I came to Empowered Flow Studio as a total beginner to pole dancing in 2020. This was the first time in my years of trying to find a "fitness" community that I felt totally welcomed by a studio/gym.
For nearly 2 years, the studio's owner, instructors and my fellow dancers have been nothing but warm, friendly, encouraging, and uplifting. The studio is also inclusive to people of all bodies, abilities, & identities. There's no pressure to move up or progress quickly, and every instructor I've had at the studio has always encouraged us to go at our own pace and that each of our pole journeys are different which really comforted me and encouraged me as a beginner with virtually no prior fitness background.
The studio owner (Candace) has always been responsive whether it's true text, emails, phone calls or Facebook messenger. She always communicates to studio members frequently and in a timely manner. She also has always been understanding when I've needed to cancel a class or when I had to temporarily pause my membership. She is also just a great pole instructor in general. She easily breaks down moves, is always willing to redemo something, and continually encourages her students throughout a class. I've never had any issues with communication or professionalism at the studio with the owner or with any instructors.
The studio uses MINDBODY, which I find to be super convenient as an introvert so I don't have to call to cancel a class or sign up. MINDBODY also notifies you when you are off the waitlist for a class or if a class is cancelled, and you can set your classes to automatically add to your calendar which I find to be a godsend for me.
As for the cost, pole dancing is an expensive hobby BUT the pricing of the studio classes, imo, are fair but it's definitely cheaper than other local alternatives and honestly is comparable to other fitness studios in the area. There are different studio membership options to choose from so you can pick one in your price range or you can simply just pay per class. The studio also has a generous cancellation policy - I've needed to cancel for a number of reasons before and if I cancel to late, I have no problem losing a class credit or paying a late cancel fee, this is the norm for many services.
There are a variety of classes to choose from in addition to pole dancing such as floorwork, flexibility, chair dancing (one of my favorite classes!) and more. The additional classes are a great option for those who may want to ease into pole dancing by starting with grounded options or for those who want complement their pole practice with other conditioning. There's also a variety of pole dancing classes ranging from heels-focused, choreography, pole combos or leveled classes where you work on specific moves and conditioning. Every class that I've taken has been so fun and I always leave accomplished, and looking forward to my next class.
tldr; if you're thinking about trying out pole dancing, run, don't walk, to Empowered Flow Studio read more