The Thames Club in Staines, Surrey, has added a dedicated yoga'>hot yoga studio to its offering as part of plans to establish the independently-owned club as a yoga and pilates destination.

Launched this month, the 100sq m (1,076sq ft) studio will be marketed as The Hot Yoga Club and will be offered as a standalone membership, with pay as you go options also available.

The instructor training and class schedules at the new club will be driven by hot yoga pioneer Amanda Free, who has been credited with being the first person to bring the discipline to the UK in 1995.

Based on special breathing techniques – combined with 40 degree centrigrade temperatures – hot yoga is designed to increase oxygenated blood flow and provide a strong cardio workout.

“Initial feedback has been incredibly positive. In our first week we secured more than 600 bookings, with all classes achieving at least 80 per cent capacity," said Peter Williams, managing director at The Thames Club

“We are currently running 28 Hot Yoga and Pilates classes a week with plans to add Hot Barre to the programme later this year along with a HIIT Yoga and Spin combo class.”

Launched in 2003, The Thames Club currently has 2,500 members and houses a 20m, indoor pool, a large gym floor, two group exercise studios and a dedicated group cycle studio.

The club was acquired by Sheffield United Football Club for £4m in 2006, as part of the club’s strategy to develop a leisure property portfolio and to roll out a chain of health clubs.

The club subsequently sold the club two years later, in 2008, after deciding to refocus its leisure operations around the South Yorkshire area.