I've been going to Stretch Pilates weekly for the last 6 months. I've lost 35lbs so far along with…read moreseveral inches. I've become more tone and increased muscle strength but more importantly I'm more confident with myself. All of the instructors have been welcoming and encouraging. I mostly take classes with Allie and she has been an amazing instructor and cheerleader with my progress, she encourages me to push myself to "harder" classes and "harder" moves. I truly look forward to class each week and encourage others to take classes at Stretch!

I've been attending stretch for over 2 years on a consistent basis, mind you this is the first time…read morein my life that I have embraced a physical fitness regime on regular schedule. Stretch Pilates is amazing, the entire staff is skilled to address any of your needs. The owner, Larissa opened Stretch over 20 years ago - many of her clients have been attending for 20 years! I was fortunate enough to join Stretch Pilates and it has transformed my physical appearance along with helping relieve my stress! Since Covid which caused much disruption; Larissa and her team have gone above and beyond to ensure there is a safe environment for all the clients! I highly recommend taking a class at Stretch regardless of your fitness regime, it's transformative!

Prior to the pandemic I did Baptiste style power yoga for several years, but when my studio closed…read moreI fell out on any exercise except dog walking and just couldn't get it back. I started to feel my age, lots of aches and pains. For some reason, this March I decided to purchase an introductory pass to I am Yoga - a studio I had had my eye on for a while, wanting to try 26 & 2 style yoga. Just shy of 4 months later, I can't get enough of this studio or this style of yoga. The studio itself is very nice - I enjoy the setting in the Williamsville village, there is plenty of room to navigate entrances and exits and they have a nice locker room. The hot yoga room is large and comfortable - never feels crowded despite good attendance. You can either choose a dark corner to really settle inward or put yourself near a sunny window. Everyone is very friendly and low key - you never feel any pressure of any kind. The yoga is HOT, but I love that. I know it's not for everyone. I was surprised how much I like the regularity of the 26 & 2 sequence - strangely I never get bored as there just seems to be an infinite journey in each move - hard to explain. I can't believe how much I have strengthened - old injuries (knee surgeries) seem to be healing, aches and pains disappearing, feeling younger and with increased body positivity. The best result is in the area of mental health - my anxiety is much better. This style of yoga I find very meditative. Teachers are great - I take most of the classes from Madeline, but they're all great - they transmit the traditional dialogue, but oddly it never feels scripted. I LOVE that they have 6am classes - really a game changer for getting me there as I have trouble making it after work. I enjoy the Forrest Flow class on Tuesday nights but have trouble getting there regularly. Another factor - the participants are very diverse - from age, to gender, to "ability" level, everybody can be on their own journey, but together! Highly recommend trying out this studio!

I have a love hate relationship with yoga in general…read more It was trending towards the hate until I tried Bikram in NYC about 15 years ago. I don't know what got me in the first time. May have been as simple as a place opened on one of my regular walking routes. Not sure. But back then they offered unlimited classes for a few weeks for "newbies" for a very reasonable price. That studio was small and cramped, it's NYC after all. The changing rooms were sparse and not very nice, have to say. So I did the yoga for the time I had bought, and even got a few friends hooked with me. It was hard work, but so is living in NYC, so we were ready for the challenge. I didn't re-up when my trial ran out for a few reasons. Not the least of which was I heard about Bikrams behavior even back then. And I just didn't want to support that. But flash forward 15 years. And I'm looking for something to help me stretch more as I clearly need to do. With a shoulder that's been bothering me for ages now I remembered that Bikram had made me stronger for sure, even in the short time I did it. So I came here to try them out for a month. It's a friendly place. The ladies locker room is ok, certainly better than NYC. They have showers. I think you can rent towels too. Bring your own mat or use one of theirs for $2. They have bags in the locker rooms for your wet sweaty clothes after class. Bikram is done in over 100 degrees. It's 90 min. They really ask that you try to stay in the room the whole time. Especially your first few visits. But if you are feeling the heat, you can sit out a pose. This location offers 75 and 60 min hot classes too, which I was not familiar with. I like the 75 but find the 60 min a little fast paced for me. But remember, I find yoga very difficult. The yoga studio is huge. There are some posts that do disrupt views in the room. The mirrors are not aligned with each other so make sure you are aware of that when picking a spot, since the mirrors are important in Bikram classes. This is not a place that's easily accessible for the disabled - up a long flight of stairs to the second floor. They sell various types of water and EmergencE etc. all for reasonable prices. But you can also just bring your own. If there were things to think about - the ceiling lights are harsh to look at, and you are supposed to have your eyes open for the class, and you spend time looking at the ceiling. Another reviewer said it didn't have that "Bikram scent" - but it does. Just be prepared for it. I'm giving 5 stars because the environment is just so welcoming. And the "newbies" month unlimited is a great price. If you haven't tried Bikram, you need more than one class to really "get" it. If you've tried but not here, come try it. Great studio. Street parking, but watch the signs. Or there's a lot in back.

The downtown Barre Centric might be the second location out of the current three, but it's where I…read moretook my first official Barre Centric class (my true first class was at Wilkeson Pointe Park, and I liked what I saw, and here we are). Now that the new year has started, I'll be spending plenty of time at the location that kicked off my experience. This location is at the corner of Main and West Ferry, so it's easy to get to from most directions. There is off street parking, which can fill up quickly, but I've never had an issue with street parking and finding a spot right in front of the building. It's easiest to enter through the back entrance in the parking lot, that door is closer to the storage area and restroom, and there's more room to switch out of your shoes and into those grippy socks. If you forget your socks, never fear, there are socks and other gear for sale, just like the other locations. Downtown is definitely the smallest of the three locations, so classes fill up early here. Do yourself a favor and sign up in advance, especially if you're trying to go to Barre Resist. As always, the taller barre is in the front. Don't fear the tall barre, some moves are just easier on it. I promise, you'll be fine. This studio has all four classes on the schedule, although as of this review, there aren't any Barre Bounce classes at Downtown. I tend to go for standard Barre Centric (also in 45 minute express format) and Barre Resist (for those PT friendly stretches). Barre Bounce originally debuted here, and I preferred it here with the high ceiling, although the chances of actually hitting the ceiling were low. If it's your first time, consider choosing a class with either co-owner, Gia or Rachael. Both ladies are wonderful teachers and truly enjoy what they do, and it's obvious to anyone watching. Now that I'm in the middle of a barre challenge, I know I'll be spending lots of additional time at the Downtown location. Barre Centric is a great place to make big changes with small moves. Take it up an inch and down an inch downtown!

This may be the best run studio business in Buffalo (2 locations, one Buffalo, one Clarence). Ive…read morebeen coming back to the Buffalo location since they offered a special with Revolution, just down the road on Main. If you don't know what Barre is, here's a layman's explanation: Ballerinas are the result of hours, days, months, years of practicing the art over and over. At Barre the instructors are all ballet trained, and the classes are based on the moves they did millions of times in the past. Anyone can do the moves, which is great. You see people of all shapes and sizes here, its friendly to all. No matter your past ballet experience, you will see results here from day one, and you'll see improvement over time if you stick with it. I know this from personal experience. You arrive here to a clean and well lit studio and parking lot. Even when its dark, the parking isn't. Gotta love that in the winter. You can come in either the front or back doors, but the "changing area" is in the back. They do ask that your outside shoes come off right at either door, don't track that salt and other wet stuff in. You wear socks or Barre socks (which many wear for yoga too, those footies with little grippy things on the bottom). I wear regular gym type socks and they work just fine. But you can buy the other kind here, and I think that's what most people do. At this location they offer 4 classes - Barre Express - 45 minute Barre class Barre Centric - 60 minute Barre class Barre Bouce - Barre on the trampoline. Yep, on a trampoline. Everyone has their own small, low to the ground, trampoline. There are various moves done on it, interspersed with some other floor work. Its a whole new ballgame from Barre, but lots of fun and challenging in a different way. Barre Cardio - Barre at a faster pace with some different moves The class most people take is Barre Centric, and its offered the most as a result. The Barre Express is often offered at lunchtime I have found. The classes remain more or less the same for a few weeks at a time, so you are not spending each class trying to figure out what's going on. For someone like me, that's great. If I had ballet training it might not matter as much, but I appreciate the consistency. The other location in Clarence doesn't have Barre Bounce, but does have Barre Stick, which uses Pilates sticks in class. You can go to either studio, and I gather that many do mix it up depending on where they will be that day. Classes here start right on time. As a result, its rare for anyone to arrive late, so everyone is pretty focused on the class from the start. I love that they start and end on time. Makes things easier to plan. There is a changing room here with cubbies for your things. Its got plenty of hooks for the winter coats too. The rest room is large with a shower that's fully stocked with shampoos and lotions etc.. Some people do use the shower and facilities Ive found. They must bring their own towels as none are available here. But the facilities are very nice and always so clean. There are even some men who are taking Barre here these days. Nice to see that in the mix. ** The reasons I think its the best run studio in Buffalo - The owners have created a schedule and color patterns that's consistent with the two studios. They have the same themes running throughout. The owners teach tons of classes themselves, but they also hire women who are well trained and consistent in temperament with each other. There is no visible drama here in the workplace. Its a fun place to be as well. As a studio junkie, I have plenty of experience with studios, and this is a well run, well organized, very pleasant place to "get your exercise on".

I came here for a class with the Yelp Elite group last week and had a really great time! We did a…read moreSpinyasa class. The facility was awesome. Very modern and clean. Our instructor was a great motivator constantly getting us to pedal faster and work harder. I loved the incorporation of the racing screen, making it a competition against your fellow class members. I do HIIT classes 4-5 days a week and this 30 min spin session really tired me out. It was a great workout. We then unwound in a 30 minute yoga class. She explained all of the stretches to us and also gave the class options if the moves were a bit too advanced. I found the class really relaxing and loved the spiritual guidance she gave us throughout the class as well. I would love to come back again for these classes and try some others!

I have been to numerous bootcamps, I decided to try this one since I was new to the area and I was…read morelooking for that community involvement. I'm glad I did. Kelly, the owner, answered all of my questions quickly and efficiently. She made me feel comfortable to go to my first class and work out hard enough that I hurt for a good week and a half afterward. Seriously, I didn't think I had abs. Surprise! They hurt. I've really enjoyed every class I've gone to. The pricing is great and classes are so easy to register for online. The interior is cleaned regularly and the workout room is huge with high ceilings. It's never too hot in there, the music system is loud and enjoyable and I love that Kelly and the other trainers will work you until you physically cannot. But if you have any injuries or problem areas, they will work around it for you and adjust the workout accordingly. Highly recommend!

I started taking barre about 3 years ago and it continues to make a positive impact on my fitness…read moreroutine. Attending barre during and after my pregnancy's helped to accelerate my recovery and get me back on track with my fitness journey. I would highly recommend barre to anybody! Try it out, you won't regret it!

Best barre studio around! All of the Instructors are friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and very…read morehelpful. It is always a really good workout, and they show you how you can make modifications if necessary. I love the matted floors and overall setting as well.

Zumba is not my personal favorite kind of exercise, but I ended up finding Dawn through a Groupon…read moredeal. It was a low-risk way for me to give it a try. If it weren't Dawn teaching the class, I probably wouldn't pick Zumba. Dawn is the kind of person whose enthusiasm is contagious--she truly is a human firecracker! She teaches Zumba classes in a large gym, both at Harlem Road Community Center and Park School in Amherst. She is a tiny little person, but somehow manages to invigorate and motivate the whole gym with her charisma. Dawn makes it fun, and silly, and gives you options to make it as challenging as you need it to be. I am not good at Zumba, but in Dawn's class, as long as you keep moving and keep trying, even a Zumba-trainwreck like me gets a great workout. If you can't snag a Groupon, checkout Dawn's website for several package pricing deals. A drop-in class is well worth $8 to give Dawn a try--she's such a riot! https://zumba-w-dawn.webs.com/

This studio has all the makings of a great place but has a few areas to work on. First, there is a…read morelot of chatter in the yoga room itself (and a few cell phones going off during class). I prefer a quieter experience when I enter my yoga space, but that's me. The class itself was hatha so I wasn't expecting an experience where i would be dripping sweat, but this was a very gentle class...yes you can deepen the postures as you need to, but that was challenging when there were so many people in the class that we had little room to accommodate. There is a really beautiful alter that adds a lot to the atmosphere, along with plenty of props for use. There was restrooms and changing areas available as well.

I've been looking into yoga for a while now and was so nervous, being a beginner. I didn't want to…read morespend tons of money to feel uncomfortable in a class with "yoga professionals." But Rising Sun is exactly what I needed. It's welcoming and catered to any experience level. Plus it is incredibly affordable and it doesn't lock you into a set number of sessions. I also like that I can do it online or in person. So happy to have found it!