June Studio Tour: Week 2, Philly

While I am certainly not loving the traffic (I couldn’t even make it into one of the studios I was scheduled for this week because 76 was that bad), the studios that I visited this week made it totally worth it. And surprisingly, I am early for a class right now (zero traffic on a Friday morning, go figure!) so I can get a little work in before I work out. This week, I spent time exploring the city neighborhoods after class. I took in some of Philly’s other offerings like nearby restaurants, spas and coffee shops. This Philly June Studio Tour is really shaping up to be something special.

Day 4: FLAUNT FITNESS. 1939 S. 17th Street, Floor 2. I started this week with a Monday morning pole fitness class. Let’s do this, June Studio Tour! I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had zero clue just how much arm and core strength is required to lift, swing, and flip around that pole. The ladies I observed during “open pole” when I arrived early made it look easy and graceful and hot. Me, on the other hand, the exact opposite of all of the above. But, oh my god, did I have fun and was proud of my choice to make pole fitness part of my tour this year. This was one of those classes that gave me the butterflies when I arrived. But the instructor was so welcoming, accepting and empowering that those feelings of nerves quickly turned to excitement once I picked out my pole and gave it a little tug.

Flaunt Fitness is the place to go in Philly to learn how to, yep, pole dance. But pole dancing is so much more than dancing around in skant clothing. Pole dancing is a real skill that requires a tremendous amount of strength. But, the less clothes the better because it’s your skin that grips the pole. Flaunt Fitness has been in South Philly for over a decade, and they offer a large variety of pole and dance classes all day long. However, Intro to Pole was the one and only class appropriate for yours truly. It was really empowering to see so many people building strength and confidence in this studio. Class started with a warm-up that was way sexier than my Saturday night. The pole is an amazing prop for stretching. I loved that part of class because it felt good and it was the only part of class that I could actually do. During my intro class, we learned the fan kick, the spin, and the sit. If you want to see how I fared, check out my Instagram for a laugh out loud reel comparing the instructor’s moves with mine. Don’t ever say I don’t do anything for you.

We closed out class with a freestyle song to move around and feel yourself and practice those moves you learned in class. Oh lord. Here’s the thing, guys. While I looked like a complete idiot doing the moves, I felt a lot different about it. I felt comfortable and yes, empowered and yeah, proud because I could do that body wave up the pole just fine. And guess what, I want to do it again. I want to look graceful and hot doing the fan kick and the spin. Flaunt just opened a second, much larger location across the city on 22 Wolf Street and they offer even more pole and dance and aerial fitness classes at that location because it is much bigger and brand new. So, no, I am not done with the pole just yet.

A single drop in class cost me $30, but there are all kinds of class packages if you are really serious about learning to pole dance - the best deal being 7 days of unlimited classes for $59. At Flaunt West, there is a parking lot that is available during the evening hours only, but I was able to find street parking right across the street. Flaunt East has a designated parking lot a block away from the studio.

Day 5: MOVEMENT SOURCE PILATES. 1609 E. Passyunk Ave. Movement Source Pilates is a small, neighborhood Pilates studio in the heart of South Philly’s thriving restaurant scene. The studio has one of each of the Pilates goodies - one Cadillac, one reformer, one chair. And they do a great job utilizing the small space and limited number of equipment to actually hold group fitness classes. Participants do the same exercise using different pieces of equipment. I signed up for a foam rolling class and there were 3 of us on mats, 1 person rolling on the Cadillac and one rolling out on the reformer. This studio is also suited nicely for private sessions of one or two. Traditional Pilates is the Movement Source’s thing. No gimmicks, no fancy lights, loud music or studio tees here. This is the place to go if you want authentic Pilates to be your thing too. There was a real community, neighborhood feel to this class. I got the sense that the instructor knew everyone well and they all knew her. The instructor was adorable and made us all chuckle a bunch while we were in agony under the pressure of the foam roller.

This is why I love The June Studio Tour so much. During my normal fitness routine, I would never take the time to sign up for a restorative foam rolling class. But man, oh man, it was awesome. My husband uses the foam roller all of the time, and I always tease him about it. Boy, was I wrong. The simple Styrofoam cylinder does wonders on the entire body. The goal of the foam roller is a self-induced myofascial release to reduce muscle tightness, soreness and ultimately increase your flexibility and range of motion. It can be spicy (and somewhat painful, in a good way) at times. That’s when you know you are doing it right. So to have an entire 45-minute class dedicated to just that is pretty great. And I did feel like a new woman the next day, which is exactly what I needed after killing my body on the pole the day prior!

The foam rolling class was $20, which is a steal in my books. I can’t remember the last time I paid $20 for a class! Their mixed equipment classes cost $30, and they offer all kinds of packages for groups fitness and private training sessions. Currently, the street in front of the studio is under construction so parking during the day is tough. But I took an evening class and had no problem finding nearby street parking.

Day 6: BARRY’S PHILADELPHIA. 1915-17 Samson Street. I cannot believe it has taken me this long to get in the red room. Maybe that’s because I am Fitness Finds on the Main Line and the Main Line doesn’t currently have a Barry’s studio. So let’s work on changing that, people! After taking this class and seeing the response I got from my post on Instagram, I am convinced that a Barry’s studio is just what the Main Line needs and wants! For those of you who don’t know about this kind of red room, the Barry’s workout consists of 4 blocks of treads and strength in 45 minutes time. But that’s about all that ever stays the same. The Barry’s instructors have full autonomy to create each class including the exercises, time length of each block, and the music. It keeps things interesting, unexpected, challenging yet approachable. I attribute that all to the vibe that Barry’s has gotten just right. The room is dark (black walls, wall-to-wall mirrors, dim red lights), the music is loud, the instructors are cool and the workouts are sweaty. It’s a freaking vibe. I am telling you, those 45 minutes felt like 10.

And the vibe goes beyond the red room. There is a cafe with food made to order after class and seats to sit and enjoy a pre or post workout chat. There is a full locker room complete with showers and Oribe products … fancy (the spa we went to after class didn’t even have a locker room this spacious). The retail section is good and prominently features several options celebrating Pride. And the Pride love is apparent the moment you step foot in the place. My favorite part — all Barry’s studios worldwide are currently partaking in their big annual fundraiser, United We Sprint, which raises money for Lambda Legal this year. For every member who completes the challenge (10 or 20 classes this month), Barry’s will donate $25 to Lambda Legal, an organization fighting for justice and equality for the LGBTQIA+ community.

If you want to check out the Philly studio (I know a lot of you miss this workout from your younger days living it up, pre-kids in NYC), use code: SYNDIA for your first class free. And if you are hooked like me now, you can use that same code for 20% off your first package.

Well, I’m off… to another studio in Philly… obvi.