Photo by Jay Stover Photography.
The Old Waterworks on Front Street long has been considered one of Harrisburg’s most iconic buildings.
In recent years, it was home to an advertising firm and, after that, mostly sat empty, which is how Rachel and Ulysses Wilson discovered it a few months ago. The couple was driving through Harrisburg after looking at another potential site for a new venture—a second location of their Camp Hill-based yoga studio, Om My Yoga.
“The location we were coming from would have been similar,” Rachel started, the stopped quickly. “No, actually, there’s nothing with a similar feel. We looked in all the windows and then thought, ‘This is it! This is the space!’”
Rachel and Ulysses laughed. “By the end of the day, we knew who owned it, but we didn’t know how much it would cost because it wasn’t even listed,” she said.
The space, which is now home to the couple’s new yoga world (the word “studio” just doesn’t do it justice), has incredible arched windows and industrial-looking beams that naturally fit with the aesthetic of the warehouse space. The high ceilings were perfect for Om My Yoga’s Aerial Yoga—a type of yoga that involves incorporating silk hammocks that hang from the ceiling into traditional yoga practice.
Whole New Level
The Waterworks location culminates a years-long story of the couple’s increasing devotion to the practice and business of yoga.
Rachel long had been a fitness instructor, teaching spinning and other exercise classes at a local gym. After she gave birth to their son, she chose to focus her energy on yoga.
She started with private sessions in their home, which soon expanded into classes of five and then into the double digits. This growth inspired them, in 2011, to move into the space in Camp Hill, a studio that quickly expanded to the location next door.
Meanwhile, Ulysses started to gain an interest in acrobatic yoga, a fusion of the stretching and movements of yoga and acrobatics. The couple traveled all over the East Coast to train with acrobats, gymnasts and professional dancers.
“Sometimes, [we were] way out of our league,” Rachel said. “And it’s been good! It’s pushed us to a whole new level. Then we come back here, and we feel we have so much to offer to this city and to this area. We just want people to come and experience it because we’ve spent the time in Miami and New York City training with all these great people, and we’re just excited to share it.”
A Reflection
After about eight weeks of negotiating for the space, the couple and their core team of 12 yoga enthusiasts took the leap into the new project, which involved a lot of scrubbing and cleaning to return the Waterworks to its former beauty.
The original tin and iron and wood detailing now give the space an industrial look, perfect for the Wilson’s preference and needs. The main studio space is open and draws the eye up to the stunning windows, which reflect light off of the Susquehanna.
Rich, colorful details both complement and contrast with the stark interior, bringing Rachel and Ulysses’ vision for the space to life. Furniture and pillows are brightly colored, while lamps are of various motifs, sizes, shapes and colors. Even the restrooms show creativity and whimsy. One is Beatles-themed, while the other has a chalkboard graffiti wall, which, when I was there, had scribbled on it, “Once in a while, blow your own mind.”
The space is a reflection of the couple’s energy, enthusiasm and love for the art of yoga.
“We might be pushing the envelope here in Harrisburg, bringing something like this, but I’m a go big or go home kind of person, and we wanted to bring our vision here and see if it was accepted and inspiring and, so far, everyone that has come has been mind-blown with excitement,” Rachel explained.
If I walked away with anything from our meeting, it was the couple’s zest for life and their passion for their business and what it does for others.
“We like to be active and play and have fun and help people to remember that they don’t have to be so serious all the time and to try something new and have an adventure,” Rachel explained as she stood below a vintage-looking stop sign that appropriately read, “STOP. Enjoy Your Life.”
Om My Yoga now offers double the classes that it had prior to the Harrisburg opening. If you’re not sure if a class is for you, the team offers an open night on Tuesdays starting at 6 p.m. when, for $5, you can experiment with the hammocks and acrobatic yoga in a no-pressure situation.
“For the last two weeks, it’s been people on the hammocks, acro-yoga, hooping, and last week someone brought fire spinning [batons],” Rachel said. “We have a mini circus in here!”
Om My Yoga is located at 614 N. Front St., Harrisburg, and 4407 Carlisle Pike, Camp Hill. For a complete list of Om My Yoga’s classes and other information, visit ommyyoga.com.
