Comparing At-home Barre Equipment

If you asked me if I would be investing in at-home barre equipment at the beginning of 2020, I probably would have told you that I don’t need it because I prefer in-studio classes. If you’re like me you probably would have never predicted that you would even be considering investing in a ballet barre.

With a surge of at-home workouts due to the pandemic, there’s now a greater demand for barre equipment to mimic that of what a studio offers. Have you decided that the dining room chair isn’t going to cut it anymore, and you’re ready to invest in some real equipment?

If you’re still in the preliminary phase of researching various equipment, I’ve broken down some of the more popular ballet barre options, both portable and wall-mounted.

 

 

Portable and Freestanding Barres

In the portable barre category here are some of the more popular options.

 

Booty Kicker

You see them all over your social feeds, thanks to a generous affiliate program and a friendly price point. They are the portable barres that include a large white frame, with stainless steel support, wooden barre, gripping feet, and weight rack.

Pros

• It can slide right under a bed or into a closet.
• You can’t beat the price. The cost is just $79.99 plus shipping, which is easily one of the most affordable portable barre options.
• Comes with an authentic wooden barre.
• This is a little thing, but I like how easily I can move the barre around when I’m taking a virtual class. Depending on which leg I’m working I can easily move it to one side or the other so it’s facing the camera and I can see the instructor better.

Things to keep in mind

• You can put 250 pounds down onto it, which will allow you to gently pull off the barre, but you’ll probably want to put some more weight on the weight rack in the front, for counterbalance.
• Setup time varies, with some saying they’ve been able to put it together in as little as 20-30 minutes and others saying it can take an hour or more to initially put it together.
• Watch out for stubbed toes! The metal structure is a little rough around the edges (literally). Make sure if you’re doing any wide second positions or anything that requires a larger range of motion that your toes don’t accidentally brush the legs of the structure, otherwise ouch!

Price

It retails for $79.99 plus shipping.

 

 

DorBarre

Utah-based company Stroops’ latest product is a removable barre that attaches to nearly all indoor and outdoor doors.

Pros

• The barre can be set up on nearly any type of door in minutes and can be removed in seconds.
• It weighs under four pounds and fits in a 4″ x 6″ x 27″ box.
• When many other free-standing barres would tip over from doing exercises that require you to pull off the barre, the DorBarre allows you to do push and pull movements.

Things to Keep in Mind

• If you’re like me, you might have plenty of doors in your space to choose from but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a tonne of room on either side of the door to do the exercises.

Price

$129.95

 

 

Door Barre Fitness

Speaking of “door barres,” Door Barre Fitness is a handcrafted portable solution that claims to be the only barre on the market that attaches to your door and that can also be easily packed into a suitcase when you travel. If you’re looking for a barre that takes up less physical space than other standalone barres, this may be the solution for you.

 

 

Pros

• It weighs just 3 pounds and is 23 inches wide.
• It features a rubber backing, adjustable straps and the barre can hold your full weight, so go ahead and pull off the barre. Chair exercise anyone?
• Door Barre Fitness is also the name of Founder Nikki Branning’s online streaming subscription service. Each Door Barre purchased comes with two weeks of complimentary online classes. After that, it’s just $9 per month.

Things to keep in mind

• Even though you can put the barre on either side of a door, Nikki’s preference is to attach it to the side of the door that you pull to close.

Price

It retails for $95 USD

 

 

 

Fluidity Barre

The Fluidity Barre is an infomercial product that is part of the Fluidity Barre System which is accompanied by a ball, pump, a workout DVD with three workouts on it and two bands. It comes fully assembled. All you need to do is adjust the height to your liking, and lock it into place. Comes with a built-in mat, that lies below the barre.

Pros

• There are wheels on it, so you can easily collapse it and put it away.
• It is adjustable to your height and level of flexibility.

 

Things to keep in mind

This is an infomercial product, which doesn’t make it bad but sometimes anecdotal success stories are used to inflate people’s confidence in the product. Keep in mind that you don’t need to buy into the subscription service to order the product.

Price

The product comes with a much higher price tag than other pieces of equipment on the market, at just shy of $600 plus tax. If you are just looking to buy a barre, and not buy into the full system then you’d probably want to find another option.

 

BurnBarre

Touted as the first truly portable ballet barre, the BurnBarre is the most compact freestanding barre on the market, weighing only four pounds. According to its website, COVID-19 has halted the production of BurnBarre due to factory closures in China. They are currently in the process of moving operations to the United States and are hoping to be up and running by Fall 2020.

Pros

• It’s compact. It’s small enough that you can carry it in a tote bag, and can easily put it in a suitcase for travelling with.
• Easy setup. They claim it takes just 20 seconds to assemble.
• The sustainable aluminum real wood is very durable and is made to resemble a real ballet barre.
• It’s based on fingertip pressure only, which encourages you to engage your core more.
• It’s height-adjustable.

 

Things to keep in mind

This is quite a bit smaller than most on the market. For better or for worse you won’t be able to do a full range of barre exercises due to the design of the apparatus. That’s because it was designed by a group of dancers so it’s probably intended for a true ballet barre workout where you lightly grip the barre, as opposed to pulling off of it to sit in a chair position.

If you are looking for something compact that easily fits in your studio apartment or want something that is not going to take up a lot of room, this might be a good option for you.

Price

Now on sale for $139, normally $199.

 

Portable ballet barre

This four-foot portable ballet barre from Boss Ballet Barres comes in 3 different colours.

 

 

Pros

• Easy to move around.
• There’s enough room for two people to use the barre at a time.
• They offer a lifetime guarantee.

Things to keep in mind

The price tag may seem a little more expensive than other options on the market but Boss Barres are made completely out of powder-coated steel, so there aren’t any plastic or aluminum parts. This means that their barres can handle the extra impact and force from a rigorous workout.

Price

$378 CAD

 

 

Wall-mounted barres

If you can swing it, there’s no greater option than having a real barre in your home. Although not the reality for many (including myself) there are a lot of good options on the market.

They have to be mounted into the stud to be able to ‘pull off’ of them but wall-mounted barres are your best bet for creating a real deal barre set up in your home. If you’re wondering about the height of your barre, most single barres in fitness studios are between 36″ to 38″ above the ground.

 

Vita Barre

The traditional wood single bar wall mount ballet barre system from Vita Barre is made of high-quality wood types including natural ash wood, oak, and maple. With various lengths, 3 feet all the way up to 42 feet and a number of different bracket designs available in multiple colours, this is a good option if you want a semi-customized wall-mounted solution. They also have a pro aluminum option in lieu of wood, which has a slightly lower price point.

Pros

• It has a smooth finish that will make you feel like you’re in a real barre class. They actually supply the barres for many fitness studios including Pure Barre.
• It comes in various lengths so if you want a compact barre, you can order just 3 feet, or if you wanted to turn your garage into a makeshift barre studio you can order up to 42 feet.

Things to keep in mind

• Depending on the length of barre you purchase, will dictate how much space you will need in your house.

Price

Starting at $134.95.

 

If you have a barre at home, what are you using? Leave a comment below.