My mom, sister and I decided to give Bikram a try after buying a groupon. Let me say this, as ready as you feel you may be, you are not!
With that being said, Bikram Yoga Avondale was a great place to be a newbie. Everybody there was so friendly and our first class was instructed by John, one of the owners. He was extremely nice and went out of his way to make sure we felt comfortable during the whole class. I also have recently had knee surgery and he was very accommodating about giving me other option when I was unable to do some of the poses.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is up for a challenge and looking for a welcoming environment to start that in!