A donation-based yoga studio that built its following in St. Petersburg is crossing the bay into Tampa Heights, with a third location set to open at 114 E. Columbus Drive sometime this winter. Beach Town Yoga plans to fill a 2,200-square-foot space that had sat vacant for nearly ten years, bringing its pay-what-you-can model to a neighborhood already reshaped by redevelopment around Armature Works.
The Tampa studio will be individually financed and owned by instructor Dani Schenone, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal. Schenone previously led community yoga sessions at Armature Works and stadium flows at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg before taking on the new location, the outlet reported. An official opening date remains unannounced pending final permitting, according to That's So Tampa, which first reported that the Tampa site will offer a free parking lot across the street.
Beach Town Yoga's St. Petersburg studio is built around a community-oriented, pay-what-you-can model.
How the Studio Keeps the Lights On Without a Front Desk
Running a studio where anyone can pay what they can afford requires some financial engineering behind the scenes. Beach Town Yoga gives 50 percent of donations directly to teachers, and to make that math work, the business operates without front desk staff or a lobby, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. Check-ins instead run through software built by co-founder Noah Villalobos, a setup the outlet says keeps budget resources focused on space upkeep and instructor pay rather than administrative overhead.
That lean model lines up with broader trends in flexible pricing. Pay-what-you-can structures remove financial barriers and widen audience diversity, while suggested contribution levels or memberships help secure predictable revenue, according to TicketSource. Beach Town Yoga pairs its drop-in donation model with a steadier option: an unlimited monthly membership priced at $88, per That's So Tampa.
What Students Can Expect Once Doors Open
The Tampa location is expected to offer several classes each day, including beginner, all-levels flow, and power flow sessions, along with themed classes that occur frequently, according to That's So Tampa. Yoga Alliance lists hot or heated yoga and gentle yoga among the school's types. The brand's existing location is its St. Petersburg flagship at 131 22nd Street South, alongside the forthcoming Tampa site.
Beach Town Yoga has built a strong reputation within the industry alongside its expansion. The studio holds a 4.93 out of 5 rating based on 95 reviews with Yoga Alliance, which designates it a Registered Yoga School offering 200-hour teacher training programs.
A Neighborhood Built for Walk-In Business
The Tampa Heights location sits about a half-mile north of Armature Works, the 84,700-square-foot former streetcar repair hub built in 1910 that sat abandoned before a $21 million adaptive reuse project led to a public soft opening as a food hall and event destination in February 2018, according to the Florida Community Loan Fund. The surrounding corridor has benefited from zoning changes aimed at small-scale commercial growth. The Planning Commission unanimously supported the Tampa Heights Overlay District on August 14, 2023, and the Tampa City Council voted afterward; the district eliminates off-street parking minimums for commercial spaces under 1,500 square feet and allows adjacent on-street parking to count toward business requirements, according to the Tampa Heights Civic Association, which says neighborhood leaders drafted the overlay to encourage walkable, bikeable small businesses.
The expansion adds another entry to a growing list of accessible, community-driven wellness spots cropping up around Tampa Bay, even as other local wellness venues face setbacks. Hoodline previously reported on a historic St. Petersburg sanctuary that hosted community yoga and wellness events before fire code issues forced its closure. For now, Beach Town Yoga's focus is on getting its Tampa doors open, with the winter timeline still contingent on permitting moving forward.
