What to Expect & FAQs

Wellness Classes & Workshops

FAQ’s and What to Expect

Are you ready to join us for a unique wellness experience in the great outdoors?

Fantastic! We can’t wait to meet you!

Here are some helpful FAQs about what to expect during our classes, workshops and Shinrin-yoku experiences.

If you have any other questions, feel free to Contact Us!

FAQ: Preparing for Class & What to Bring

What do I wear for Shinrin-yoku/forest bathing experiences? Do I need to bring anything? For Shinrin-yoku experiences, simply dress comfortably. Keep in mind that the forest is often a few degrees cooler than the temperature in the weather forecast, so dressing in layers is a good choice. For summer programming, we suggest comfortable walking sandals instead of boots or closed toe tennis shoes. For winter programming, we recommend you dress warmer than you think you need to. Be sure to wear a scarf to cover the back of your neck and wear a hat to help your body stay warm. Snowpants are fantastic! If you have them, wear them.

What to bring: No special outdoor gear is necessary to participate in any of our classes. For foraging classes or mushroom identification classes, we cover a lot of details and you may like to have a notepad to take notes. For Shinrin-yoku experiences, bring along anything that helps you feel comfortable, like cold water in the summer or a thermos of hot tea in the winter.

What we’ll have for you: For all Shinrin-yoku experiences, we will have a small, insulated sit pad available for your use and a blanket to either lay out on the forest floor or wrap up in, if it’s winter. During our summer programming, we have DEET and DEET free mosquito repellent available to participants in all of our classes, along with high quality essential oils for relaxation. During our winter programming, we often offer premium cold weather comforts like hot stone handwarmers, depending on the class length and details.

A note on cell phones: Tech detox is at the heart of nature-based wellness. Even a short amount of time away can help to counter the stress of always being on and connected. If you are comfortable and able to leave the phone behind, we encourage a phone free experience, or the use of airplane mode or the vibrate feature.

FAQ: Arrivals & Where to Meet for Classes

When to arrive: Please try to arrive 10 minutes early for classes, at the indicated check-in time on the class welcome details. We are unable to wait for late arrivals, both in respect of those who arrived on time and due to the set length of our programs. If you know you’ll be later than 10-minutes, please Contact Us before the class start time and we’ll do our best to accommodate you and tell you where to meet us.

Where to meet us: Our group will gather in a visible spot near the parking lot before class starts and walk into the forest together. Look for our guides Katie and/or Luke, who will be waiting for check-in in an easy to spot area.

Restroom facilities: We strive to host all classes at locations with restroom facilities, but some parks do NOT have restroom facilities. If a location does not have a restroom or porta potty, we’ll let you know in our the class details listed on our registration page and share a suggestion of where to stop to use the restroom before class.

FAQ: Registration and Other General Notes

Can I show up and pay at the park? We handle all registration for our classes in advance and do not exchange money or payment on-site during events. This is a strict policy that we hold to, to comply with park regulations and manage class sizes for minimal environmental impact. To join our classes and workshops (even if you have a class package), don’t forget to sign up. Early registration is recommended and appreciated!

Can I bring my dog with me to class? While we love dogs and have one in our own family too, we kindly ask that you do not bring your dog along when attending a class with us (with the exception of service animals). Our top priority is ensuring that all participants feel welcome and comfortable, and not all people are comfortable around unfamiliar dogs, however well-trained or small the animal is. We appreciate your understanding of this policy and helping us create a space that feels safe for all the people who choose to join us. Thank you!

Participant Waiver: All participants must read and sign our Participant Agreement, Release and Assumption of Risk prior to participation in a class or workshop. You’ll be guided through this requirement during the online registration process and it will also be linked in your welcome email.

Coupon Codes & Special Discounts: We occasionally share special class discounts for our newsletter subscribers and those who have a class package. If you have a coupon code, you can enter it at check-out when you register for a class in ClassFit (the option will be offered right before you confirm your class reservation with payment). Please note that discount codes & special offers cannot be used for events in partnership with the City of Grand Rapids Parks & Recreation Department, Blandford Nature Center, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, Gathered Botanicals, or other external partners. Thank you for your understanding!

Photography during classes: Providing space for you to have a relaxing experience in nature is our top priority. During our Shinrin-yoku/forest bathing programs, we do not take active photos during meditation or relaxation. We do take candid photos at foraging and wild tending classes, mushroom identification classes, and other wild food workshops. If you prefer not to be included in photographs or videos taken during our classes or programs, please indicate this on your class waiver and feel free to step aside when we gather to take a class photo. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us to discuss.

FAQ: Refund Policies

Refunds for community classes: We are proud to offer an extremely flexible cancellation policy for our community classes, with a goal of encouraging folks to sign up and commit to enjoying more time outside. For most of our community classes, we offer a full refund for cancellations received up to 24-hours before class. To learn about the specific cancellation policy for a class, review the description when you register on our Booking Calendar. To learn about how to cancel a class for a refund, see the following bullet.

How to receive a refund if you need to cancel your class registration: If you’ve registered for a community class and would like to receive a refund for your cancellation, log into your ClassFit account to withdraw from class in the registration system (within the cancellation window) to ensure you are refunded. As a small business with a growing community, we are proud to have a registration system that enables you to manage your class commitments and personal needs for a cancellation. We do not have the capacity to manage cancellation requests individually via email or text, and we cannot guarantee that you will receive a refund if you do not manage it directly through your student profile in ClassFit. If you have issues with this process, please Contact Us and we can teach you how to withdraw from class in the system, so that you know how to do it in the future!

Refund format for community classes: If you purchase a single class and you follow the process above, you’ll receive a 100% financial refund of your registration. If you register for class with a class package and you withdraw from a class following the process above, the class will be credited back to your package for future use.

Refunds for class packages, workshops and special events: The purchase of class packages, workshops, special events, and series registrations are non-refundable. If you have an emergency and would like to request a possible exception to this policy, please Contact Us to discuss the situation.

Early cancellations are appreciated! If you’ve had a change of plans and you know you won’t be able to join, we appreciate early notice of your cancellation. Many of our community classes fill early, which means we turn students away when all slots are filled. Early cancellation helps us to keep our flexible cancellation policy in place and ensures that those who want to join will have an opportunity to come out. Thank you in advance!

Late dropouts and no-shows: Due to our limited class schedule and class sizes that are structured to maximize learning and community experience (versus maximizing attendance numbers), we are unable to issue refunds for late dropouts or no-shows. If you have an emergency and would like to request a refund for a late dropout, please Contact Us to discuss the situation.

Can class packages be shared? Our class packages are structured to offer one participant the opportunity to enjoy a variety of classes in the forest at a reduced class rate. Class packages are not meant to be split among multiple people and cannot be shared. If you have any questions, please let us know.

FAQ: Weather Related Cancellations

Hazardous Weather Cancellations: In cases of high wind, thunder and lightning, heavy rain, unsafe winter driving conditions, extreme cold or other environmental hazards, we may cancel class. If a class is cancelled due to weather concerns, you will be notified by email either the day before class or on the day of class (if the class is scheduled for the evening). In cases of light rain in reasonably warm temperatures, we will likely still have class. If a community class is cancelled due to hazardous weather, you will be refunded in full, with either a financial refund for single class registrations or a class credit returning to your account for class punch card registrations. For cancellations of special events or workshops, you will be notified of your refund options. This may include an option for a full financial refund or to transfer your registration to a rescheduled program date.

Cancellations Due to Low Registration

We do our best to host programs during dates/times that will work for those who want to join us. On the occasion that we don’t reach our minimum attendee number within 24-hrs of a class, it is our general policy to cancel the class or workshop. If a class is cancelled due to low registration, you will be informed via email and refunded in full (with either a financial refund for single class registrations or a class credit returning to your account for class pack registrations). Thanks for your understanding of this policy!

Still have a question? Contact us today! We’d be happy to help you.