Liberation Yoga, Los Angeles

The founders of Liberation Yoga were probably flattered when their studio was named one of LA Weekly's best yoga studios in 2013. But it wasn't the highest honor they'd ever received—in 2007, Travel+Leisure crowned Liberation Yoga one of the best studios in the entire world.

Those are just two of the numerous awards the studio has accumulated since it opened in the early 2000s, right when the '90s fitness craze of teasing hair until your arms gave out began to decline. Perhaps the praise is due to the fact that the majority of its yoga instructors boast more than a decade of experience. Or maybe it's because they focus solely on yoga while still offering a wide variety of classes types. That class range includes from gentle styles of yoga, which relieve stress, to flow classes, which challenge the body with rigorous, Vinyasa-style movements, to classes specifically designed for families and toddlers.

Or maybe it's the classroom itself—a bright, mystical place where mismatched dark and light hardwood slats cover the floors, natural light pours through the windows, and a sky-blue ceiling slants toward the outer wall. Touches such as tree-like wooden poles, greenery and flowers, and brown vines complete the fairytale look, making the studio a magic place in which to move and obtain inner peace.