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Lady Gaga Hits Lower East Side Bikram Yoga Studio in Hot Outfit

By DNAinfo Staff on November 11, 2010 3:09pm  | Updated on November 12, 2010 6:32am

By Jordan Heller

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

LOWER EAST SIDE — Lady Gaga wears racy outfits not only on stage or at awards shows, but at her preferred Bikram yoga studio on the Lower East Side.

When Manhattan's pop megastar recently showed up for a session at Bikram Yoga Studio on Allen Street in red lace panties, matching bra and American flag bandana, owner Tricia Donegan gave her another shirt to add to the ensemble.

"I had her put on one of my 'drop' shirts," Donegan, 39, told DNAinfo, referring to the T-shirts that feature her studio's logo, a drop of sweat. In Bikram yoga, practitioners go through their poses with the thermostat dialed up to more than 100 degrees.

News of Gaga's visit to the studio surfaced this week, when pictures of Donegan and the pop star made the yoga blogs.

Donegan said she didn't recognize Gaga as a former student when the "Fame Monster" dropped by on Sept. 10.

"She said, 'Don't you remember me? You are one of my favorite teachers,'" Donegan told DNAinfo.

Apparently, Gaga had been a student of Donegan's when she was still at New York University in 2004, before she became famous.

"Gaga said to me, 'To jog your memory, I confided in you and cried in your lap about a food problem I was having,'" said Donegan, who was still covered in sweat from a Thursday afternoon class.

"She told me I had talked to her about the proper hydration and proper nutrition necessary to having enough energy and strength.

"She said she no longer has a food problem and that I saved her life," added Donegan, who has also taught Robert Downey Jr., Chelsea Clinton and George Stephanopoulos.

When asked to rate Lady Gaga's proficiency at Bikram yoga, Donegan used a "hot" scale, apropos of the practice.

"I don't know if she's flaming hot but she's definitely hot," she said.

"She's not at the top of her career and she's not at the top of her practice," Donegan added, indicating that Gaga's star in life and career is still rising.

And that's a good thing, said Donegan, because "once we start flaming, we're done."

When asked if she expects Gaga to return to her studio, Donegan said yes.

"This is her home studio," she said. "It's where she came before she was famous and where she came after she was famous."

To back up the claim, Donegan produced a hot pink note Gaga left her on her last visit.

It reads:

Tricia,

Thank you so much for today. Lately I've been kicking ass in yoga, but I'm excited to embark on an even deeper journey with you. You are such an inspiration. I will be back soon. W more hydration + sleep. Yoga heals me + so do you.

Love,

Lady Gaga