Desert Song

What Desert Song does

Desert Song Yoga & Healing Arts was a private, founder-owned yoga and healing arts center founded in 1983 by Mary Beth Markus in Phoenix, Arizona, with operations centered at 1130 E Missouri Avenue. For 38 years the studio served the Phoenix/Scottsdale wellness community with a multi-modality offering that included in-person yoga instruction across styles such as Iyengar, Anusara, Hatha, and Vinyasa, plus therapeutic bodywork services encompassing massage therapy, acupuncture, Yoga Nidra, prenatal yoga, and Ayurvedic and somatic practices delivered by a roster of roughly 13 credentialed practitioners.

The business operated on a community-led, direct-to-consumer model combining subscription class packages, pay-per-class in-person attendance, and professional services fees from individual practitioners, all managed through Vagaro cloud studio software with Zoom integration for online classes during the pandemic. A supplementary video-on-demand offering on Vimeo rented Mary Beth Markus's pre-recorded classes at $10 per 15- to 75-minute session. Marketing relied on word-of-mouth, local reputation (including a 2020 'Best of the Valley' recognition), the company website, MB's Blog, and email newsletters.

The COVID-19 pandemic drove a loss of over two-thirds of the client base and eliminated the ability to deliver hands-on bodywork, which the business attempted to offset with a PPP loan, grants from the City of Phoenix and Local First Arizona, and community donations. Effective May 31, 2021, Desert Song closed as a corporate entity and physical studio. The website persists as a passive hub linking students to teachers who now operate independently, alongside a Vimeo video rental library; the founder entered an open-ended sabbatical to explore future possibilities in the yoga world.

Name

Desert Song

Legal name

Desert Song Yoga & Healing Arts

Website

https://desertsongyoga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Desert Song was a founder-owned Phoenix yoga and healing arts studio operating from 1983 until its May 2021 closure, offering multi-style yoga classes, massage, acupuncture, and on-demand video content to the local Phoenix/Scottsdale wellness community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Yoga and Wellness Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSADACAA

General Yoga Instruction (Hatha/Vinyasa/Flow)

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Yoga & Pilates Instruction

SECONDARYHSADAJAF

Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Meditation, Mindfulness & Breathwork

SECONDARYHSADACAF

Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga & Yoga Nidra

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Yoga & Pilates Instruction

Keywords

• Yoga instruction
• Healing arts
• Bodywork therapy
• Meditation training
• Wellness workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Video-on-Demand Class Rentals: Pre-recorded yoga classes available for rental at $10 per class through Vimeo on-demand platform. Classes range from 15 to 75 minutes in length.
2. In-Person Yoga Classes: In-studio yoga classes offered before closure. Classes taught by certified instructors including various yoga styles (Iyengar, Anusara, Hatha, Vinyasa).
3. Bodywork and Massage Services: Therapeutic massage, acupuncture, and other healing bodywork services provided by licensed practitioners including LMTs and acupuncturists.
4. Class Packages: Prepaid class card packages offering discounted rates for multiple classes, managed through Vagaro software.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Desert Song Yoga & Healing Arts operated a community-based yoga and healing arts center offering in-person and online yoga classes across multiple styles (Iyengar, Anusara, Hatha, Vinyasa), therapeutic bodywork including massage and acupuncture, and on-demand video classes. Following its May 31, 2021 closure, the business continues to distribute pre-recorded yoga videos via Vimeo and serves as a hub connecting former students to independent instructors.

Product overview

Desert Song Yoga & Healing Arts was a yoga and healing arts center operating since 1983. The company offered yoga classes (in-person and online via Zoom), on-demand video classes through Vimeo (both complimentary and pay-per-view at $10/class), and bodywork/healing services. Following the studio's closure on May 31, 2021, the website continues serving as a hub connecting the community with teachers and therapists, offering video content and Mary Beth's blog. Individual instructors continue teaching through their own businesses using Vagaro for scheduling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-Demand Video Classes Pay-per-view yoga video classes from Mary Beth Markus available on Vimeo On Demand. Classes range from 15 to 75 minutes in length and are priced at $10 per class, targeting individuals seeking guided yoga practice at home.
• Complimentary Staff Videos Free yoga video classes from Desert Song staff offered to the community at no cost via the company website, supporting continued practice after the studio's physical closure.
• Yoga Classes (In-Person and Online) Yoga instruction delivered in-person at the Phoenix studio and online via Zoom, taught by multiple certified instructors. Classes spanned styles including Iyengar, Anusara, Hatha, and Vinyasa, targeting local community members seeking regular yoga practice. The physical in-person offering ended with the studio's May 2021 closure.
• Bodywork and Massage Services Therapeutic bodywork services including massage therapy and acupuncture provided by licensed practitioners at the studio location. Services targeted individuals seeking chronic pain relief, injury recovery, stress management, and prenatal support. Bodywork services were discontinued with the studio's May 2021 closure, though individual practitioners continue offering services independently.

Quantifiable outcome

• Survived pandemic with PPP loan, grants, and community donations after losing 2/3 of client base

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• City of PhoenixminorOthersProvided grants to Desert Song during the pandemic to help sustain operations after forced closure and loss of client base.
• Local First ArizonaminorOthersProvided grant support to Desert Song as part of community business sustainability efforts during the pandemic.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Modo Yoga: International hot yoga and community-focused studio chain with strong local-community positioning. Comparable philosophy-driven studio model and customer base to Desert Song.
• CorePower Yoga: Largest U.S. yoga studio chain operating physical locations plus a digital offering. Closely comparable to Desert Song's in-person yoga class model across styles (Vinyasa, Power), with similar target customer and price points.
• Y7 Studio: Boutique yoga studio chain with hip-hop themed vinyasa classes and a strong digital content offering. Comparable studio + online content model and millennial customer overlap.
• Alo Moves: Premium online yoga, fitness, and wellness video platform with on-demand classes from celebrity instructors. Directly comparable to Desert Song's Vimeo on-demand yoga offering.
• Yoga Six: Yoga studio franchise offering multiple class styles (yoga, Pilates-inspired, cycle) in physical locations. Comparable studio-based class model and consumer segment to Desert Song.
• YogaWorks: Multi-modality yoga studio chain offering diverse class styles (Iyengar, Hatha, Vinyasa, restorative) plus teacher training and online content. Directly comparable service mix and customer base to Desert Song.
• Glo: Online yoga, Pilates, and meditation subscription platform with thousands of on-demand classes across styles. Directly comparable to Desert Song's on-demand yoga and meditation content business.

Emerging players

• Calm: Mass-market meditation, sleep, and wellness app with growing yoga content. Comparable on the meditation/breathwork portion of Desert Song's offering; competes for the same wellness-conscious consumer wallet.

Broad incumbents

• Gaia: Subscription streaming platform for yoga, meditation, and spiritual wellness content, formerly the digital arm of Gaiam. Comparable on-demand yoga/wellness content model, but at much broader scale with proprietary content library.
• Massage Envy: National membership-based massage, skincare, and stretch service franchise. Comparable to the therapeutic bodywork, massage therapy, and acupuncture portion of Desert Song's service mix at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/desertsongyoga
• Facebookfacebook.com/desertsonghealingartscenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desert-song-yoga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desert Song