One of the Golden Triangle BID’s most popular annual events will make its triumphant return next month.
Fitness instructors will hold yoga and pilates classes in Farragut Park and barre sessions in the plaza at 2100 M St. NW every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening starting May 17, the BID announced this week.
A new fitness studio specializing in barre fitness will celebrate its arrival at 1832 14th St. NW with free classes on March 7, according to its owner.
“We’ll offer 30 free classes,” says Alicia Sokol, owner of the barre3 location on 14th. “We will also have guests from local businesses sampling healthy juices, snacks and offering wellness services.” (more…)
Locals can now try a workout that combines yoga, pilates and ballet barre before it officially comes to the 14th Street corridor.
The owner of a barre3 location under construction at 1832 14th St. NW is offering several free classes around the Borderstan coverage area before the studio is slated to open in January. Classes are an hour long and have strength training and low-impact cardio exercises.
The sessions include workouts at the Hamiltonian Gallery (1353 U St. NW) and Pacers Running (1821 14th St. NW) over the next several weeks.
“Teaching classes in these spaces has been a fun way to give people a taste of what barre3 14th Street will bring while highlighting neighborhood gems,” owner Alicia Sokol said in an email. “It’s especially fun when bringing people to spaces they have either not yet discovered or haven’t been to in a while.”
Founded seven years ago in Portland, Ore., barre3 has more than 75 locations across the country, including one studio in Georgetown.
Photo courtesy of Alicia Sokol
(Updated at 12:05 p.m. on Friday) Though Thanksgiving is still two months away, VIDA Fitness (1612 U St. NW) wants D.C. residents to prepare for the annual onslaught of indulgence.
The fitness center will host its first-ever holiday health expo next Thursday from 5:30-9:30 p.m. During the expo, attendees can move between 25 booths with interactive exhibits and receive free consultations from personal trainers and dietitians. Free zumba, bootcamp, barre and candlelight yoga classes will start every hour, on the hour throughout the evening. Consultations with VIDA Fitness staff and classes are open to all attendees, not just club members.
Other perks include Sweetgreen salad samples, juice samples, hair consultations and mini acupuncture sessions
The expo is part of the fitness center’s larger effort to get locals into the habit of going to the gym — and buying gym passes — by teaching them fitness tips.
“After last year’s holiday season, we decided we wanted to do something for people to latch on to,” said VIDA Fitness representative Greer Hunte. “Healthy habits and exercise is something people can make a part of their daily lives all year round.”
Guests are encouraged to RSVP for the expo in advance.
Photo via VIDA Fitness
A national fitness studio chain is coming to 14th Street.
The studio, which will open under the barre3 banner, is set to arrive at 1832 14th St. NW in the two floors above Floors on 14th early next year.
Barre3 is a national fitness studio brand that blends yoga, pilates and ballet barre workout styles. The company was founded seven years ago in Portland, Ore., and has grown to have more than 75 locations across the country.
The fitness company has one location in Georgetown, but owner Alicia Sokol says her forthcoming studio is one of two more barre3 studios currently being developed in the District. The other is planned 2nd Street near Union Station.
The building’s second and third floors will be home to two studio rooms, changing rooms and childcare during classes, a service that costs $5.
“Just walking into the studio, you feel lighter,” she said. “It’s clean, sleek and comfortable and the people are so friendly.”
Classes are an hour long and include strength training and low-impact cardio exercises.
“I love how the workouts are individualized and can be modified for the specific needs of a client,” she said. “It’s all about turning your thoughts, focusing on your own body and making it work.”
The studio will be open seven days a week and offer membership and walk-in packages.
Sokol’s first experience with barre3 was as a client at the company’s Georgetown location. Shortly after, she was approached about becoming an instructor, a position she held for the last two years. As she began teaching more classes each week, she decided to bring her work to D.C. and take on barre3 full time.
“I walked into the space and fell in love,” Sokol explained. “It seemed kind of meant to be, with the original exposed bricks and windows that give so much natural lighting. I’m so excited about it.”
A new fitness studio is set to open soon on U Street.
The Dailey Method, a West Coast barre-style fitness chain, will open on the third floor at 1201 U Street NW, the same building that once housed The Islander restaurant on the ground level.
The method — named for founder Jill Dailey — is a one-hour workout concept with classes based on barre exercises, pilates and yoga.
The new studio will include space for 25-person classes, lockers and showers, says Dailey Method’s D.C. location owner and fitness trainer, Lynette Ruiz.
“We felt like U Street and the 14th Street corridor is the place where we wanted to be,” says Ruiz. “There is a lot of growth in that area. We felt like we really wanted to be apart of that.”
Though the company hasn’t announced its opening date, Ruiz promises the new location will open by the end of the summer.
In the meantime, Ruiz says residents can try out the classes for free every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Lululemon (3265 M Street NW).
Photo courtesy of The Dailey Method
CrossFitDC at 1722 14th Street NW, between R and S Streets. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
Are you ready for Spring and to get all of the sweaters off and show how fit you are?
There is another option in the neighborhood when it comes to fitness. CrossFit DC has been working for the last couple of months on its new location at 1722 14th Street NW. They are now open and offering different packages starting at the beginners level up to the veteran.
CrossFit is fitness by design to give each individual what they are looking for and what they need at their own pace. The old location of Green Pets on 14th Street was turned into a 4,000 square foot facility that has the most modern equipment. From their site we got a list of what they have available:
- Concept 2 Rowers
- Barbells (including specific women’s bars)
- Bumper plates in pounds and kilograms
- Olympic lifting platforms
- Airdyne Bikes
- Specialty bars, chains and bands for Westside Barbell programming
- Glute Hamstring Developers and Reverse Hyper
- 30-foot Rogue pullup bar
- Climbing ropes
CrossFit DC joins a number of gyms in the neighborhood.
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Yoga training steps from you. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Kent Barnes. Follow him on Twitter @KentBarnes, email him at kent[AT]borderstan.com.
Any discussion of the toughest athletes in the world must include New Zealand’s world champion rugby team. The 2011 Rugby World Cup winners intimidate their competition before dominating them on the field. How do they stay on top? Hours of practice, a grueling weight lifting routine and…yoga?
That’s right folks, yoga isn’t just for girls (and guys attempting to impress them). The rugby team, known around the world as the “All Blacks,” is just one example of professional athletes turning to yoga in order to improve their performance on the field.
LeBron James, an NBA MVP, does yoga. So does Baltimore Ravens all-pro linebacker Ray Lewis and Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz of the New York Giants. The entire Liverpool soccer team practiced yoga during their preseason fitness routine.
Yoga is the perfect cross training exercise, and can provide a significant boost to your athletic performance in a number of different ways. Not only does regular practice help improve balance and increase your core strength, but enhanced flexibility can boost speed and prevent pesky muscle strains.
When injuries do occur, many athletes add yoga to their rehabilitation routine since it provides a low impact opportunity to maintain strength and cardio stamina. Other athletes may simply appreciate the opportunity to just close their eyes, breathe deep and relax.
Local Yoga Studios
Ready for yoga to take your game to the next level? Start your training at one of these local Borderstan studios:
- Tranquil Space on 17th Street NW offers unlimited yoga for your first month for $50.
- Flow Yoga Center on P Street Street NW, with many options for classes. First month $45.
- Yoga District has locations in Dupont Circle and on 14th Street NW and offers new students a two-class one-week pass for only $10.
- The Studio DC has locations in Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan and offers newcomers two weeks of unlimited yoga for $20.
- Crank up the heat. Bikram Yoga Dupont offers one week of unlimited yoga for $20.
- Boundless Yoga Studio on 13th and U Streets NW is offering new students a terrific holiday deal. Buy a 10 class pass for $100, and if you go to class twice a week for five consecutive weeks you’ll get your money back in full.
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Barre all over town. (Courtesy B.Fit )
From Melanie Hudson. Email her at melanie[AT]borderstan.com.
Perhaps you have fond memories of ballet class as a child, back when every student wore a pink tutu and tights and had no problems with posture. You saw Black Swan and imagine that you, too, could become a vegan, drop 20 pounds and win an Oscar – if only you had a full year of your life to dedicate to the task. Whatever the reason, embrace your inner ballerina and make a beeline for the barre.
Barre classes – which combine elements of ballet dancing, Pilates, yoga, strength training and stretching in a series of intense, repetitive exercises – date back to at least the 1970’s but didn’t quite catch fire until about 10 years ago. While there are various styles and methods, all can be traced back to the German dancer Lotte Berk who first used ballet barre routines as exercise with her celebrity clients in London as early as 1959.
But let’s not kid ourselves: this is not your mother’s ballet. These classes are hard. As in, your thighs, glutes, hamstrings, abs and arms will beg you to stop and it will take every ounce of willpower you have to keep going. It’s all worth it, though – barre results in a lean, firm, sculpted body that even Natalie Portman would envy.
Here are the most popular barre classes in Borderstan and beyond. Tell us about your favorite studios in our comment section.
- B. Fit ,1339 14th Street NW Suite #3 (Logan Circle), $22 new student special for 2 classes. This five-year old friendly and intimate studio space in a walk up in Logan Circle offers classes that combine strength training, Pilates, and ballet barre exercises that are accessible and easy to learn. Focused on form and the isolation and exhaustion of major muscles, B. Fit has just enough ballet movement to carry you through the intense sequences of butt-kicking drills. Prepare to get worked.
- Epic Yoga, 1323 Connecticut Ave NW (Dupont Circle), $18 single class or $20 unlimited week for first time clients. This beautiful yoga studio (hardwood floors, exposed brick, high ceilings) known for its instructors offers a popular barre-yoga class that incorporates elements of ballet barre, cardio and Pilates into traditional yoga. Amenities include locker rooms, showers and laundry service and a lounge with wifi.
- XTend Barre DC ®, 1228 Blagden Alley NW (Mt. Vernon Square), $20 walk in; studio will honor Fuel mat class packages; free classes November 10-11. Opening November 10 from the owners of Fuel Pilates in Georgetown, XTend Barre DC is a particular style of barre that blends Pilates and sculpting exercises with the fast-paced rhythm of dance to strengthen, lengthen and stretch. Currently offered at Fuel as well as in studios across the country and around the world, this method promises to chisel your body – and fast. Now that is an offer we’re willing to accept.
- The Bar Method DC ™, 750 9th Street NW (Chinatown), $24 single class or $125 unlimited month for first time clients. The DC franchise of The Bar Method, which they say is the heir to the Lotte Berk way of teaching, offers an intense, highly regimented Pilates-style class that combines isometrics, dance conditioning and interval training for that lean, sought-after body. The instructors make it a point to call you out by name, so there is no hiding in the back of class. The pushups alone will exhaust you. Showers and lockers are provided in their spacious, clean – and carpeted – studios.
- Barre 3 ®, 1000 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite G-100 (Georgetown), $25 single class or $45 for 3 classes for new clients. A franchise of the national parent company, this barre class focuses on balance, strength and flexibility in exercises that bring together ballet barre, yoga, and Pilates. Studio has more of a scene-y vibe (Jill Biden occasionally pops by!) and offers a bonus: inexpensive childcare on-site.
- Biker Barre, 738 7th Street SE (Capitol Hill), $22 single class or $50 unlimited week for new clients. This new cycling and barre studio from the former owners of Red Bow Studio offers low-impact, high-intensity barre classes that are music-driven and combine Pilates, dance, and yoga. Studio encourages use of their lounge area and free wifi and has a relaxed atmosphere perfect for beginners and experts alike. Plus, mimosas after Sunday morning classes!
Next up: Borderstan tackles New York’s trend of the moment: Soul Cycle!
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