Client website · Wellness studio

The Black Salt Room

The Black Salt Room is a breathwork and yoga studio in a Toronto home, with six spots per session. I created its atmosphere, website, content and search setup, and the owner reports it has stayed fully booked since launch.

ClientThe Black Salt Room
StatusClient project
My roleDirection, UX, build, content, SEO

The short version

What it is

The first website for a small studio offering breathwork, yin and restorative yoga, meditation and seasonal circles, all arranged personally by inquiry rather than an online checkout.

What I built

Creative direction and a Next.js site with five offering pages, reviewed articles with named authors and sources, an inquiry flow that remembers the chosen practice, structured data and a performance-first video hero.

Why it stands out

A small business with a serious build: a launch build that scored 100 on Lighthouse, a validated inquiry API and content written to earn trust, not just traffic.

Since the launch, I’ve been staying fully booked. We receive a constant stream of new inquiries and reservations directly through the site every single day.

Alina, Owner, The Black Salt Room
100Lighthouse scoresLaunch build
1.5 sMobile LCPLaunch build
0Layout shiftLaunch build
5Offering pagesEach with session details and a direct inquiry

Lighthouse lab results from the launch build.

01 · The journey

Feel the room.
Understand the session.

Charcoal, amber light, serif headings and restrained movement set the mood. Practical answers sit right beside it, so the atmosphere never replaces information.

Step 1 · Arrive

The Black Salt Room homepage: A Quiet Place to Land, with group size six people maximum, small group and private formats, and arranged personally by inquiry.
  1. Six people maximum. Group size answered before anyone asks.
  2. Small group or private. Both formats named up front.
  3. By inquiry only. No calendar or checkout, by design.

Step 2 · Picture a session

Breathwork offering page with an Inquire about Breathwork button and a details grid: length, structure, format, group size, props and arrival, followed by related guides.
  1. Inquire about this practice. The button carries Breathwork into the form.
  2. What actually happens. Length, structure, format, group size, props and arrival time.
  3. Related guides. Preparation and comparison articles one click away.

Step 3 · Ask personally

Inquiry form with Breathwork evening pre-selected as the area of interest, a message field, and a location panel explaining the address is shared once a session is confirmed.
  1. Already selected. Arriving from Breathwork pre-selects the area of interest.
  2. Privacy and access, upfront. The address is shared once confirmed; access needs are invited.
  3. A person replies. The owner replies personally, within a few days.

Desktop views captured 4 October 2026, including content added after launch.

02 · Content

Service pages and articles
do different jobs.

Offering pages explain the services. Articles answer preparation and comparison questions, such as how to choose a breathwork class or what happens at a first session, and link back to the relevant practice.

I built the article model around a short answer, named writer and studio-reviewer roles, sources and real update dates. The writing favours session details, participant choice and clear boundaries over sweeping wellness claims.

Article How to Choose a Breathwork Class in Toronto with publish and update dates, written-by and reviewed-by credits, a short answer box and related practice links.
  1. Real dates. Published and updated dates come from the content record.
  2. Named roles. Writer and studio reviewer, both credited.
  3. The short answer first. The useful part before the long read.
  4. Back to the practice. Related practice links close the loop.

Current local build, captured 4 October 2026.

03 · Decisions

Quiet on the surface.
Careful underneath.

Inquiry, not checkout.

Chose
Pricing, availability and suitability are discussed before a session is confirmed.
Instead of
A public calendar and payment flow.
Trade-off
More owner effort per booking, which matches how a six-person home studio actually runs.

Still image first.

Chose
The hero starts as a still; a small video loop fades in only on eligible desktop screens when it can play.
Instead of
Autoplaying video for everyone.
Trade-off
Phones and data-saving visitors see a still, and nobody downloads video they will not watch.

Keep old links alive.

Chose
A permanent redirect from the former Dundas article URL to its Toronto replacement, with stored sitemap dates.
Instead of
Letting the old path quietly 404.
Trade-off
A small redirect map to maintain, and truthful freshness signals.
04 · Where it stands

A useful front door
for a small practice.

Delivered
  • Atmospheric identity and homepage
  • A page per practice with session details
  • Inquiry form that carries the chosen practice
  • Reviewed articles with sources and dates
  • Typed offering and article records
  • Inquiry API with shared browser and server validation
  • HSTS, framing and permissions headers
Launch build

Lighthouse scores of 100, a 1.5 s mobile LCP and zero layout shift at launch.

Result

The studio has stayed fully booked since launch, with new inquiries arriving through the site every day.

Hospitality growthPalisades Lodge

Content, local presence and a booking handoff for a new lodge.

Another small businessB&B Contractors

Three pages and a clear route to an estimate.

Bringing a wellness experience online? Start a conversation

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Contact

Available for select projects and opportunities

Have a website that needs to win work?

alex@jardinestudio.com

Let’s work together. Have a project in mind or a role you’re hiring for? I’d like to hear about it.

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Toronto, Canada · --:--Working remotelyLinkedIn (opens in a new tab)