East, Drink, OM is Yoga with a Twist

Susan Sluk is dedicated to West Chester. She’s dedicated to innovation and she’s dedicated to health and wellness.

Her Yoga studio on Gay Street is both traditional and anything but traditional.

At Eat, Drink, Om you can take a lunchtime 30 minute Yoga class for five bucks and you don’t have to change out of your work clothes to do it.

Sluk has created a yoga studio that’s as flexible as the instructors. If there’s a class you want that’s not on the menu, chances are she’ll create it for you, at an affordable price. In fact, for the same $15 for an hour price as scheduled classes. A half hour special class is just $7.50.

Looking for a night out in town but don’t have a babysitter?

On the first and third Friday and Saturday nights of each month Eat, Drink, OM has a “drop and dine” evening for kids. (It’s Friday and Saturday in the summer and Saturdays only in the winter months). From 6:30-8:30 parents can drop kids off at the studio while they go and dine in town. It’s just like a babysitter, only way cooler for children. “The kids come here. We do yoga, they have a snack, we do crafts they can watch a movie, anything,” Sluk explains.  “I have my child abuse clearances, criminal background checked, drug tested.”

It’s part of Sluk’s philosophy of shopping local, helping local. “The restaurants have a sitter on the street,” she says while pointing out all the eateries on her block and within just a one or two block walk.  Local restaurant owners offer big discount coupons to parents who use the drop and dine service, making it an even better deal for parents. Sluk says it’s a win-win-win. “Parents only have to pay for parking once, they don’t have to drive the sitter home, they don’t have to tip me and they had a great night. They put the kids in the car and they’re done. And if someone needs more time after 8:30 for something special I’ll do that too.”  Extra time is  $12 per hour and it just gets added on to the bill.  If it’s a busy night, Sluk has a roster of registered/screened sitters who help out.

For parents, the service offers peace of mind. Sluk has children and she understands the things that concern parents. “It’s an open (storefront) window so parents can look in and see their kids. I even offer face timing so if somebody has an iPhone they can face time their kid while they’re here. So it’s really secure in this day and age.”

You name it and it’s probably on the activity menu, or do-able.

“I do all the daisies, the girl scouts, boy scouts, knitting meditations, birthday parties, schools. dog parties, I’m the place,” Sluk says.  “It’s just getting together. I do knitting meditations to teach people how to calm down and focus. It’s called ‘sit and knit’ and sometimes I offer it for free. Sometimes I’ll run a special on Facebook I’ll run a special like if you ‘bring a canned good for the food pantry you get a free class type of thing.’

Sluk’s classes cater to all kinds of personalities. “I also teach ‘bitch knit’ if you’re a very angry person. It’s very angry wool(working). You can take it, burn it, bury it, I don’t care but if you do something and it finishes I take it over to the Hickman and I donate it to the ladies for their wheelchair pads, so I do that too.”

It’s all about community and neighbors helping neighbors. Sluk says she buys everything local whenever possible and uses services from small businesses right in Wes Chester.  She created this spring’s Wellness Walk to promote all the local businesses that offer health and wellness services and products.