Client: Hot8 Yoga in Los Angeles, California
Opportunity: Solve persistent sweat-driven body odors in high-heat, high-humidity studios while preserving the brand experience in premium locations.
The Challenge
Hot8 Yoga operates 13 studios in California and 1 in New York, with 2 more opening in 2026. Each yoga studio is roughly 2,000 square feet with high ceilings and utilizes multiple 10-ton furnaces, maintaining 110°F and up to 80% relative humidity.
Dense rubber flooring is designed to let sweat and moisture pass through instead of pooling on top, but subtle low spots in the slab allowed sweat to puddle underneath and around the flooring. Combined with high heat and high humidity, this created a persistent mix of body odor and organic smells in the studios. Even with deep cleaning, some studios developed a strong, lingering odor, leading to complaints and concern about the brand experience in these premium properties.
Hot8 turned to its long-time HVAC contractor, Nelson Alcazar, owner of American Comfort Control, to solve the problem without changing the studio concept. He needed to:
- Reduce sweat-driven body odors in 110°F hot yoga studios
- Protect the guest experience and eliminate recurring odor complaints
- Use equipment that tolerates continuous operation in high-heat and high-humidity environments
- Target odors at the source, without relying on chemicals used in deep cleaning or expensive and maintenance-intensive carbon filters
Nelson tried several common IAQ solutions used in commercial buildings, including:
- Needlepoint ionization, which is typically successful in lighter odor applications, but not effective in Hot8’s most demanding hot yoga studios
- UV lights that reduce HVAC coil biofilm buildup, but are not effective on odor-causing gases in the studios.
- Honeycomb-style carbon filters that couldn’t deliver the level of odor reduction the client expected.
If he could not resolve the odor issue, he risked losing the account.
The Solution: Air+
After seeing the limits of other IAQ tools, Nelson selected Air+ tube-style ionization for Hot8’s high-heat, high-humidity studios. By installing Air+ ionizers in the studio’s HVAC systems, ions are delivered through the supply air ductwork and distributed evenly throughout each studio. These ions interact with odor-causing gases on a molecular level, altering their chemical structure and reducing perceived body odors.
Installation was easy and scheduled between classes, with 240 Volt ionization units powered directly from the furnaces, so step-down transformers were not required.
“In a hot yoga studio that runs at 110 degrees, I need equipment that simply does its job every day. Air+ gives me that.”
— Nelson Alcazar, Owner, American Comfort Control
The Impact
Odor Control & Air Quality
Since installing Air+ tube-style ionization, Hot8’s yoga studios no longer carry the heavy, lingering odor that once built up between classes. Instructors and staff report that the air feels noticeably cleaner and more neutral when they open the doors for the next class.
Protecting the Guest Experience
The odor that had started to appear in customer feedback is now largely absent from conversations and reviews, helping Hot8 protect its premium brand in high-profile, mixed-use locations.
Operational Improvements
The systems run quietly and efficiently in the background and integrate with existing HVAC systems only requiring annual ion tube replacement.
For American Comfort Control, that means:
- Fewer odor-related service calls
- A proven IAQ strategy for other challenging environments
- Renewed trust with their client
“When the ionizers are operating, there are no noticeable odors in the studios, just the way we want it.”
— Nelson Alcazar, Owner, American Comfort Control
