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Good Move is a new dance-based studio on the edge of Williamsburg. You'll feel welcome here regardless of age, ability, size, race or gender -- this place is all about fun and self expression. Good Move offers a wide variety of classes from "Ballet Class + Ass" to "Adult Beginner Dance (hot bitch)." Being here is a joy even if your dance skills start and stop at the Cha Cha Slide.

Good Move Brooklyn NY

Good Move

Reset is a new wellness studio in the heart of Nolita. It's a gorgeous space featuring soundbaths, breathwork, and coaching and leadership workshops. And while personal growth can range from woo-woo to a WeWork seminar, we find Reset to be holistic without being too out there. We highly recommend a Friday Night sound bath.

Reset NYC

Outer Reach is a stretching studio in Tribeca. They offer both assisted stretching sessions (aka people who will stretch you) and group stretching classes where you stretch yourself. The exposed brick and light wood feel like a real retreat from the city.

Outer Reach

Good Day Pilates is a light filled studio in Soho featuring small group classes (capped at six people) as well as private lessons. The founder's physical therapy background shines through as do the hands-on adjustments.

Good Day Pilates NYC

Good Day Pilates

GRIT BXNG features just about every buzzword in town: CBD! Bitcoin! Booze! and....Pitbull! Every GRIT class also features time on the floor, time on the treadmill, and time to punch it out. Think Barry's plus boxing, but a much larger class and a lot more lights.

Grit Bxng

GRIT BXNG

Jane DO is a total body workout started by two former Radio City Rockettes. They have a few studios in New Jersey and have now landed in Flatiron with their signature sculpting, dance cardio, and trampoline classes. 

Jane Do

Racked Stretch is unlike other stretching studios. Rather than trek to a location just to be stretched, Racked exists within other fitness studios. If you find yourself at Merge New York in Soho, or Mile High Run Club in Noho or Flatiron, Racked will be there to help you recover post-workout.

Racked Stretch

Our updated round up of the NYC's newest fitness studios.

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Active Spaces

At AKT, everything is top quality: the routines, the instructors, the music, the choreography, and yes, the showers—actually, perhaps the showers should have been listed first. It also doesn’t exactly come cheap. But read on.

Founded by celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser, this studio offers four kinds of classes—our favorites are Dance and Mixer. Both are primarily a fitness class, but if you haven’t danced much before, the high-energy choreography will feel like the real deal.   

Dance is broken up into cardio (dance!) and tone intervals—one each for arms, butt and legs, and abs. The strength portions are made up of repetitive movements using your own body and small hand weights. At first, you’ll be excited to mix it up. Then, you’ll be exhausted. If you don’t wake up the next day feeling the burn, please use your extra energy to come by our office and tell us your secrets. Speaking of, if you’re expecting instructor corrections, this is where you’ll find them. They let you do your thing during the cardio. 

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The pump-up music throughout the dance routine is on point, think good remixes and ample Usher. And the moves are *perfectly coordinated* to the beat. The choreography can be a little intimidating at first, particularly when the regulars have the moves down pat. It’s a little cliquey, but if you like it enough to become a regular, *don’t sweat it*, after a couple weeks of class you’ll be asking how their weekends were, too. And you’ll nail the moves because the same sequence is repeated throughout the class, and the routine stays the same for three weeks.

The studio is trendy, but the instructors are welcoming. And damn, those showers. If you can swing it, take one here. The whole place smells amazing and, well, that’s always a good sign. 

AKT is a slightly more down-to-earth and less confusing version of Tracy Anderson. (The rooms aren’t heated and the routines feel a bit easier to follow.) It’s not quite as culty as the #TAMILY, but it’s still pretty expensive. Many classes at AKT go for a full hour though, which we guess helps to compensate for the high price. 

Overall, AKT is an all-rounder: It’s dance inspired, but fitness first. The resistance training and dance cardio cover all the main muscle groups. And the amenity and shower situation will allow you to sweat it out before or after work. If you’re looking to go all-in, AKT offers nutrition services and streaming workouts, too. Most importantly: The instructors here have so much energy, that you may genuinely feel like you’re on a cruise, and that’s worth a pretty penny. We always feel like they’re running the class and the music, not the other way around.

AKT is a dance cardio and resistance training-focused studio with incredible showers.

AKTShareImage

Founded by celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser, AKT is a dance cardio heavy studio with locations in Nomad and on the Upper East Side.

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Sure, you could go out and buy a $2,500 stationary bike that is the size of your Manhattan living room, or a dedicated fitness TV that's disguised as wall art and haunts you every time you walk past it. Or, you could just invest in a few sturdy staples to support a home workout and recovery practice. We've linked to the best in-stock gear below. 

*Honesty First: We don't recommend things to our readers that we wouldn't recommend personally to our friends. We don't control prices or inventory, and both are subject to change.*

*We may receive a commission if you buy products using our links. Any commissions received from this particular page will be donated to City Harvest to help feed our neighbors during this time of need.*

HomeExerciseEquipmentInStockCover

Home Exercise Staples That Are Still in Stock

Maybe you're avoiding SoulCycle or Flywheel because they're intimidating or maybe you just don't want to run into everyone you've ever met while you're pushing pedal to the metal. Here are some alternative spin studios.

Places to Cycle Besides SoulCycle and Flywheel

When it comes to yoga, there's a big gap between studios focused on physical fitness and those offering "spiritual enlightenment." Tangerine’s strength-based hot yoga classes are definitely a workout, yet they still manage to go against the fitness-obsessed culture that misinterprets the original context of yoga: a practice to train the mind and body to become more aware of ourselves, and to cultivate discernment, awareness, and higher consciousness through intentional movement. 

At this cozy Brooklyn studio, the interpretation is traditionally-rooted, with a modern twist: chill out and quit being jerks. Meaning, the classes focus heavily on your mental experience, which helps you connect more calmly with the physical (a 90-degree room full of sweat-drenched, wobbly bodies). The music is so low-key you hardly notice it, and the instructors manage to be knowledgeable and totally unpretentious. For what they lack in hands-on instruction, they make up for in humor. 

As for the types of classes, if you’re a pro, you’ll probably want to opt for the Tangerine Flow+ or the Slow Burn over the basic flow. While still great, the moves in the flow class are very much entry to intermediate level, and there isn’t a lot of time or space created for inversions and personal practice. In either class though, you can expect a good amount of attention paid to all the core muscle groups: abs, arms, and legs. 

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Inside the studio, your mats will be laid out for you, and blocks and towels are provided. The mats have pretty good traction, though you can pay to rent a special non-stick towel if you need it. As for the temperature, 90-degrees is warm, but the radiant heating panels, which simulate the heat of the sun, actually feel kinda great. It’s like a taking a tropical vacation in the middle of winter. 

The space itself is small and often overpacked. During peak times, expect to be two inches away from your neighbor. The sense of community is palpable; we just wish they would cap classes instead of maximizing every square inch. 

We think Tangerine’s delightful blend of modern LA crunchiness and traditional yogic teachings is worth the trek, just keep in mind the whole hot-yoga-no-shower thing. Our recommendation is to take a class on a weekend, sweat out the night before, and then head to Mile End or Shelsky’s for a quality bagel.

A hot yoga studio for those who value good vibes, peace of mind, and <em>free almonds</em>.

Tangerine Hot Power Yoga is a hot yoga studio with very chill vibes in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn.

Tangerine Hot Power Yoga

While you’ve likely never heard of the band the Power Station, you’ve got to give them credit for being ahead of their time with their 1980s classic *Some Like It Hot*. Of course, they were probably alluding to the wave of hot yoga that would inevitably take cities by storm. Right?

Anyway. Heatwise’s main class is called “Some Like it Hot.” And some do like it hot, just not too hot. You might think you hate hot yoga because, you, like some of us, have overactive sweat glands.

However, Heatwise is all about breathing room. For starters, it never gets deathly hot in here. It’s supposed to be hot yoga, not how-hot-can-we-make-it-until-you-pass-out yoga. The room is kept between 85 and 95 degrees, and it’s well ventilated. [[1]] And because hot yoga does not have to mean inhale-your neighbor’s-lingering-lunch-breath yoga, Heatwise also ensures ample space between you and your neighbor. The mats clearly correspond to numbered spots on the floor and they’re all at least 12 inches apart. You won’t find this kind of space in Manhattan. Lastly, when class is over, you will immediately be greeted with a cold eucalyptus towel. Move over, Equinox! 

Heatwise almost exclusively offers standard Vinyasa flow classes. They do one thing and they do it well. The music here varies, but it’s usually on point. We particularly like their Beatwise classes, which, as the name suggests, feature music with a higher BPM. Check Instagram before heading over to see the musical theme of the week. Past themes include Florence and the Machine, Lizzo, and New Wave.

In addition to Beatwise and their signature Some Like It Hot class, Heatwise occasionally offers advanced classes called Extra Crispy, as well as a core-focused class, Chargrilled.[[2]] Once a week, Heatwise also offers a prenatal class and a restorative class, both of which are unheated.

Besides offering quality yoga, Heatwise gets hospitality right—the staff here is genuinely friendly. It’s like they’re actually happy to have *you* in class, not just to have your money. In fact, everything here, like mats and towels, is included. You may wind up whipping out your credit card anyway for their cozy merch and Bear’s Fruit Kombucha, though. To top things off, your exact mat is booked online in advance, so you know exactly where you’ll be—no stress and no rushing to the studio 10 minutes early to secure your favorite spot.

If you dwell in Brooklyn Heights or Park Slope and are looking for a hot-but-not-too-hot yoga class, Heatwise is for you. For the rest of us, we think the studio’s good music, friendly instructors, and ample space make it worth a visit. Heatwise manages to be hot, without being too hot. And to be cool, without being too cool.

Hot yoga in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope with plenty of room to breathe.

Heatwise is a hot yoga studio in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope featuring quality vinyasa flow classes and plenty of room to breath.

Heatwise

If you haven’t heard, Equinox bought SoulCycle a while ago and now everyone is trying to be the SoulCycle of ‘X’. SoulCycle of Boxing? Rumble. SoulCycle of HIIT? Switch Playground or Fhitting Room. SoulCycle of your life? WeWork. (Or that’s their hope anyway.)

So when we heard about Aqua Studio, our first instinct was that it was going to be SoulCycle: But In Water. While it’s not far off, we were pleasantly surprised to find out this place has a few other things going for it.

First, no one here is screaming, “TURN UP THE RESISTANCE. TURN THAT KNOB TO THE RIGHT.” Actually, no one here is yelling at all, because there is no knob and the water is the resistance. As a result, you’re forced to really use your core. It’s a bit harder than you’d expect and if you’re a cycling veteran, it will take a little time to get used to. But ultimately, it’s pretty fun.

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Second, you are in an 84-degree heated, 4-foot deep pool, so you don’t really sweat. The gloriousness of this really cannot be overstated. Let’s be clear here: it’s totally a cycling workout. But it bears repeating—it’s not sweaty.

Speaking of speed, Aqua Studio offers four main classes—Blend, Restorative, HIIT and Interval—and the options are exactly as you’d expect them to be. Restorative is really great if you’re looking for active recovery. No matter which option you choose, the water is no joke and that resistance is real!

As part of the workout, the instructor will ask you to use your arms to make circles in the water, and the next day you might feel like you just used your shoulders for the first time ever. There’s also some sitting and standing in the saddle, as well as a seriously awkward position called “position four” that has you clutching your seat for dear life while you try to bike *behind* your bike. It will give you a wedgie. 

The instructors here are fine and so is the music, but both get drowned out of by the noise of your neighbor splashing water in your face. It’s not a competitive place and you’ll see people of all shapes and sizes, which is almost as refreshing as being in a pool. And there are single sex classes if that’s more your speed.

Aqua Studio calls itself a “wellness sanctuary” and that might be a bit of a stretch but all in all it’s pretty nice. It's a fun place—if a bit pricey—to try something new, and if you really hate sweating or are looking for low-impact cardio, it is a very good option.

A cycling studio in Tribeca where the bikes are in a pool (!) and the water is the resistance.

Aqua Studio is a cycling studio in Tribeca where the bikes are in a pool (!) and the water is the resistance.

Aqua Studio

It’s in our nature to imagine being someone else for a while. We get dressed up for dinner parties with our closest friends. We eat croissants to make us feel like we’re living fabulous lives in Paris (by way of Brooklyn). And we watch Beyonce music videos on repeat, in the hopes that one day we, too, can dance like Queen Bey.

Spoiler alert: If you’re in the latter camp, watching videos and imagining your way to the *So You Think You Can Dance* stage is not your answer. But we do have one. STAY WITH US.

Enter London-born dance-fitness newcomer, At Your Beat. They’re a Downtown Brooklyn studio, located in the City Point Shopping Center (the Alamo Drafthouse building), with a focus on making fitness fun. This one goes out to all those who exclusively dance in their bedrooms. Read: AYB is beginner-friendly.

The class types vary, but all of them are dance inspired. We like AYB Body: Dance Cardio & Tone (formerly FitBEAT), urbanBEAT, and videoBEAT, but no matter the style, all of the classes hone in on isolated muscle groups. For example, in one class we counted no less than 50 high kicks.

It’s a full body workout, but if you’re a true dance cardio stan and frequent places like AKT or the Tracy Anderson method, you’ll find At Your Beat less challenging. The class doesn’t quite take off in the same way, as it really is geared toward beginners. We’ve found that the intensity also varies by instructor.

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In terms of pricing, it’s definitely reasonable. AYB is brand new, so prices hover around $20 for a drop-in class. Right now, it’s $160 for a month of unlimited classes. Or you can nab a five-class pack for $100.  

In short, you’ll pay for founder Joelle D’Fontaine’s cool-kid choreography. But you’ll stay for every teacher’s skillful knack at putting your clumsy limbs at ease. We do have one caveat: you won’t turn into a professional dancer after these classes. They are still primarily about fitness, and because it’s beginner friendly, the moves never really build on one another to become a full routine.

All to say, AYB isn't for the person who could maybe make it through the first round audition for Bey's background dancers with some shred of dignity remaining. But for those of us who daydream about being that sort of dancer (especially those fellow dreamers who spend a lot of time in Downtown Brooklyn), AYB is perfect.

A London export offering <em>beginner-friendly</em> dance cardio classes in Downtown Brooklyn.

At Your Beat is a London-based export allowing you to get your groove on in Downtown Brooklyn.

At Your Beat

It’s 2019. We’re keeping up with the Kardashians (even if we don’t want to), we follow pro-athletes, sure, but also celebrity chefs and doctors and lawyers and fitness instructors. The cult of personality is everywhere and you can’t really unsubscribe.

There are plenty of great people who have managed to build up a following. And there are plenty of reasons not to listen to the majority of those people. Did you find your doctor on Instagram? We’re worried.

Which is all to say, we review experiences and not the people who started them. So here’s an exception to the rule: Ballet1 is really great, and it’s really great because of Eva Alt.

A lifelong dancer, Eva knows what it means to dance professionally, but also knows what it’s like to be a young professional in New York who needs a break from the internet and the constant internal dialogue that plagues us all. No, seriously, because when she’s not dancing, Eva is a Social Media Editor at Glossier.

Dancing classes can be intimidating, even ones that are billed as beginner-friendly. Ballet1 is all levels and it’s filled with Eva’s friends and friends of friends, so it feels more like you’re being welcomed into a dinner party with a bunch of people you actually want to get to know rather than just taking a class with extremely talented dancers—you’re doing both!

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The class itself starts with pliés to warm up your calves and feet, a bit of skipping and leaping, which will make you feel like a kid again, and ends with a short routine. The skipping and leaping is the ultimate icebreaker and it’s pure joy. 

The class is educational, too; Eva manages to share facts and stories about ballet that you didn’t know you wanted to know, like the meaning behind certain poses or the inspiration behind the choreography. In a city of harder, better, faster, stronger, Ballet1 is a great place to move intentionally with like-minded people. 

No one here is judging and it’s totally cool if you mess up the moves. Eva’s kindness and warmth translate into true permission—permission to dance around, get into it, and give it your best go. Eva bills Ballet1 as “ballet for fun, ballet for exercise, ballet for learning about yourself, ballet for learning about other people, ballet for poetic expression” and honestly, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. It’s truly an opportunity to move freely.

The class happens once a month, which makes it a real treat. Rearrange your schedule and leave class feeling like a happy camper, knowing you live in the greatest city in the world where people are doing cool things, having fun, and want you to join them.


A monthly ballet class led by Eva Alt worth rearranging your schedule for. 

Ballet1 is a monthly ballet class by Eva Alt that’s a ton of fun for dancers and self described non-dancers alike.

Ballet1

Box and Flow could be the name of your neighborhood authorized UPS® shipping store, but it's also an exercise combo you maybe never knew existed until now. This boxing and yoga combo class feels motivation-heavy, designed for the person wants to get in two types of workouts in one day.

Box + Flow is catered to a go-getter: someone who gets up at 7 AM to fit in both yoga and boxing before work on an average Tuesday. If you’re someone trying this for kicks, it’s worth noting that the workout is a do-able doozy. As a newcomer, you’ll be required to buy wraps and rent gloves at the front desk. At $8 all-in, it’s not a huge commitment but you will now own boxing wraps, even if you never box again. Either way, the instructors and their warehouse rave playlist are motivating, and you’ll have the most fun if you choose to buy into it and go along with the punches. 

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The instructor weaves through the small row of punching bags with energized words of encouragement and depending on your mood, this ranges from cheesy and exhausting to downright inspiring. Their energy is like a Red Bull: you can rely on the boost of energy, but cannot necessarily keep up with what you have consumed. Great for 50 minutes, but no more than that. 

To start off, you pair up with a partner to hold the bag during your punches. If you didn’t bring a friend, don’t sweat it; this isn’t a seatmate on the bus and there’s no room to chat. After three rounds of alternating speed punches and power punches, you find your favorite roster of moves and play to your strengths..The Box portion of the course is one that excuses a week hiatus from exercise (or at least it felt that way). 

Don’t think, though, that your 15 minutes of Flow is the slower part of the class. The yoga portion of Box + Flow feels very fast– it’s a core-focused, rhythm-heavy yoga practice, rather than, say, a restorative flow for cooling down. 

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It’s worth mentioning that at times there are two instructors in the class – one leading the course and one doing it with you. At this point in the workout, should you have a second instructor, they’re with you, encouraging you to the finish line, which is a nice touch.

After 50 minutes without breaks, you boxed, you flowed, and you are on your way to whatever’s next with a nice round of applause from the instructor.


Box + Flow is an *Noho-based* studio featuring classes that combine *boxing and yoga*.

Box + Flow is an Noho-based studio featuring classes that combine boxing and yoga.

Box + Flow

Some things are worth leaving your neighborhood for: dinner at your favorite restaurant, a concert you bought tickets to three months in advance without realizing it was at Forest Hills Stadium, a first date with someone totally out of your league.


Some things are not worth leaving your neighborhood for: like your dry cleaner, the $1 slice shop around the corner, or the dive bar that always seems to be packed despite the fact that it’s kind of gross and they serve mediocre beer. They’re all fine. But you wouldn’t go out of your way for them.

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That’s exactly how we feel about Chalk Gyms. It’s fine—good even—if you live or work in Williamsburg. 

In terms of pricing, Chalk Gyms occupies the rare space between Blink and Equinox. It’s $99 a month and there are no fees for anything, which is always a win.  They have a ton of classes, too, and, again, they’re nothing to go out of your way for, but if you’re already in the neighborhood and you like classes, they will do the trick. [[2]] Chalk offers bootcamp, cycling, yoga, barre, boxing, HIIT, and mat pilates. 


The space is clean and nice, and the locker room has blow dryers, a couple of showers, and a small sauna. There’s a lot of orange and the stairs say “harder, better, faster, stronger.” We assume that’s supposed to be motivational. We’ll leave that up to you.


What’s clear is that there is a ton of equipment and it’s all on the newer side. All of the standard equipment you would expect from a gym plus two small studios for group classes. It’s never so crowded here that you can’t do your thing. That’s another win.

Chalk is a good place to know about, especially with the L (maybe, maybe not) shutting down. And their free two-day trial doesn’t hurt either. It’s a premium, but not luxury, gym that fills a need. So if you’re looking for affordable classes and an upgrade from Blink, meet Chalk. 


A fairly priced, all-inclusive gym in Williamsburg.

If you’re looking for a solid gym with a bunch of classes in Williamsburg, Chalk Gyms is a good bet.

Chalk Gyms

Many of the best fitness studios are escapes that feel like a full-on luxury suite. You’re greeted the moment you walk in, the spaces look like they’re out of Architectural Digest, and the amenities are good enough to almost make you forget how much you’re paying for a 1-hour fitness class. Plus, it’s New York City, and it’s always exciting to go to a place that features a bathroom bigger than your entire apartment. 

So, hear us out when we say one of the best fitness escapes in New York City costs $10, takes place in a public school—a park in the summer—and still maintains a solid cool factor.

Downtown Girls Basketball, a roving basketball team for self-identified women, meets up once a week. Led by Aria McManus, a super skilled and very encouraging coach, Downtown Girls Basketball is a barebones operation with just a couple of basketballs and a portable scoreboard for equipment.

For what the experience lacks in pizazz, it makes up for in community, energy, and the opportunity to truly move around. It’s exhilarating to run around the court when ~fitness~ so often occurs in your pre-assigned spot in a small studio.

The group attracts a wide variety of skill-levels and players: there are women who played in college and women who last played in their middle school rec league. Aria’s warmth and the all-female nature help to create a camp-like atmosphere where everyone is playing to win, but with the kind of down-to-earth spirit you’d want. You’ll never feel like you’re letting the team down if you aren’t the MVP, or if you’re objectively the LVP.

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Downtown creatives, models, and Cool People make up Downtown Girls Basketball, but pretty much everyone here is down to make new friends. After all, they’re showing up to ball with strangers. In other words, the group isn’t clique-y in a way that your high school team may have been.

The 90 minute sessions start with warmups and then moves on to drills, before a series of five on five games, lasting five minutes each. The evening ends with a sudden death challenge: you shoot baskets and only one woman ends up with the final rose. You’ll see a lot of the same faces week after week, but there’s no commitment involved and team players are free to attend when they can. Plus, Downtown Girls Basketball has been around since 2013, which by NYC standards basically makes it an institution. 

If we had to describe the vibe it would be shooters shoot. Show up and do your best, just be sure to be nice to people. Everyone is here to have fun, and it’s hard not to have fun when you get to run around and throw a ball in the air. There’s no heavy handed instruction, no fitness goals, just a space and time to ball. Of course, there’s always the woman who takes things a little too seriously and thinks they’re auditioning for the WNBA, but she’ll get the hint eventually.

You’ll leave having worked up a real sweat, so get ready to sport flushed cheeks and a dose of humility. Shoot hoops and let down your guard, unless you’re on guard. In which case, keep your man in check.

Downtown Girls Basketball is like recess for adult women.

Downtown Girls Basketball is a team for self-identified women, led by Aria McManus, that meets once a week to shoot hoops.

Downtown Girls Basketball

Looking for a new place to work out? Here's a list of the best new boutique fitness studios in NYC. We've got your back.

The Play List:
New Fitness Studio Openings in NYC

01.
Good Move

02.
Reset NYC

03.
Outer Reach

04.
Good Day Pilates

05.
GRIT BXNG

06.
Jane Do

07.
Racked Stretch

01.
Good Move

02.
Reset NYC

03.
Outer Reach

04.
Good Day Pilates

05.
GRIT BXNG

06.
Jane Do

07.
Racked Stretch

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The Play List: New Fitness Studio Openings in NYC

01.Good Move

02.Reset NYC

03.Outer Reach

04.Good Day Pilates

05.GRIT BXNG

06.Jane Do

07.Racked Stretch

01.Good Move

02.Reset NYC

03.Outer Reach

04.Good Day Pilates

05.GRIT BXNG

06.Jane Do

07.Racked Stretch

Share

More guides

Stay Active. Subscribe to our newsletter.

The Play List:
New Fitness Studio Openings in NYC

01.
Good Move

02.
Reset NYC

03.
Outer Reach

04.
Good Day Pilates

05.
GRIT BXNG

06.
Jane Do

07.
Racked Stretch

01.
Good Move

02.
Reset NYC

03.
Outer Reach

04.
Good Day Pilates

05.
GRIT BXNG

06.
Jane Do

07.
Racked Stretch