Hot yoga is meant to be a great stress reliever, but it is the cause of stress for a local business.

Sanctuary Yoga, a Pullman-based yoga business, is unhappy with WSU’s plans to install a hot yoga facility in the soon-to-be-renovated Chinook building.

Destiny Sternod, Sanctuary Yoga manager, said WSU creates unfair competition by charging students much lower rates for classes than what is offered at market value. Therefore, Sternod said WSU is in violation of Executive Policy 17, which states that, “The price or fee for the good or service is established at such a level as to account for the full direct and indirect cost, including University overhead.”

A 10-class punch card at Sanctuary Yoga costs $125, while the Student Recreation Center charges $31-$39 for a 14-class session. The average cost of a drop-in yoga class in Washington is $16.67, while a hot yoga class at the Student Recreation Center is $2.21.

“They need to take into consideration private marketplace value of classes,” Sternod said. “$20-$30 for a session is not relatively close to market value pricing.”

Joanne Greene, director of University Recreation, said UREC runs off of Services and Activities fees, which give the classes a lower registration cost. The students pay for fees that cover all University Recreation services through the Services and Activities fees.

“We are providing services for students based on what they ask us to do with the money,” Greene said, adding that the UREC began offering yoga classes before Sanctuary Yoga was in operation.

Brice Erickson, owner of B&L Bicycles in Pullman, said UREC’s green bike program eliminated his bicycle shop’s rental program.

“It’s not that we mind competition,” Erickson said, “but when a university subsidizes those services through student fees, it puts a lot of pressure on us. If the university wants to compete with businesses, they need to do it on a level playing field.”

Marie Dymkoski, executive director of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber handles matters between WSU and local merchants.

Dymkoski arranged a meeting last fall with two downtown business owners, UREC, WSU and City of Pullman officials.

“I believe the meeting went well,” she said, “and the intentions of WSU was to support the need for a robust downtown and believe that dialogue will strengthen the town-gown relationship between WSU, the City of Pullman, and the Pullman merchants.”

Greene said UREC is open to working with local businesses, as it has done in the past.

“We are always interested in being good partners with the community,” Greene said. “We see ourselves as a place where people can get into these activities and it translates to local business owners.”