After eating and drinking your way around São Paulo head to this grey and yellow temple of sweat!…read more Great music, great staff, excellent work out. The Velocity team is good at keeping its clients motivated with special deals, themed classes and after-class treats. Book your bike online and bring your competitive streak - they show how hard you're working on a screen in the class....

WARNING! This is not your mom's gym spinning class! Classes vary between 45-60 minutes and they are…read moreintense, done a few classes there and so far have not gotten out of class complaining it was ever easy or not challenging. Their prices are premium, but what to expect from a place like that in SP; included in the price, you can wear their spin shoes, and a towel. If you have your own SPD or SPD-SL cleats bring them, don't just wear your regular sneakers because their pedals are either SPD or SPD-SL, no shoe strap or a regular pedal. They are serious about it, about time! You must be somehow fit or resistant to spin nonstop for 45-60 minutes, and while you are doing it, they'll throw some punch, abs, curls routine, you name it... Ah, the only and main complaint is that through all classes I have taken so far, them all blast teenager dance music. Other than that it's all gravy. Another differential they have are two real time monitors displaying everyone's performance REALTIME! Don't fret though, neither the instructor will come around and adjust the strength nor your name gets displayed there, only bike numbers, phew!

This was an ideal place for me to take Pilates in SP (don't think they speak much English so don't…read moreget your hopes up as I never bothered to try). The facilities are impeccably clean. The instructors are all very well trained and friendly. The classes are challenging, fun and suited to your level. They always bring different tools and new exercises into the mix to keep it interesting, and the studio is never overly crowded so that you feel like you are being rushed off of a machine but rather spacious, light and airy. It's not cheap, but it's worth the great service level. Admin are friendly and responsive as well.

After spending way too much money at a cramped and under-equipped gym up the street, I'm happy to…read morehave found the super sleek, clean and modern SmartFit. This local gym is part of a larger chain and runs with all the efficiency and modernity you'd hope to find in a gym. There are no classes offered, but if you're looking for ample weights and cardio equipment, you'll be happy here. There's never been a wait for a treadmill and LifeFitness equipment is the best. If you like to listen to music while you work out, there's no wifi available, so make sure you take your favorite Spotify playlist offline. There are plenty of TVs overhead for those running or "ellipticaling." There are tons of weigh machines and you'll typically find more than one of the same thing. It's good too because all the Pinheiros locals seem to frequent this location. For the price, which is incredibly reasonable, this place fulfills me in my basic exercise needs. The best part? They're open every single day of the week!

I was looking for a new way to spice up my workout routine and thought I would look for some…read moremartial arts to get a little self defense in with my cardio given the insecurity of this city. I was hoping for kick boxing or some traditional Brazilian capoeira or jiujitsu when I passed by ATA on my way home from work and decided to check it out. Turns out they ONLY offer their own form of TAEKWONDO. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but the instructor at reception was super nice and convinced me to come try out a free introductory class. I showed up at my scheduled hour (rescheduled once, they were very nice and accommodating) wearing my regular workout clothes. Everyone else was in the traditional karate style whites making me feel a bit odd man out, but my friendly young instructor met me at the back of the dojo and led me to the upstairs area and explained how everything works. We joined in on the warmup workout led by another instructor with two other students - two super old chubby guys. The warmup instructor didn't give any guidance on form or technique. The two old guys seemed to think it was a joke and kept laughing throughout. We paused twice helping a kid who lost his shoes in the class before. When the warmup jokes were over I broke off to do some training one on one with my instructor. He was really great - very enthusiastic, good at explaining the moves and encouraging me to work harder. By the end of the workout I was really sweating. But then, after an intense half hour of jumping about and kicking and punching, that was it. No cool down, no stretching. Afterwards the manager lady told me about the packages. In order to partake you need to buy a gee (white ninja uniform) and agree to long term participation. It seems like a lot of investment to hang out with two old guys joking about, help a kid find his shoes and not get any stretch instruction. In addition, the facilities were not that clean, and I didn't feel too excited about the prospect of walking around barefoot on a sweaty mat that doesn't get wiped down between classes if ever. I watched some of the other classes going on, and it seemed like while you could potentially get good training if you really pushed yourself, there was a lot of waiting around and a large number of the participants had big bellies. It just wasn't a motivating and aspirational workout space for me. Perhaps better for kids or someone looking for a community to prepare for taekwondo competitions with.