East End yogis may be familiar with Solntse Hot Yoga in Wading River. The popular studio in the Shoppes at East Wind offers a variety of yoga, barre and meditation classes befitting of both beginners and advanced practitioners.
Owner Ina Pollifrone-Visich opened Solntse in October 2016 — and classes have been booking up ever since. To meet the demand, the 28-year-old Belarus native has opened a second location in downtown Riverhead. Pollifrone-Visich took over the 800-square-foot space in April and is offering a full schedule of classes.
She’d been eyeing a second studio space for several months — considering a move further west — before finding the West Main Street space. Solntse is located next door to the former Aerial Fitness — now American Muscle Studios, which is leasing the upstairs space to Pollifrone-Visich.
“The business has been growing very consistently,” she said. “I wanted to expand to bring in more people who can’t always travel to Wading River. Riverhead is more convenient for people on the South Shore and the East End.”
The short distance between the two locations also allows Pollifrone-Visich to easily teach classes in both studios without much commuting. She — along with her roster of trainers — are leading up to seven classes a day between both studios, in addition to private sessions. The move also puts her closer to husband, Robert Pollifrone, co-owner of Buoy One in Riverhead and Westhampton Beach.
Pollifrone-Visich discovered hot yoga while researching treatments for fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder she was diagnosed with nearly four years ago. She found that stretching under steamy conditions alleviated her symptoms, including headaches and fatigue, and opened Solntse as an alternative to driving to her favorite East Moriches studio.
Since opening in Wading River, Pollifrone-Visich has become a certified instructor and has introduced a cutting-edge infrared radiant heating system for hot yoga to the East Wind studio.
Hot yoga classes are typically held at 99 degrees with 40 percent humidity. The temperature is set for 70 degrees for regular classes. The infrared panels provide a feeling similar to being outside on a sunny day, as opposed to a traditional system that forces hot air through vents, sometimes making the room stuffy. She is hoping to bring the same technology to Riverhead in the coming weeks.
“It is a healthier way to heat the body,” she said. “The heat helps with flexibility and pain management.”
In addition to hot yoga, Solntse offers Hatha, Vinyasa, restorative, yin and gentle yoga. Pollifrone-Visich also teaches an original fitness-meets-yoga class called Warm Core Yoga, which she designed to fuse the mindfulness of yoga with the strengthening of Barre.
A full class schedule can be found online at solntseyoga.com or through searching Solntse on the Mind Body app. Pollifrone-Visich also noted that the studio’s Facebook page is the best way to keep up with upcoming events such as Wine Down Wednesday, which she hopes to bring to the Riverhead location soon.
“It is a way to bring people together even after the class,” she said. “We like to serve the community. People come here and leave with friends.”
The new Solntse is located at 40 West Main Street in Riverhead and the original location is 5768 Route 25A, Unit U, in Wading River.
