Sky Ting Opens the Doors to New York's Most Stylish New Wellness Destination

Why are fashion people so drawn to Sky Ting, the Manhattan yoga studio co-founded by Krissy Jones in 2015?

"I think it's a non-traditional person that practices at Sky Ting — people who have more flexible jobs, which tend to be artists and creatives and models," she tells Fashionista. "When we first started, we opened up in Chinatown, and it was around the same time [the restaurant] Dimes had opened. It was just a community in that area that kind of overlapped with the same people... I wasn't getting the Flatiron or Wall Street people."

Clients have included Sally Singer, Carine Roitfeld, Phoebe Bridgers, Mae Whitman, Wall Street Journal Fashion Market Director Lizzy Wholley and former Elle editor Danielle Prescod, among many other creatives in the entertainment, fashion and beauty industries. (Jones notes that a lot of her friends "are writers and fashion people.") Over the years, Sky Ting has partnered with brands like Chanel, Nike, Live the Process, Boy Smells, Flamingo Estate, Maison Margiela Fragrances and Joggy. Some of its merch cheekily references Prada's signature triangle logo with the word "prana" (Sanskrit for "life force," often referenced in yoga), while another merch offering comes in the form of a Suzie Kondi terry sweatsuit embroidered with "Sky Ting," a collaboration between the two brands.

"I think we just got to be known as the 'fashion studio,'" Jones says. "Especially with our focus on design and this element of having fun, it just lent itself to that community."

A year and a half ago, Jones bought her two co-founders out of the business. Now, Sky Ting enters a new chapter, one driven solely by her vision (and inspired by her keen-eyed, stylish friends) — and it begins with a new flagship studio at 324 Lafayette St. in Noho, opening on Wednesday. (It's technically the fourth Sky Ting brick-and-mortar location to open its doors, but Jones shuttered two previous outposts — in Tribeca and Williamsburg — during the pandemic; the original Chinatown location remains.)

If Sky Ting is the fashion yoga studio, its new space certainly looks the part: It was designed with the guidance of Los Angeles-based interior designer Courtney Applebaum (who worked with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to design The Row's store on Melrose Place, and is a close friend of Jones's) and architect David Bench. In addition to two large yoga rooms — one heated, one not — the flagship space also features infrared saunas, a cold plunge pool for contrast therapy, a treatment suite for facials (currently featuring Osea skin care, though the services and brands featured will rotate) and Chanel products in the bathrooms and Costa Brazil products in the showers.

"When I was starting the studio, every [other yoga studio] felt super granola or super corporate — there was no soul at all," Jones says. "I didn't feel like either of those options were a place that I wanted to practice. So, in terms of design, I wanted to focus on a light-filled room."

Where the original Chinatown studio is "simple" and "quirky" — with its plants and giant stuffed giraffe — the new Noho studio has a bit more polish.

"We're doing these '80s sporty glass blocks, and we have this brown carpet and a lounge space that feels kind of sexy and cool, but it's really just so people feel at home and comfortable. We modeled it off of a cozy living room," says Jones. She cites New York cool-kid restaurant hangouts as key design touch points for the Sky Ting Noho vision: "I always try to keep it super classic, playing with tile and wood. I was definitely very influenced by Balthazar and The Odeon, especially with the lighting and the warm vibe of those restaurants that just feels timeless."

While she's excited about many aspects of the new space, Jones is perhaps most proud of the spa lounge and how it fits with her goals for Sky Ting's new chapter.

"I just want to work there every day and be in that space. It just feels super peaceful and cool," she says. "Oftentimes, I go to my favorite restaurants in New York where I want to be in that one room. That was kind of the basis: What kind of room do I want to stay in for a long time? What feels cozy and what feels like you can really relax?"

The spa lounge has a mirrored wall, white floor and black couches. It was inspired, in part, by a traditional hammam where people are "encouraged to rest."

"There are these lounge beds, and we'll have books and magazines in there and people can just chill and hang, off of their phones, and read or rest or lounge in their towels before or after a treatment," says Jones.

By serving as a space where people will want to congregate — and stay a while — the flagship will help build Sky Ting's sense of community and togetherness, which have been core to the studio since its inception.

"I think that's really important. Living in New York City, a lot of people move here and feel lonely, so they make their community and friend group through Sky Ting, which warms my heart the most," says Jones. "This studio is much bigger, and we have two lounges, which will really foster people coming and hanging out longer. Every person who's a member here, we know their names, we know about their lives, and I really like that. I love New York when you go to your coffee shop and they're like, 'Hey, I know your order. I know your name and I know your dog.' And that's kind of what we're doing here at Sky Ting, too."

For Jones, Sky Ting's new era is representative of the current state of the wellness industry as a whole.

"Wellness is changing very rapidly, so I think blending modalities is where we're heading," she says. "This is another thing that differentiates our community: Everyone who comes through our doors [isn't just there to] get good at yoga and become yogis. It's really yoga to help you with whatever it is you do in your life, wellness tools and practices that enhance whatever you love — yoga, breath work, meditation, dance. It could be going in the infrared sauna, doing a cold plunge, getting a facial, all of that. Come to Sky Ting, and just leave feeling better. That's the mission."

Despite embracing Sky Ting's fashion-adjacent status, Jones rejects the exclusionary, elitist attitude for which the wellness and fitness industries have been rightfully criticized.

"My mission has always been make [yoga] practical and accessible to people. Wellness can be very daunting or overwhelming, so our method is very inviting," she says. "When you're having a good time in class, you want to come back. That's really the goal for me: to create longevity practices. It's not about, 'Can you be in a handstand forever and do all these crazy tricks with your body?' It really is like, 'Can you open up your joints and be a functional human in your body and do these techniques that, over time, keep your body healthy?'"

Sky Ting Noho will bring in a variety of "healers" for its wellness services in the future — Jones mentions wanting to incorporate massage, lymphatic drainage and acupuncture, among other treatments — but it will maintain the Sky Ting ethos throughout all these offerings.

"It's the same thing: It's not super esoteric, inaccessible," she says. "We're fun. We go on retreat, and it's all about balance — we're not just doing veganism and yoga 100 hours a day, we're drinking wine and enjoying life. It's about pleasure and being well in that way."

Sky Ting's Noho studio is located at 324 Lafayette St., on the fourth floor. It opens its doors to the public for classes and treatments on May 1. (Find prices here.) Keep scrolling to see more of the new space.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

Sky Ting Noho.

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