It kind of hurts me to give this place a 3 star review, but after taking about 3 classes, I realized it wasn't going to be nearly as close as the intense spin classes that I've been taking at another studio (will not name names, but you'd be able to figure that out if you read my other reviews).
PARKING:
The Figat7th Plaza offers free validated parking for 90 minutes, so if you time it right, you can get there, ride the 45 min (or even 60 min) ride, hop in the shower, get your validation and leave...for free. The 2 entrances are on 8th Street and 7th Street between Figueroa and the 110 freeway. When you get in, follow the signs for "Shopping, Food, etc"...it'll lead you to the lower levels (4, 3, 2, 1) so you're closer to the main shopping areas.
THE RIDE:
I respect all fitness instructors because I for one will never be able to run an entire class, prompting moves, and stay so energetic multiple times a day. Two of the 3 instructors that I had were pretty good. They were friendly and had lots of enthusiasm. They did a little more tapping back and up/downs, etc. but none of the classes I took (sculpt and endurance) were intense at all!
I think it was that there was just so much riding either in or out the saddle, and not enough high intensity movements. I also believe this has everything to do with the bike itself. It's not created to have so much movement. The music in one of my classes was definitely NOT riding music. There was almost no beat as I'm used to riding to a beat, and that class also had almost no movement other than riding.
I think the weights/arms part of the ride were kind of ridiculous as well. First off, they were SHORT! I was expecting about 3 minutes of arms, and for my arms to feel like jello by the time I was done, but they felt like 1-2 minutes as most and were so simple that I felt like my arms didn't do anything at all...yes, even with 5 pound weights.
THE GEAR:
If you have your own cycling shoes, bring those. They also have free rentals, which is great! I personally think it feels much more secure than regular shoes.
If you have your own water bottle, bring it. You can refill your water at their refill stations by the restroom. If you forget water, don't worry, just check-in on Yelp and you can get a free bottle.
Their restrooms are somewhat equipped. They have L'OCCITANE shampoo, conditioner, body and hand wash as well as some hair ties, blow dryers, brushes (eww...), deodorant and hair spray. They have towels for use in their 2 showers as well. I wish they had face wash and q-tips, but that's okay. I'm still impressed by the L'OCCITANE, haha!
FINAL VERDICT:
This is definitely cheaper than my favorite riding studios, but once I took the classes here, I understood why the other studio was more expensive. This place, although can become great in the future, is just not there yet. It's still a workout for many people as I was able to break a small sweat, but until I read that it's gotten super intense, I don't think I'll pay to battle the traffic to get here any time soon. I really hope that this place's workouts get better because it's not a bad place as it has so much potential! Hopefully this will be soon! read more