an “E-normous” mat zapper has suddenly appeared—happy 2010—in the hallway at my local yoga place, and around the corner near the tank tops and herbal tea is its companion, a 50-gallon bucket of Purell wipes. The mat zapper says it’s an “Ultra-Violet yoga mat sanitizer” for authorized personnel only, but the Purell wipes are free.

with the appearance of these large objects dedicated to squashing bacteria the message that is highlighted (way more than breathe/surrender/peace/namaste) is just how gross and dirty yoga places really must be. in other words, it gets you looking. before the mat zapper, the ropes were simply “dark,” the corners of the rooms “well-shellacked,” and the mats “just a little sticky.” now the bar has been raised. something “sanitized” this way comes and now everything must be measured against that. yeah, think about ole zappy before you put your face in that blanket.

and talk about single-usage appliances… i can’t figure out how to get even a chopstick UV’d on that thing.