RateYourBurn | Reviews, Gyms & Studios, The Bar Method

I'm afraid to sweat on this beauty

Hands down, Bar Method's Soho studio is stunning. It's like walking into a world made for princesses who actually put in the work for their Prince-Charming-Magnet asses.

On the space:

- HOLY SHNIKIES. Can they come design my home? (When I have a home,
  when I decide to save a penny instead of spend it on the latest color of Power Y
  tops. That new lime yellow...help.)

- No, seriously, it is GORG. Everything is new and has a little Soho edge to it.

- Locker room is a dream boat. It feels "special" to be in there... kind of like
  when you used to sneak into your parents' master bathroom. But it gets
  crowded because everyone wants to hang out and do the things that Lactic
  does in the locker room. YOUR BOOBS LOOK FINE. MOVE SO I CAN LOOK
  AT MY BIRD’S NEST HAIR.

- Sweat factory. Can they fix this? I sweat like a Mo Fo, I don’t need it blazing in
  there to get the waterfalls going. (side note: if you're a normal sweat-er, since
  the class is not cardio heavy and they have ceiling fans, you might be "cool"
  with the heat.)

On the perks:

- DOGS! Not referring to me in post-workout mode. There is often a pup
  roaming around the front area.

- Free water! Note to Physique: GET WITH IT. You already charge all of my
  salary for your classes, just throw me a bone once in a while, maybe in the
  form of free water. Or free classes. I’ll take those too.

- Location: Amaze. Even though it’s sort of a trek from any of the subways, it’s a
  great place to waste more money after class on high calorie food (Osteria
  Morini nearby...), or things to make you smell better... like Sabon (addicted).

- Speaking of dough: You will have a little extra to spend, cause Bar Method is
  actually reasonably priced (for bar classes). $270 for monthly unlimited: if you
  go every day (which obvi you would do) that makes each class only $8.70.
  Check me! If you're a bar method virgin, it's only $195/month. Why not?

- Customer Service Redefined: Bar method is no joke about this. One of my
  friends wrote an "eh" yelp review, and Bar Method's Soho owner, Kristen
  Kelleher, actually called her to tell her they appreciated her feedback (uh,
  seriously?) and wanted to know what she would like to see more and less of.
  So cool.

- Bring a friend! Bar is super cool. They will actually let you drag your friends to
  class for free! Just ask them and they will send you an online link. Plus, they'll
  make sure you and your friend get to stand next to each other. As in, if no side-
  by-side bar spots are available, they will part the sea for you and move
  someone.

On The Classes:

- Class Times: Variety of times from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm on most weekdays.
  But, if you're looking to workout mid-afternoon, you're out of luck; Bar Method
  wants you to take an afternoon siesta (or work-esta) from 12:30-5. On
  weekends, their last class is 4:30 pm, and sometimes they cancel it.
  Personally, I love my midday and weekend eve classes.

- Class Levels: Most of them are "Mixed" and occasionally (as in, one class per
  day, at the most) they will toss in a Level 2. If you're a newbie you will be
  standing next to pros.

- Crowd: Young, funky, hot. Few men sprinkled around.

- Personal Attention: Good place to be if you love a little teacher's pet action.
  They only have a handful of instructors and each will ask your name right away
  and then give little shout-outs during class.

- Cancellation Policy: Very generous. They give you up to 2 hrs before classes
  after 12pm to flake. If it's your first month unlimited/you haven't fully become a
  psychotic workout beast with timers set for your classes, they will cut you some
  slack and just deduct that day from your month.

- Difficulty: Moderately difficult; we're not talking Tough-Mudder here or anything
  like that. It's a deep muscle shake kinda class, not an out of breath class. You
  can probably throw on a tunic after class and head out without having to make
  up excuses for your hair.

Overall:

If you like feeling pretty and special while the burn and shake takes over your body, this is the place to be. Or, if you just want to see a little tail wag once you've finished wagging your own.