I still have a couple of days to take classes this week and have a few February classes I really want to write/think about, so that’s where I’m going to start.
What is ClassPass? It’s a fitness studio membership that includes hundreds of studios (in a bunch of different cities/states/countries) instead of just one. You can take as many classes as you want (use the website or app to sign up for classes) but you are limited to three classes per month per studio/brand. Example: Pure Barre has a few studios in the Seattle area and I’m limited to 3 PB classes per month, even if each class is at a different location. I love it because it means my one membership covers three studios next to my apartment and many others that I would normally not visit because I would have to either pay a drop-in fee (ouch!) or keep track of a bunch of passes good for 5-10 classes. Plus, I enjoy learning about different businesses and love that now I get to check out several new-to-me fitness studios every month without having to pay extra for visiting studios in neighborhoods I don’t normally spend time in.
If you’d like to join ClassPass, my Ambassador link makes your first month $25 cheaper! (Click here. :)) If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me (@innab) on Instagram or Twitter.
On to the fun part… class reflections and reviews!
Class: Joe’s Tower Class
Studio: Nancy Wallace Pilates in Bellevue, WA
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBRNyQsEakT/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBROhKNEalR/
Class: Apparatus Fundamentals
Studio: Kinesia Pilates
Instructor: Christl Marcontell
Thoughts: I discovered this studio several years ago, when they were in a different location in Pioneer Square and I still lived in Seattle. I fell in love with Pilates thanks to my first mat class and started taking their mat Pilates class three times a week. A few months later I was 20 pounds lighter and still in love, but decided to give up my unlimited pass because I was moving from Seattle to Kirkland. In 2014 or 2015 they moved into the Salt Room Yoga studio and I was able to start occasionally taking their classes again because I joined fitmob/ClassPass. In 2016 they got their own space again and I started taking more apparatus classes because they were available and a better fit for my schedule. I still love the classes and Christl is definitely my favorite instructor. I haven’t seen Jordan in several months but also enjoyed her classes because they felt like a challenge but also like a massage. I also occasionally also take Gay’s class and they’re definitely good, but I feel like I click more with the other instructors (and they don’t intimidate me…).
The studio: Their 2016 studio has a retail section in the front, a couple of curtained off changing areas, and a restroom in the back.
Class: Express Group Training
Studio: Serious About Fitness in Redmond, WA
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBdPi9vEakx/
Thoughts: They don’t have group fitness classes but they always manage to kick my butt with the work-outs they have me do. I also get more done than I would going to a gym by myself because there’s a trainer telling me what to do and occasionally checking up on me. I’ve been here twice and they usually have me do some cardio, some weights, and some ab work. The facility has a bathroom, a locker room, and (thankfully) a shower.
Class: Beginner Pole Dancing Workshop
Studio: Divine Movement in Kirkland, WA
Instructor: Suzannah Calvery? Except the scheduled instructor didn’t show up and we had a (wonderful) last-minute person lead the class…
Thoughts: I was in the mood to step outside my comfort zone and try something new, so I was really happy when I spotted this class on the schedule. I have never taken any kind of pole dancing class, however, so I was nervous. I spent a few minutes looking over their (very positive!) Yelp reviews and eventually decided it was definitely time to stop thinking and click the “reserve class” button in the ClassPass app. The beginning of the experience was a bit weird because of the industrial location, the windows you couldn’t look into, and the missing teacher… but thankfully the other instructor who was able to step in at the last minute turned it all around. I loved the ~40-minute Pilates (they called it yoga) style warm-up in the beginning and all the dancing, crawling, etc. we did during the rest of class. It was all very… body positive. Relaxed atmosphere and all that. I was kind of sad when it had to end and I had to leave! I haven’t had a change to take any more of their classes but I am *really* glad they’re on ClassPass and I convinced myself to check out that workshop.
Class: Warm Vinyasa and Yoga Tune Up
Studio: Be One Yoga in Kirkland, WA
Instructor: Thang Nguyen
Class: Fly 45
Studio: Flywheel Bellevue
Instructor: Mat Koelsch, Asher Dickson
Thoughts: Mat is probably my favorite Flywheel instructor so far but I also recently enjoyed Asher’s class. I looooove Flywheel because it’s really challenging but not as difficult for me as something like running. I love the dark room, the loud music, the instructor guidance. Sometimes I let the instructor guide me and sometimes I do my own thing. Sometimes I walk out exhausted and sometimes I walk out energized. Every time I walk out super sweaty and ready for a shower.
Studio: Big! I love the retail area and frequently check for sales because the items to be pretty expensive. They have 2 showers and I always shower after class.
Bonus: I love their iPhone app! It’s interesting to be able to look at the numbers from my last class and from every other class I’ve taken at Flywheel. So far this is the only ClassPass partner studio app that I’ve downloaded.
Class: Hot Hatha
Studio: We Yoga Co
Thoughts: I don’t know if I’ll ever love Bikram style classes but I love how I feel after. I think the heat has a lot to do with it but the poses are probably also important. The class I took here flew by unusually quickly and left me wanting to take another one soon. Hope I have a good other/second reason to visit the U-District again soon (this time it was a movie screening with Yelp friends).
Studio: Big! Lockers and showers. Adorable studio puppy!! Next to the U-District Trader Joe’s.
Looking forward to checking out some other new classes and studios in March! Looks like the first new experience will be a Vinyasa Flow class at Metier Racing & Coffee…
Inna B.'s Snapshots & Reviews 