"They're not here." I responded, matter-of-factly. "And I need one for class."
"You have a big one in Vancouver."
"I brought my orange one over."
"No, there's one more, probably tucked away somewhere."
After discovering the utter lack of mats at LA Fitness, I took matters into my own hands. Being utterly convinced that a budget mat with fast, free shipping would suffice for the grimy gym studio floors, I resorted to Amazon. And then, in the absence of a carrying strap, I DIYed my own variation with thin elastic cord.
However, it was nevertheless, subpar for its price. After a short while in bird dog position, a dent formed where my knee was. It persisted for the duration of my workout, like cheap memory foam. The surface was decent and indeed nonslip, but gripped toes excessively during dynamic movements, causing my toe to bend underneath instead of assisting it along its path. The foamy texture further caused insulation of heat, rather than its dissipation. My POPFLEX version, albeit far pricier, was just so much better. (That said, both mats susceptible to streaking and surface discolouration, regardless of usage count.)