Studio:
Location:
1038 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2T4
City:
Vancouver
Cost:
$25/class – also available on ClassPass (6+ credits)
Amenities:
Mats, lockers, towels, hair and skincare products
History/Background:
Founded by Ella Jotie and Michele Murgel, Barre Fitness opened in 2010 as Canada’s first barre-based studio. Since then, Barre Fitness has expanded across the Lower Mainland (Vancouver and the surrounding area) with studios in the North Shore, Surrey, and North Delta. Recently, Jotie was named one of British Columbia’s Top Fitness Instructors in 2019 by Impact Magazine.
About the Workout:
I attended Barre Fitness’ signature “Barre Fitness” class, taught by Jade Flemming. Jade is an instructor and the corporate general manager at Barre Fitness. The class itself fused elements of ballet, pilates, strength, and flexibility training using a ballet barre. The music here included a mix of acoustic and pop Top 40 tracks, which I preferred over the EDM that plays at other studios (ie. Pure Barre). I appreciated the instructor’s energy and enthusiasm for movement.
The class opened with a light and gentle warmup. We did plies, squats, and wrist rolls to get the body moving.
Weights are always my favourite part of a barre class – this was no exception. We toned our triceps with our lighter set of weights and biceps with our heavier set while working our backs with both. There was a good balance between fatiguing our muscles and pushing us to our mental limits. Jade was very encouraging and upbeat, which made the last 8 counts of each exercise feel less challenging than they actually were.
The thigh series consisted of many plies and demi-plies in 4th position for the classic barre burn. We worked on our soles and our toes so that we could strengthen our ankles. Jade also led us in a series of leg raises, which I found challenging since my hip flexors are extremely tight.
There was a lot of planking (isometric, hip dips, side planks) in the core section of class but Jade offered modifications (forearms, knees, at the barre) to cater to everyone in the room. I loved how everyone listened to their body and wasn’t afraid to modify as needed. I find that it is so important to work at our own pace/level to find what matches us… and to prevent injuries!
The remainder of the class consisted of single-leg raises in flat back to work the seat. I found that the sequence length was appropriate – it wasn’t so long that it felt repetitive, but wasn’t so short that I didn’t feel the burn. To tone the abs, we used one lighter weight to do some curls, bicycle crunches, and tricep dips. In our last working section of the class, we did a glute bridge sequence with pulses, side dips, and taps (3x) to burn the booty!
Class ended with a nice stretch and cool down!
Overall Impressions:
Overall, I loved how warm and welcoming the studio felt, especially with the natural light shining in. The girls at the front desk were cheery and happy to answer any questions that clients had. Barre Fitness also provides towel service and lockers for you to store your belongings. Additionally, the studio also provides cotton hand towels for you to use in the bathroom. I previously worked at a fitness studio and was surprised by the number of paper towels that we went through on a daily basis; it is so great to see Barre Fitness minimizing their use of single-use paper towels!
My only issue was with the black exercise mats, which felt extremely stiff against my back. When I stood on my mat, my feet sank in random places. Upon touching the mats, I noticed that the material was uneven/clumpy (maybe a sign of age?), so the mats weren’t as comfortable as I would have liked.
The bathrooms were clean and stocked with various products, but there were only two available. If you are coming to class in the morning or after work, I’d recommend changing at home or before you leave the office so that you don’t have to wait in a line for the bathroom, as there are no changing stalls available.
I really enjoyed my class at Barre Fitness and I can’t wait to come back to try some other classes, such as Barre HIIT and Barre Power. I love the variety that this studio offers!
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About the Author
Dorothy Ng is a consultant, project manager, and group fitness enthusiast. She loves being surrounded by a supportive community of people who push her to do one more rep, to hold that plank for a few more seconds, or to embrace that shake. She took dance lessons as a young girl and recently re-discovered her love of movement through barre, pilates, HIIT, and spin. When she’s not working, you can often find Dorothy trying a new restaurant in town, relaxing with a novel, or on Wikitravel planning her next adventure.
