For those living in NYC, it’s hard not to notice the abundance of boutique fitness studios popping up. Before I get started on these classes, let me just say (in a very biased I’m-an-employee-sort-of-way) my top pick is Equinox. Obviously I teach there and thus it is where my loyalty is, but if you are all about group fitness, Equinox offers a wide variety of classes (body conditioning/sculpt, yoga, cycling, pilates, barre + more) and while membership is expensive, if you go to multiple classes a week you are getting your money’s worth. Also the locker rooms are ah-mazing. But I digress. Let’s get back to group fitness.

I love the idea of various focused studios all over the city but they come at a hefty price. If you want to take 3 classes per week, many of them are upwards of $25 per class so in a month you’d spend $300 on approximately 12 hours worth of fitness. To me, that is madness since you can get a fully equipped gym membership allowing for many more hours worth of fitness in the range of $80-$200 per month. However, if you’ve got money to burn or you are just so obsessed with a certain class you can’t stay away, by all means, enjoy!

So while I’m not in the category of uber-rich fitness people, I love to try out new classes to see what is out there. I’ve tried a bunch. Usually I go once or if there is a package deal maybe a couple of times at most. I’ve liked some more than others- my favorites are Circuit of Change, Trooper Fitness, Stacy’s Bootcamp, Refine Method, & Pure Barre.

With a bunch of new openings happening around NYC and temperatures so cold they are keeping me away from outdoor runs, there are a few studios on my radar to check out- Chaise Fitness, City Row, Swerve, Lyons Den Power Yoga, The Fhitting Room.

Am I missing anything great? What’s your favorite class these days?

AND- what is your preference: gym membership or boutique studio?