Barre City Spotlight Archives

Jul 16

Barre City: Denver, Colorado

By Melissa Feeney Barre City Spotlight, Barre3, Pure Barre, The Bar Method No Comments

When you’re a city that’s surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, there’s no shortage of gorgeous ski resorts, golf courses and hiking trails. However, as much as there is an abundance of outdoor activity to keep you occupied, people in Denver head into any of the two dozen barre studios in Denver and the surrounding area.

From familiar chains like Pure Barre, The Bar Method and Barre3 to local favourites like Barre Forte and The Ballet Physique, Denver offers residents more than two dozen options to choose from.

So what makes Denver a barre-loving city? Let’s explore what Denver has to offer.

Why is Denver Considered a Barre City?

It’s (partly) home to Pure Barre

Not only will you find a handful of Pure Barre studios throughout the Denver area, but the city is also the home to their corporate headquarters. The head office is where they run operations for the company, for the nearly 500 locations across North America.

Though there is a corporate training facility in Spartanburg, SC, Denver is also home to a training center for instructors and studio owners.

Photo via Instagram: @nmallmendinger

The studio is like a second home for regulars

When I went out to Denver in early February, I got to see first-hand how passionate locals are for the barre workout. At every studio I stopped into you could see how connected the community was with their local studios. It wasn’t just the workout that was drawing people in. Regulars were gabbing with each other before class and were hanging around the studio up to 30 minutes after a class ended to connect with the owners, instructors and other students. Classes were full and some even had wait lists.

There’s a studio on every corner

Okay, I’m exaggerating a little but boutique fitness studios are everywhere in Denver and barre is right up there in popularity with yoga, pilates and crossfit. No matter which part of the city you are in, you are most likely a stone’s throw away from a studio. The high concentration of studios is even more obvious in the suburbs. In Highlands Ranch alone, there are four different studios within a few miles of each other. When I visited, Studio Barre was just about to open their doors in Highlands Ranch.

Barre Studios in Denver

Pure Barre – Plaza at Cherry Creek
Pure Barre Belmar – Lakewood
Pure Barre – Highlands Ranch
Pure Barre – Greenwood Village
Pure Barre – Littleton
Pure Barre – East 29th Avenue Town Center
Pure Barre – 32nd Avenue
The Bar Method – Denver-Stapleton
The Bar Method – Cherry Creek
Barre3 – Highlands Square
Barre3 – Cherry Creek
The Barre Code – Downtown Denver
Barre Forte – LoHi
Barre Forte – Southmoor/Cherry Hills
Barre Forte – Highlands Ranch
Barre Forte – Westminster
Ohana Yoga and Barre
The Ballet Physique – the first independently-owned barre fitness center in Colorado.
Flex Yoga & Barre Studio
The Barre Standard
Whole Body Barre
Arvada Barre Belle
Studio Barre – Highlands Ranch
Barre Beauty – Aurora, Co.

Barre Forte’s LoHi location.

Barre Forte’s Southmoor/Cherry Hills location.

The Barre Code Downtown Denver location.

The interior of The Barre Code Downtown Denver location.

The Bar Method’s Denver-Stapleton location.

Barre Forte’s Highlands Ranch location

Dec 06

Barre City: Portland, Oregon

By Melissa Feeney Barre City Spotlight, Barre3, Pure Barre No Comments

Portland, Oregon, a city of just 640,000 seems like it has more barre studios per capita than larger cities like Manhattan, LA or London. When I visited last summer, I couldn’t get over the number of barre businesses in town. You have all of the major players like Pure Barre, Barre3, The Bar Method and at the time Xtend Barre. As well as some local favourites like Industrial Barre. Side note: I wrote a whole article about how I was convinced that Portland, Oregon is the barre capital of the world. If you’re interested in some related reading, check this out.

So what makes this city standout as a barre-friendly town? First of all Barre3 was founded here in 2008 and also has their headquarters in Portland. They are by far the biggest player in town, with 5 of their 123 locations in the city and surrounding area.

Their flagship location is a beautiful space outfitted with two studios. Upon walking up to the entrance I was instantly drawn to their floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the studio. Their reception area has the latest in athletic wear along with a large play lounge where parents can drop off their children while they workout.

Not only can you find Barre3’s flagship in the Pearl District but they have a handful of other locations in the surrounding area, which include: SE 22nd Avenue and Division Street, Kruse Village, Cedar Mill and North Williams Avenue near the corner of North Shaver. This also happens to be the company headquarters.

The Barre3 flagship studio in Portland, Oregon.

With an average 280 classes taught per week, Barre3 definitely has the largest presence in the city in terms of brand awareness. When I was there, they were hosting a Barre3 in the Park event. It literally took over the entire Fields Park, a nearby green space a few blocks from their Pearl District location. Hundreds of people came out to watch Barre3 founder Sadie Lincoln teach a class.

Trailing behind Barre3 in terms of popularity is Portland’s Industrial Barre, which has all three of their locations in the city. It has one of the more beautifully appointed interiors, with its exposed beams, branded wallpaper and recycled construction materials. You can read more about that in my post about the most stylish barre studios in the world.

Industrial Barre studio interior at the NE Broadway location in Portland, Oregon.

Source: Industrial Barre

Just down the road from Industrial Barre on NE Broadway Street is Pure Barre, a staple of most American cities, so no surprise they have two studios in this mid-size city. Their other location is in the popular Pearl District, along with The Bar Method which has a presence along NW Hoyt Street.