What is in this article?:
- Health Clubs of a Different Color
- Standing Out
- Making a Splash
- The Anti-gym
Personal training, group training and cycle studios are growing in numbers and interest as an alternative to traditional fitness clubs.
When asked about SoulCycle and its popularity, Gabby Etrog Cohen, director of public relations and marketing for the Equinox-owned cycle studio, found it difficult to explain the brand to someone who has never been inside a SoulCycle.
“It’s like talking about ice cream you’ve never tasted,” she says.
Etrog Cohen’s analogy speaks to the experience that SoulCycle produces, and that’s the goal of a number of personal training and group training studio owners trying to differentiate themselves from their traditional fitness club counterparts. These operators want their members to get the most results in the time they are there while also enjoying the experience at their studios.
SoulCycle, which New York-based Equinox acquired in 2011, has 11 studios in the New York area, three in Los Angeles and two set to open in April in the San Francisco area. Riders spend $34 on a single class ($25 in California) up to $3,500 for a 50-class series. Etrog Cohen says SoulCycle is seeing more growth now and at a more rapid pace than when the company was founded in 2006, thanks largely to the Equinox acquisition.
Etrog Cohen also says SoulCycle receives 25 to 50 “Soul in Your Area” email requests every day from people who want a SoulCycle in their city.
“The response has been overwhelming for consumers to ask for SoulCycle,” Etrog Cohen says.
Of the 14 open SoulCycle studios, 11 are in the New York City area. The other three studios are in Los Angeles. Two studios are set to open in April in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of SoulCycle.
