text: After a week of attending this yoga studio, I was no longer able to ignore my loudly-clanging bullshit detector, and had to quit. Nothing personal against this particular franchise...my beef is with Bikram yoga in general. Doing a Bikram class feels like working out at the Jonestown Athletic Club!\n\nBikram devotees strike me as slightly brainwashed in their adherence to the cult of Bikram. This is reinforced at the end of every class, when everyone utters a monotone \"Namaste\" in unison, while laying flat on the floor with heels touching and palms out. Heaven's Gate, anyone? \n \nAnother thing I found creepy is that the instructors are required to recite pretty much word-for-word from a script. Funny quips and jokes are more robotic, less funny when you've heard them over and over (\"Japanese ham sandwich\"). They also have to repeat Bikram's mangled English (\"Put your exactly forehead to your knee\"). Exactly forehead? WTF is that?\n \nI'm not blaming the instructors -- it's Bikram himself (Bikram Choudhury, who devised this regimen in the early '70s) who insists that all his franchisees follow his shtick TO THE LETTER if they want to keep teaching. Yes that's right -- FRANCHISEES; it's a freakin' FRANCHISE that will set you back $10,000 and then $1,000 a month. That's in addition to the $10,500 fee for taking the required instructors' course. Think of all the Bikram studios across the U.S. The humble yogi is raking it in!\n \nWell, at least he's honest about it. Direct quote from Bikram: \"Bikram yoga is so big. This is a bathroom slipper you buy (for) $2 in Kmart. But you put Bikram on it, it'll sell for $35 in a second.\" I'll give him props for his balls. Oh, speaking of his balls, here's another direct quote: \"I'm beyond Superman. I have balls like atom bombs, two of them, 100 megatons each. Nobody fucks with me.\"\n \nIndeed, back in 2000 he sued a couple of yoga techers in CA for teaching a modified version of Bikram (they had the audacity to add music and lower the thermostat in the room from the sacrosanct 105 degrees, 40% humidity). The case was settled out of court.\n \nIn addition to these ethical quibbles, I'm not so sure about the health benefits of doing a strenuous workout in a 105-degree room. They say I will sweat out all the \"toxins\" in my system. As far as I know, sweat is just salt and water. I didn't see any booze, shrooms or trans fats rolling down my face.\n \nI was going to finish my 30-day trial membership at Bikram Yoga Summerlin, just to give it a fair shake. Maybe I'd end up getting over my reservations, lose 10 pounds, become more grounded, and be able to sleep well again....??? \n \nThen I came to my senses and went back to Las Vegas Athletic Club... which costs me $9/month and offers a variety of un-copyrighted, unpretentious yoga classes. Holla!