About one year into my Pure Barre adventure (and three months into my everyday Pure Barre adventure), my body and health has changed drastically. I fit into clothes I never thought I would again, and I have visible abs for the first time in 27.5 years. At this point, while I am willing to pay the high Pure Barre prices for the admittedly incredible results, I also do have my standards for what constitutes a good Pure Barre studio/teacher/class.
- Technical expertise. It is important (surprise surprise) that an instructor is familiar with the curriculum and the subject matter. Obviously no one is perfect, and everyone will make mistakes, but I look for instructors who do make form corrections throughout the class, who ensure we get the same balanced workout on both sides of the body, and who are in-tune enough with the music to blend exercise changes seamlessly with the beat.
- Energy. For me, the most important thing other than technical expertise is the energy and enthusiasm the instructor brings to the room and the session. And this, unfortunately, is one of the things I’ve had trouble finding at some of the new studios I’ve visited. How am I supposed to be giving it my all and enjoying myself if the instructor is clearly not giving it her all nor enjoying herself? The instructor has the power to change the entire energy of the room, and that of each and every student, and you can feel the difference.
- Community. Now, I’m not working out to make friends or to socialize, but when you spend more than an hour each day every day at the same place with the same people, it’s nice to feel known, recognized, and appreciated. Not all studios greet or even acknowledge you when you walk in, and many instructors don’t make the effort to encourage students by name throughout the workout.
- Facility. At this point, the set up and cleanliness of all the studios I’ve visited has been excellent, so I don’t have much to say here. I’m sure I would not visit a second time if I happened to discover a dirty or uncomfortable studio. I should say that I do enjoy the studios with fans in them more! It’s nice to have some airflow within the sometimes stuffy and steamy exercise room.
- Musical Mix. I’m much more motivated by songs with lyrics, I’ve realized. A background electro-funk beat doesn’t inspire me to push harder and tuck longer the way a lyrical story does. The mix can really make or break the class, and so I always do my best to tell the teacher when I especially love a mix with the desperate hope that they’ll do something with that feedback… I think different studios and different teachers may take different artistic freedoms with the music choices, though.
So far, my amateur hypothesis based on this very small studio sample size is that the regular presence of the studio owner, especially a studio owner that also teaches classes on a regular basis, can make or break all of the categories above. It makes sense that this would be the case – the regular presence of the head honcho keeps other employees on their toes and can reinforce the sense of importance and sense of community for not just the customers, but also the teachers. The same way an instructor can affect the energy of a class, the studio owner can affect the energy of the entire studio.
Basically, I am missing my Pure Barre Naples home, but change can be good and force us to grow… so… I will keep #tryingthenewthings.
- Naples, FL
- Estero, FL
- Boston, MA
- Wellesley, MA
- Fort Collins, KY
- Nashua, NH
- Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
- Central Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
