June Studio Tour: Week 3, Philly
This is my last week in Philly before I head down the shore to finish the month. I knew the city environment would bring diversity in studio personalities and types of classes, but I didn’t imagine just how special the workouts would be. The instruction, the energy, and the experience that I got in Center City, made sitting in traffic totally worth it. Don’t forget to check out my Instagram at the end of the month to see which classes left a lasting impression on me.
Day 7: THE BALANCE ROOM. 501 Fitzwater Street. The Balance Room is the cutest little reformer-based Pilates studio in one of my favorite Philly neighborhoods, Queens Village. The Balance Room has five Balanced Body Allegro reformers in this group fitness studio. (There is a separate studio for private sessions around the corner at 811 S. 6th Street). The clean and inviting studio is complete with all of the Pilates props and yes, four TRX straps that hang from the ceiling.
If you saw my Instagram reel from The Balance Room earlier this week, you know that I took a reformer/TRX Pilates class. I know! It’s the most perfect combination for a low impact way to stretch and tone. The pushing and pulling of both pieces of equipment just make sense together. Class was a full body workout. We alternated between the reformer and the TRX as we worked through the lower body and then the upper body, while incorporating the core the entire time. Class ended in the best way— leg circles in the reformer straps.
I love the small and intimate size of this studio. There were only 4 spots in this class, which made for lots of individual attention. The instructor offered excellent adjustments for me. Reformer classes are always a little pricey because it’s so specialized, but this class is the most I paid during my tour- $43 for the single drop-in. Mat classes are significantly less for $20 a class. This studio has all types of Pilates classes including the jump board and my favorite, at least in title, “I’m Not 25 and Neither Are My Joints.” I’ll need that class when the tour is over!
Day 8: BFIT4LIFE. 400 Walnut Street. Brooke, you have now arrived in the future of fitness (cue the fading echo). Screens are a huge part of modern life, and this group fitness studio is using visual technology to motivate its members. I was at BFit4Life for the Immersive Cycling class. Obviously, I had to see what “immersive cycling” was all about. The only spin room of its kind, BFit4Life uses a large curved screen and the algorithm-based cycling program called Intelligent Cycling to operate their spin classes. This means that no two classes will ever be the same. It’s spinning meets IMAX meets a Disney ride. My class was a Whitney Houston ride. I am not sure if every spin class is themed for a specific artist, but I would imagine there are all sorts of rides with this technology.
During Immersive Cycling, we followed a path like this that pulsated to the music and lit up in various colors as we climbed the course.
BFit4Life has only been open for a few months after a string of opening hiccups. The studio owner has incredible ideas to offer a growing community of people looking to live a well-rounded, healthy life. This group fitness gym incorporates the latest in visual technology for most of their classes. Aside from the cycling room, the yoga room has a wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor screen that displays calming nature scenes or livestreams classes from all over the world. Nutrition counseling and personal training will be available soon, too to complete the whole wellness experience that BFit4Life is bringing to Philadelphia.
Day 9: THE WELL STUDIO. 2620 Martha Street. I signed up for a class at The Well Studio called Process. I didn’t know anything about this class other than it fit nicely into my schedule. Sometimes on this tour, I just have to do what works best logistically. Well, I really lucked out because this class ended up being my very favorite class of the entire Philly tour and the winner of the award “I AM TELLING MY FRIENDS ABOUT IT”. First of all, The Well Studio is a beautiful yoga studio located in the residential neighborhood of Fishtown. You enter a small lobby at street level and check in there before walking up two flights of stairs to the yoga room. The aesthetic of this place is serene and inviting with it’s white walls, wood accents and ample natural sunlight. I immediately felt peaceful the moment I stepped inside.
Process is an original format created by the owner of The Well Studio. Class is described on the website, “In Process we fuse together transformational healing modalities such as embodied cardio, breathwork & meditation.” The rise and fall of the movements paired with the rise and fall of the music is my best way to describe it. The room was warm but not too hot. There was breathing, meditation, flow, cardio, and lots of powerful beats moving me along. The music was the star. It picked up at just the right moments and radiated through the room. Each segment of class was unexpected and exciting and made me feel alive and powerful. You absolutely must go experience this class for yourself.
This was one of those classes that I felt truly blessed and excited the moment it started. And those feelings stayed with me throughout the entire sixty minutes of class. That is why I am telling all of my friends to try this class and you can do it for free with the code: FIRSTCLASSFREE.
It was quite serendipitous that my favorite Philly nonprofit was holding a fundraising event during my Philly June Studio Tour. And a few of my fitness friends were leading the workouts. So last Sunday, I went into the city for the best kind of event, one filled with small samplings of workouts. And one that does so while raising money to help bring fitness to everyone. The Movement Foundation is a new-ish 501(c)3 organization started by local instructor and studio owner, Dana Auriemma, whose goal is to make movement accessible in every community in our area. No doubt that I take my ability to exercise where I want, when I want for granted. Exercise requires access which requires the place, the instructor, and money for equipment. The other side of access is inclusion- accommodations for all types of bodies, abilities, races, genders, cultures and languages. Many people in our area don’t have the ability to just go out and exercise like I do. And The Movement Foundation is working to change that.
The event last weekend was entirely donation based and raised money for the foundation’s teaching grant. Their teaching grant is awarded to several grantees each year to enable them to bring fitness to communities where exercise is not as readily available. The teaching grant supports the instructors who are already working or actively planning to work in such communities. With the money from the grant, the instructors can gain training, buy equipment, pay for a safe place to hold classes or just pay themselves for their work because a lot of the classes they hold are free or only cost a nominal, pay-what-you-can fee. Each grantee receives $500 to use however they see fit. Grantees must have existing ties to the community in need and have a feasible way to bring fitness to that community. Applicants can apply for the next round of awards starting on July 1.
The Movement Foundation’s Board of Directors, Dana Auriemma, Allie Vanyur and Teja Jones led the event last weekend.
Philly, it’s been fun but my kids are out of school and the beach is calling our names. I’ll be in Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon and Margate next week so be sure to follow along for the best places to exercise down the shore.