As a fitness enthusiast, I’m often talking about health and wellness trends from the latest smoothie concoction to the hottest studio on the block. And with every fit tip conversation had, there is always a passing moment of adoration for SoulCycle – the beloved NYC-born spin studio, famed for its music and mantras.
SoulCycle’s patrons’ love runs deep, earning them a cult-like reputation. Heavily branded in the studio’s bike wheel logoed gear (with the occasional skull and bones graphic – perhaps an ironic note to Americana’s secret societies), they consistently praise the studio as the best sweat session in town.
This summer I ventured to NYC. And having never been to SoulCycle before, I decided it was time to hit the saddle.
When entering the New York’s Noho location, I was met at reception with a line of smiling faces, all prepped and ready with my first-timer forms. I signed the dotted line and was promptly escorted to the locker room, filled with all the necessary items one might need pre or post class.
I stowed my items away and headed for the spin room, a dimly light space with over 50 bikes surrounding a small stage. There, a super friendly studio staffer helped me set up my bike and lock in my shoes (never an easy task for newbie rider). Ready to ride, I was greeted once again by the receptionist, double-checking that I was okay.
Enter Emma L. Dressed in black spandex and geared with a microphone headset, the instructor/fitness model greeted the crowd and pumped up the music. With a low smoothing voice she encouraged us to challenge and trust our bodies. To embrace the burn and the strength that comes with it. To breathe. And hydrate. She took us on a journey, not through mountains and streams, but through personal development and growth.
SoulCycle proved to be everything that everyone said it would be – the music was fantastic, the instructor was inspiring and the workout was hard. After 45 minutes of spinning, I left sweating. But it was the whole studio experience that left me glowing. With style from start to finish, the studio nurtured my soul. Inebriated from a post-workout high, I bought myself an infamous studio tank as an official member of the chain gang.
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