*REVIEW* Classpass hit Boston!
/"Wow! I really want to try that new spin studio in town, but I don't want to dive in for a full membership." "I wish I could shop around to find the perfect yoga studio for me."
"Hmm my gym doesn't offer the boot camp variety I need in my workouts."
Have you ever said any of the statements listed above? I know I have.
And apparently Classpass was listening!
What is Classpass you may be wondering?
ClassPass is a monthly service that gives its members access to the best studios in their city. For $99 a month, members get 10 classes to be used to visit any studio of their choice up to 3 times per month.
We want fitness to be accessible and approachable. We want fitness minded people to be able to meet like-minded individuals; where a thriving community and support system can become established.
I was psyched when Classpass reached out to me and asked if I wanted to test out the service. You bet I did!
(Note: While I was giving a complimentary month to Classpass, all thoughts and reviews of studios are my own!)
For $99 a month, you have 10 classes to use at more than 50 fitness studios in and around the Boston area (Spin, pilates, yoga, bootcamp, Zumba, etc), BUT you cannot attend a single studio (no matter how many locations they have) more than 3 times during that month.
The latest studios added to the Classpass website
Reserving classes on the site is simple.
Reserve a class by clicking on one of the venues, and then selecting the class you would like to reserve. Press the “reserve” button next to the class and confirm your reservation, and you’ll be added to the list! You do not need to bring a voucher or print out to class — just bring a photo id.
New classes are added to ClassPass everyday at noon. Classes are available to be booked on ClassPass for one week in advance.
Now you will be penalized $20 if you do NOT cancel a class reservation at least 24 hours in advance AND you lose one of your 10 classes for the month.
I understand why they do this, but it was a bummer for me as I got injured the night before two afternoon classes and had to cancel. But it was within 24 hours of the classes so I had to pay $40 AND lost 2 of my 10 trials. Boo!! I wish they understood that last minute illnesses and injuries happen.
Currently Classpass is available in Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I am hearing rumblings that Chicago might be one of the next to get the feature.
***
Let's get to the classes themselves. I was able to use 7 of my 10 classes after 3 were nixed due to canceling last minute. :/
I wanted to use this opportunity to test out the many Spin studios Boston has to offer.
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My first stop was an easy choice: Flywheel at the Prudential Center. I made sure to attend a class with my friend and Tedy's Team mate Melinda would be teaching.
A single ride will cost you $28, but the first ride is always free at Flywheel.
Now I had attended one Flywheel class before Classpass which you can read about here. Flywheel is an experience of it's own. I would recommend this studio to everyone.
Having the torq board really sets the studio apart from the others. You feel an entire body workout when you walk out the door.
I had to do a 1 hr and 45 minute training ride for my half ironman so I took a double one Wednesday morning with Melinda.
Ohh boy! It was awesome to see how many others did the double as well.
Wins
^ First class is free!
^ Free cycling shoes to all participants (and I did see them disinfecting them in between classes)
^ Padded bike seat covers available
^ Torq board
^ Secure Lockers
^ Showers available
Losses
^ With Classpass, you don't get to choose your bike - it is automatically reserved for you
--> I would definitely go back to this studio!
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Next up on the Spin studio tour was The Handle Bar at the Fenway Park location.
The Handle Bar Indoor Cycling Studio has two locations: South End and the newer Fenway Park.
A single class at the studio will run you $20. Shoe rental is $2 (unless you are an unlimited rider member then it is free)
I registered for a Wednesday afternoon class, where we were greeted by a substitute instructor named Lena. I had no idea what to expect at the studio and wasn't offered much advice when heading into the studio.
Thankfully I knew how to set my own bike up since I couldn't grab the instructor's attention for help. She started right into the class and I felt lost.
Now I have taken many a Spin class, but this was the first where I couldn't follow along. A majority of the class was pushups and ab work while cycling. So while it was a GREAT calorie burn, I didn't feel like it was a great Spin workout.
I couldn't hear the cues from the instructor so I had to rely on the other participants to get the flow down.
Upon finishing the class, I thought I would never walk into a Handle Bar class again.
After seeing my thoughts on social media I was contacted by the owner Jess who was upset to hear about my experience. She assures me not all classes are like that and would like me to come back and try a different class. So I will do that and follow up with everyone.
Wins
^ Good calorie burn
^ Intimate studio
^ Fast-paced music
Losses
^ Cubbies instead of lockers
^ Lack of instruction
^ Unfriendly desk staff
^ Pay for shoe rental
--> Based on this experience I would not go back, but I will give another instructor a chance thanks to Jess' offer.
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B Spoke Studios in Downtown Crossing (Federal St) would be my third Spin studio.
A single class would run you $27, but your first visit to the studio is free.
B Spoke Studios had a beautiful bathroom with showers.
Photo Courtesy B Spoke
And good bathroom mirrors for selfies :P
They had complimentary spin shoe rental, but I did not see them disinfecting the shoes between classes. Thankfully I had brought my own shoes just in case.
After putting my backpack away in the secure lockers, I grabbed a free water (17oz - free to all participants) and headed into the studio.
Photo Courtesy B Spoke
I was warned ahead of time that the instructor had an appointment after class and it would be ending about 5 minutes early. If I had paid the $27 I would've been irked.
B Spoke liked to pack a full-body workout - cardio, hand weights, core work - into a 45-minute class.
Feel the beat, clear your head, and prepare to sweat
As I said the class was cut short, but I liked the more Spin focused workout while adding in pushups and core work. We did sprints, hills and jumps.
Nadia, the instructor, did a great job of calling out the cues, making sure everyone's bike was set up correctly and keeping us motivated during the ride.
Wins
^ First class is free!
^ Free bottles of water
^ Complimentary spin shoe rental
^ Secure Lockers
^ Showers
Losses
^ Didn't see shoes being disinfected
^ Not as many classes offered (they are working on including more in the Fall)
--> I would definitely go back to this studio!
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Final studio on my Classpass tour was Recycle Studio on Newbury St.
A single ride is $22. Oh and I just saw on their website that a new rider can get a full "welcome week" for $30. Wow! That's a good deal.
Photo courtesy Recycle Studio
I chose to take a Rebalance Ride one Friday morning.
REBALANCE is made for those who are looking to regain balance through a sweaty, dynamic class with lots of out of the saddle movement. The 45 minute ride will focus on core work/posture which is often overlooked in traditional classes. Get those abs and legs fired up and sweat it out.
The studio is located on the fourth floor of a building on Newbury Street.
Recycle Studio is Boston’s first indoor cycling studio. Here we ride to the beat, choreograph a full body workout and get lost in time. Our studios don’t have clocks, we ride in candle light and sweat with strength.
It has a small changing area with cubbies.
And a great mirror for selfies!
They do a great job of utilizing the space they have and including an area for their classes (yoga,private training, etc) and the studio room itself.
As mentioned above the class is taught to candle light. Anni, the instructor, did a great job checking in with newbies before the class making sure we knew there would be "choreography" and that she would make sure to explain it before the class. She did a great job calling out the moves and I felt up-to-speed the entire ride.
Anni did a great job blending the upper body/core work with a great Spin class of hills, jumps and sprints. I was dripping with sweat afterwards and feeling a full-body workout.
The weights track focused on little movements, which gave me flashbacks of my Pure Barre classes.
Having the lights off really took the focus off the time of the class and put it onto the ride and movements. It was a great way to kick off a Friday morning.
Wins
^ Intimate studio
^ Great instruction
^ Good blend of arms/core and spin work
^ Lights off took focus off the clock
Losses
^ No bike reservation
^ No showers
--> I would go to this studio again!
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But there is more to Classpass and Boston than Spin studios. I had planned on trying a yoga class and two Zumba classes, but had to cancel those due to injury.
I was however able to make my Barry's Bootcamp class with Sarah of SarahFit.com.
A single class is $28.
I took Sarah's Butt & Legs 1-hour bootcamp class on a Tuesday morning. Sarah did a great job taking us on a quick tour and then explaining how the class would work. On that day we would be doing two circuits: treadmill, bench/weight/floor work ... and repeat!
As someone who doesn't do a lot of weight training (I know I know), I was worried especially since my left hamstring was still hurting. Sarah was great about showing me adjustments to the moves so that I could still take part.
It was a great environment where I realized no one was looking at how deep my squats were or that I was using lighter weights than everyone else. Each person was focusing on their own movements.
Plus Sarah gave great ranges when working on treadmill sprints so everyone felt included. I was pretty proud of the progress I made on the sprints. It wasn't until the second round of treadmill work that I realized you could see what pace you were sprinting at. I am apparently not quick on the uptake. ;)
Let me tell you my butt and legs were DEFINITELY feeling it. Thanks to Sarah for a great workout and doable variations of the workouts.
--> I would definitely give this boot camp another try!
Wins
^ Great workout
^ Uplifting environment
^ They have Sparkly Soul headbands on sale at their Boston location ;)
^ Secure lockers
Losses
^ Not the friendliest/welcoming front desk atmosphere
--> I would go back to this studio
***
Wow! Classpass really let me explore what the fitness side of Boston looks like. I wish it was more than 10 classes a month, but based on the single class prices listed above - 10 classes for $99 is a great deal.
So fellow Bostonians - will you be checking out Classpass?
