SCRANTON, Pa. -- When you think about hot yoga, energy efficiency probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. One studio in downtown Scranton makes eco-friendliness is a top priority.
John and Lara Alexiou are the husband and wife team running Steamtown Hot Yoga in downtown Scranton. From the moment you walk in the door, you can see their commitment to putting the environment first.
"A lot of the wood that we used during its initial phase of construction, for the finishing work, and for the desk and the cubbies were reclaimed from buildings that were torn down where our original location was," John Alexiou said.
As you walk down the hall towards the hot room where classes take place, something else catches your eye: the floor.
"We used recycled tire rubber flooring that we purchased online but we found it very appealing because it keeps them out of the dump."
The rubber flooring stretches down the hall and into the bathrooms.
"I believe we saved 72 tires from the landfill and we also feel pretty proud of that. We're yogis, we like to repurpose things and like to recycle the energy into the world," Alexiou said.
Then, there's the hot room.
"Those two-by-four light fixtures, they heat up the mass in the room. Then the mass itself turns into the heater," he explained.
It uses an infrared heating system that keeps the room hot but the utility bill down. it used to cost John and Lara $1,000 to $1,400 a month to keep things toasty.
"Our complete utility bill last month was $318. We run 22 classes per week and $118 of that was just for this hot room."