When we walked into the Wayland’s new hotspot, Frozen Yogurt Innovations (FYI), we were greeted by a cheerful atmosphere including a bright, pink and green decor. We noticed several yogurt machines lined up along one side and delicious looking buckets of toppings lining the back wall.

The Cohn family of Wayland recently opened this new hot spot at 131 Main Street, at the intersection with West Plain Street. Unlike the traditional frozen yogurt shops in our area like Pinkberry and Red Mango, FYI gives the customer the ability to create a unique self-serve dessert.

Each frozen yogurt machine has three levers. The one on the left has one flavor, while the one on the right has the other, and the middle lever twists the two flavors together. This allows you to select one or more distinctive flavors such as cinnamon-bun, cheesecake, pomegranate and sea salt caramel pretzel, and even mix them together. After choosing your flavor, you can pick from a wide variety of toppings — everything from toffee pieces to blueberries to lychee bobas (don’t ask what those are).

When we visited FYI on Thursday, one of us got strawberry yogurt topped with fresh strawberry slices and cheesecake chunks. The other chose a mix of chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream yogurt topped with kit-kat, cookie dough, oreo and M&M’s.

We both agreed that the frozen yogurt was flavorful and had a creamy texture; it tasted very similar to ice cream. These were different from the fro-yo at Red Mango, which has a less sweet and more tangy flavor that is easily identified as organic yogurt. We barely could tell we were eating non-fat yogurt. Other flavors did have that recognizable tang, if you’re into that.

The yogurt is healthier than ice cream since it contains probiotics that boost immunity and aid digestion. It is all-natural and contains no preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial colors. Yogurt also has less saturated fat than ice cream. In a small vanilla cone at Dairy Queen (5 oz.), there are about 230 calories and seven grams of fat, whereas a 5 oz serving of french vanilla frozen yogurt at FYI is about 148 calories and has nearly half the fat!

Unlike most ice cream and frozen yogurt shops, FYI charges by the ounce, not by size cup, which allows customization of price and size. The ice cream cups are all one size, and are eco-friendly.

The only downside to the new shop is that there is no seating, with the exception of one small bench. However, we sat on the grass outside, which was nice since it was warm outside.

FYI is a great addition to the Wayland community. It is perfect if you’re short on time and want a satisfying snack, as it’s close to both the middle school and high school.

We recommend this place anytime you’re looking for a sweet treat, as a healthier alternative to the usual Dairy Queen or Starbucks run.