I went to Club One and Sports Club/LA in San Francisco. If you are moving here from the US, I can…read morehelp you out by using those as a point of reference. Forever falls somewhere between the two and is a delightful and magical gem hidden away in the basement level of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. As a mom (I'm a mom! If you didn't already know that, you don't read every single review I write filled with colorful commentary on the joys of being a mother with a taste for red wine and expensive shoes), the fact that they have very affordable child care is a no-brainer win. The cherry on top is that the child care is like the best of the best. I have been to my share of Finnish kindergartens, some of the best in the world, and I am equally impressed with the assortment of activities here and the professional gals who care for your teeny tiny trainwreck are really good at their jobs.
Aside from great general fitness areas and tons of clean, up-to-date machines and technology, this is a gym with real classes. The upside of Helsinki is that there are more licensed/certified fitness instructors per capita than any other major city. That includes yoga instructors and Pilates instructors (Hi! I am also certified for both and teach at other studios), so you're likely to get high-quality studio and group exercise experiences. At Forever I have found some of the best instructors I've come across in my 15 years of obsession with Yoga, Pilates, and group fitness. Hanna is a Pilates Powerhouse - she looks sweet and uses what I consider lies to get the class in shape - it looks innocuous enough but you'll feel a burn tomorrow and you'll keep jonesing for more. She's straightforward, easy to understand even if your Finnish ain't so great, and she's encouraging but serious. Like she's not (bleep)ing around. But in a pleasant FInnish way.
Rita the Yogi is kind and patient and has a career in torture to fall back on if this yoga thing doesn't work out. She is so kind and emanates peace and tranquility...and before you know it you are crying in King Pigeon and she's speaking and you have no idea what she's saying because you are focusing really, really hard on not slipping in the divine pool of sweat that has collected around you on your mat. And she'll just keep smiling and you'll just keep crying knowing that your ass is being handed to you by the sweetest, most knowledgable person. Her classes are REALLY in Finnish - so now that you live in Finland, learn some Finnish and go to her class. You will thank her (and me) later.
I highly recommend the Zumba classes, the Powercore class, Combat and Piloxing. Leena is not Fucking around. If you want to look like a Fitness model, go to every class she teaches. I do not go to every class she teaches but when I do, I will wear a bikini everyday even in the snow. So: my favorite teachers: Hanna, Rita, Leena, Susanna, and Laura. The personal trainers are all very nice too and they have some real lookers. The front desk staff are the nicest people ever. Really truly. There is a cafe featuring coffee and healthy snacks - really great if you arrive early and have some social media-ing to catch up on ;) The changing rooms, showers, saunas, and solarium are neat and well-appointed. Yes. There is a solarium. You can get your tan on! There's also a day spa and a hair salon and they have a fitness apparel and accessories/equipment shop too.
This review is really long. If you read to here I think you should give yourself the treat of a day at Forever. I promise you will want to come back for more. Another plus: there is a hotel bar right upstairs where you can celebrate your victorious workout without even going home to change!
