corporation faces broader challenges. The company settled a $1.49 million wage lawsuit in 2019 involving 2,180 instructors who alleged unpaid preparation time, and recent privacy violations regarding Facebook data sharing are currently being litigated. These corporate struggles create an interesting tension with the local loyalty the Loop studio commands.

Yet students keep climbing those stairs. "Great vibes at the loop," writes one recent reviewer, capturing the ineffable quality that transforms constraint into appeal. In a city where real estate is precious and time more so, CorePower's Loop location has mastered an urban alchemy: turning a cramped second-floor space into exactly what busy professionals need—a brief, intense escape that feels both accessible and exclusive.

The studio proves that in urban wellness, context matters more than square footage. Sometimes the best sanctuary is the one hidden in...

I came here on Monday after work for the 530-630 sculpt. I was looking forward to seeing the new space! I knew that it would probably be small, granted that it's downtown, but it is SO small! There was not room for everyone to have a locker so people were throwing their stuff on the tops of lockers and against the lobby wall and on benches. There is not really a waiting/lobby area so we were all standing right outside of the studio before class. Many people got turned away before class and there were even some people who were checked in that walked into the studio that didn't have space in the studio and had to leave. While this is a great thing that classes are so full, they should have anticipated this when planning their space. The space is not conducive to the after work rush and it was far from peaceful for me.. I'll stick to my home location. The only reason for 2 stars is for our instructor, Kate, who was subbing and did a great job navigating the 1 inch of space between everyone's mats while also giving up here own spot on the floor. She was a pro in a...

I’ve went to two Yoga Sculpts during lunch this past week. The 12:00pm classes are nicely timed at 45 minutes and they started on time and left on time which is a big deal for people on lunch from work. If you experienced corepower before this is nothing different. The unfortunate part about hot yoga is the sweating so showering up before you go back to work is a must. Unfortunately, I think they missed here and the male locker room is insanely too small. There is usually water covering the floor so there’s no way to really nook away your clothes or even hang them while you change. If there are more than 3 people in there it makes it stressful to navigate. I can’t speak for the female locker room, I hope it’s bigger since the majority of classes are females. Even the spot where you put away your shoes in a long hallway so there is a lot of communication with your fellow yogis. I think there is a public area with lockers right when you walk in, so if you don’t sweat during your practice it might be a convenient...