Product And Service Description
This section provides a clear overview of the Company’s product line. Furthermore, product advantages and
future development opportunities are presented.
OVERVIEW OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Bamboo YogaPlay is an eco‐friendly Costa Rican resort that
focuses on the teaching and practice of movement and
healing arts. Guests are able to enjoy a variety of amenities
at this full service resort, including hotel rooms and suites,
movement arts classes, massage and other spa treatments,
and adventure tours through the lush Costa Rican rainforest.
Bamboo YogaPlay’s unique focus and services create an
experience not offered anywhere else in Costa Rica.
Location
Bamboo YogaPlay is located in Dominical, a coastal town on
the Pacific side of the richly bio‐diverse country of Costa Rica.
The resort is located three hours south of Costa Rica’s capital,
San José, and rests at the base of forested mountains at the
mouth of the Baru River. It sits on the northern border of the
Osa Peninsula, a region recognized as the most bio diverse
place on earth by the United Nations and National Geographic
Society. Despite its untouched natural surroundings, Bamboo
YogaPlay is easily accessible from the main Interamericana Sur
highway, especially after the completed construction of a highway
from San Jose to the western coastal region of the country.1 There
have also been discussions of building an international airport in the
region south of Dominical. The Bamboo YogaPlay resort is located on
a lot adjacent to the river, and is a short walk from the beach. The
prime location offers easy access to a variety of adventure tour
opportunities as well.
Costa Rica is one of the most environmentally rich countries in the world, harboring more than 90,000 known
species, which alone, accounts for 5% of the world’s biodiversity despite making up only .03% of the world’s land
mass. The country is covered by tens of thousands of acres of government‐protected rain forests and cloud
forests, active volcanoes, beaches and waterfalls.2 Costa Rica’s environment and climate, which maintains an
average temperature of 72 degrees during the winter and an average of 85 degrees during the summer, provides
an unparalleled experience for travelers, stimulating a growing ecotourism industry throughout the country over
the last two decades.3
Accommodations
The Bamboo YogaPlay Expansion Plan calls for a total of sixteen guest rooms. Four of the rooms are standard
rooms and twelve are suites. The standard rooms include a queen sized bed and full bathroom, and accommodate
up to two people. Suites have all of the amenities of a standard room, and also include a pull out couch and can
accommodate up to four people. All rooms are furnished with linens, mosquito nets and toiletries for each guest.
The accommodations are located in five detached, two‐story buildings in the center of the property, each of which
includes two rooms. Two more rooms are located riverfront under the studio. The Bamboo YogaPlay Expansion
Plan also incorporates two dedicated staff living
quarters with bathrooms and a shared kitchen, and
the existing house will eventually transform into an
apartment for the hotel manager. The rooms are
constructed out of shipping containers and
sustainably harvested bamboo, which are less
expensive than traditional building materials and
allow for significantly faster construction. In
addition, the use of recycled shipping containers
and bamboo aligns with Bamboo YogaPlay’s ecofriendly
values while still providing high quality
rooms for guests. All rooms will maintain high
quality finishing and furniture throughout.
Main Studio Building
On the far side of the resort lies the main studio building which will provide space for Bamboo YogaPlay to offer
many of its services. On the upper floor of the two‐story building, Bamboo YogaPlay’s various workshops and
movement arts services will be held in the 1600 square foot open‐air yoga studio. The netted studio will be
equipped with bamboo flooring, a state of the art sound system and wall mirrors. The studio will also include
aerial rigs, yoga swings, yoga equipment and props, including mats and bolsters. The studio will provide a view of
the ocean, river and jungle in the surrounding areas. The yoga studio will accommodate up to 60 yoga mats.
On the first story, the hexagonal building opens into a central entry space that can be used for an art installation.
The upstairs is supported by five container rooms where a variety of services will be provided. These rooms
include a recording studio, a room for massage and spa services, two river view suites and pool access with
showers. The first floor of the main studio building also includes a handicap bathroom and storage space. The
Bamboo YogaPlay Expansion Plan will comply with all Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT / Costa Rican Tourism
Institute) regulations to obtain ICT eco‐friendly certification and other benefits such as tax exemptions that come
with this ICT status.
Restaurant and Juice Bar
The Bamboo YogaPlay Expansion Plan includes a restaurant and juice bar on site for guests and other patrons to
enjoy. The restaurant will offer high quality, healthy dining and the juice bar will offer smoothies, drinks and
snacks. These establishments will be subcontracted to individuals with the same vision of ecological friendliness.
Boutique Retail Store
The “Bamboutique” is a boutique retail store that is currently one of the most hip and unique stores in Central
America. The Bamboutique carries exclusive lines of clothing, accessories and other items that are available at a
very limited number of retailers around the world. The Bamboo YogaPlay Expansion Plan increases the size of the
resort and improves the finishing of the existing store, as well as incorporating stairs, bathrooms and upstairs
office space.
Services
Bamboo YogaPlay provides a wide variety of services focused on the healing arts, aiming to bring the body, mind
and spirit connection into balance through a variety of body based and/or expressive arts modalities. Other
services that are available for guests include spa treatments and chair and full body massages. Various styles of
yoga and workshops are available on a set schedule for guests to work on posture, physical strength, meditation
and relaxation. Private classes and other classes such as belly dancing and African dance are also available. The
teachers and instructors that provide these classes are of very high caliber, many of which are the world’s
foremost experts in the disciplines of movement arts.
Adventure Tours
Various excursions are available to guests in which local experts guide them through the lush Costa Rican
environment. Some of these adventure tours include surf classes, scuba diving, canopy tours and waterfall tours.
These services are subcontracted to local service providers through a revenue share model.
Retreats
Bamboo YogaPlay’s facilities are also available for exclusive retreats. Teachers, instructors or other leaders of
groups are invited to enjoy full access to Bamboo YogaPlay’s facilities and services to provide courses and
certification for students, as well as other group activities. Retreat guests will have full access to the Yoga Studio,
pool and hotel rooms. Bamboo YogaPlay will also provide customized retreat packages that include other
amenities such as massages, adventure tours and food.
Other Services and Amenities
Bamboo YogaPlay also offers the following services and amenities to ensure a positive experience for guests: 24
hour hotel staff and security, secure parking on the Bamboo YogaPlay property and daily maid service.
PRODUCT & SERVICE ADVANTAGES
The main product advantage of Bamboo YogaPlay is its focus on expressive healing arts, which aren’t offered in the
same way by any other Costa Rican resort. Another major advantage held by Bamboo YogaPlay is the expertise of
Sofiah Thom and other world‐class instructors, whose background and education in movement arts gives guests a
unique and valuable experience that they will never forget. Bamboo YogaPlay is also significantly more affordable
than their competitors around the same area.
Bamboo YogaPlay’s location within Dominical provides several advantages. The resort is located off a busy road
which generates walk in customers for classes and other services, rather than just guests with reservations.
Bamboo YogaPlay is just a two‐minute walk from the beach and river, and walking distance to the nearby
community and amenities.
On a larger scale, the location of Dominical provides several advantages. The resort is located approximately 2 ½
hours by car from San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, where most international tourists arrive. Dominical is also
within walking or close driving distance to many of the environmental attractions that Costa Rica has to offer,
including the Nauyaca waterfall and the Marina Ballena National Park.
Another major advantage that Bamboo YogaPlay holds is the success and popularity of the Bamboutique. The
popularity of this retail store makes it a much greater revenue source than most hotel retail shops, and also adds
to the value of the overall experience at Bamboo YogaPlay. While many other hotels and resorts have retail shops
to provide an additional source of revenue, the Bamboutique’s exclusive products and popularity provide another
compelling reason to visit Bamboo YogaPlay.
Another advantage of Bamboo YogaPlay is its emphasis on eco‐friendly practices. This is apparent in many aspects
of Bamboo YogaPlay, including its use of recycled shipping containers and sustainably harvested bamboo for resort
construction, plans for solar power implementation, permaculture emphasis and eco‐friendly products found in
the Bamboutique.
CURRENT STATUS & DEVELOPMENT
Bamboo YogaPlay has been operating since 2007. Currently, guest amenities include 3 guest rooms, two shared
bathrooms and an outdoor kitchen. There are also many services available to guests including public and private
studio classes, massages, adventure tours and more. The Bamboutique is also currently fully operational.
Thus far, Bamboo YogaPlay has focused its efforts on providing yoga and other classes and retreats to tourists and
locals, as well as operating the Bamboutique. Up to this point, providing rooms to hotel guests has not been a
main point of emphasis. However, Bamboo YogaPlay has had significant demand for these rooms and has
accommodated guests, even though the Company has not undertaken any marketing efforts to advertise these
rooms.
Bamboo YogaPlay is currently looking to expand, growing to 16 hotel rooms. This will give Bamboo YogaPlay the
capacity and amenities to become a full service resort, as well as meet the demand of retreat groups. Construction
of the new Bamboo YogaPlay resort will include the following:
- 16 new, eco‐friendly rooms created from shipping containers;
- Swimming pool and Jacuzzi;
- An additional story on the main building, which will include storage, a recording studio, a massage/spa
room and pool entry/shower room, and two suites; - A restaurant;
- A juice bar;
- Storage/Employee rooms (converted from the 3 current hotel rooms); and
- Hotel Manager’s living quarters/apartment
Below is a mock‐up of the Bamboo YogaPlay Expansion Plan:
