Swscd profile image

SeeWhatSheCanDo

December 17, 2018

SWSCD meets SoulCycle King West – dance party on a bike

SoulCycle, the celebrity-made-popular destination cycling studio opened its doors March 2nd to its first Canadian location on King Street West near Spadina. According to die-hards, SoulCycle has revolutionized indoor cycling.

"We climb, we jog, we sprint, we dance, we set our intention, and we break through boundaries.”

SeeWhatSheCanDo was invited to SoulCycle King West Toronto’s VIP preview prior to their grand opening and we jumped at the chance to try a class. Our overall thoughts? Dance moves + spin bike = a full body, inspirational workout. And be prepared for lots of fantastic sweat.

About SoulCycle

SoulCycle’s first studio opened in 2006 on the Upper West Side of NYC and quickly became a sensation. Today, there are 85 studios located in nine states with the first location opening in Toronto on March 2, 2017 – the first international location. A second Toronto location will open this summer and a Vancouver location is expected to open sometime in 2017 as well.

The Toronto studio is conveniently located at 435 King St. West – on the southwest corner of the King/Spadina intersection. The closest subway stop is at St. Andrew and streetcars stop right at the corner of King West & Spadina.

Their motto says it all: Take your journey. Change your body. Find your soul.

It’s a full mind-body experience – part cardio dance party and part mindful inspiration. The 45-minute classes are meant to be powerful both physically and mentally. The workouts are done in the dark, lit by candlelight only – meant to allow the riders a chance to lose themselves in the workout. Instructors all have their own unique style changing up playlists to keep it fresh and fun. The choreography is intended to engage the rider’s upper body and core, giving an efficient and effective full-body workout.

What you need to enjoy a class or two

SoulCycle makes it easy for you to come and enjoy the facility. Here’s what you need to get in and spin:

Shoes: SoulCycle does require you use cycling shoes. You can use your own cycling shoes or rent them for $2 per ride.

Workout gear: Wear comfortable, breathable workout gear – leggings, pants, shorts and tops. The room is kept cool but it doesn’t take long to heat up.

Water: A definite must to stay hydrated. You can bring your own bottle and fill up at the filtered water station or you can purchase Smartwater in the studio.

Towels: Each bike will have a fresh towel waiting for you.

Lockers: No need to bring your own lock – their lockers are free and come with combo locks that you can set when you arrive.

Showers: There are showers in the change room so you can freshen up after the sweaty workout. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash are all provided so no need to pack toiletries.

Memberships: There are no membership fees at Soul Cycle. You buy classes and the more you buy, the bigger the discount.

Classes: There are lots of classes to choose from. Each class can be modified to suit different fitness levels – from beginner to expert.

Instructors: Each has their own style and energetic playlist to inspire the workouts – both physically and mentally.

Our first impressions

We arrived at the studio half an hour ahead of the class to get acquainted with the facility. SoulCycle staff greeted us, obviously eager to make that all-important first impression. We signed our waivers, got cycle shoes, were shown our bike assignments and headed to the change room. The vibe in the place was very positive – white and yellow interior that was bright and cheery, the “new smell” permeated the studio and the upbeat, fun music hinted at what was to come.

The studio

We instantly loved the old warehouse building turned workout studio. It was beautiful and spacious, with floor to ceiling windows up front that shamelessly displayed SoulCycle merchandise. Lovely, clean tiled floors lead the riders to the change rooms to get ready for their workout journey. Two banks of lockers along the way provided lots of room for riders to store their gear.

The change room was smaller than we expected. In fact, we went back out thinking we had gone the wrong way. For a facility that hosts close to 50 riders per class, there wasn’t a lot of room to get ready. However, it was pristine, clean and functional with two double sink counters, 2 bathroom stalls, 4 shower stalls, 1 vanity mirror and a couple of benches outside the shower area. Lots of amenities available to riders – shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hair ties, cotton swabs, hair spray, towels – just not a lot of room to take advantage of the offerings. 

The ride room

Changed, shoes on, water and towels in hand, we headed to see what this dance party on a bike was all about! The ride room was abuzz with anticipation. The first thing you notice is that the room is shrouded in near darkness – cool air flowing, creating a mysterious ambiance that somehow felt warm and inviting. As expected, the front wall was covered in mirrors adding to the richness of the room. Lots of SoulCycle staff were on hand to help new riders get to their stations – cleverly numbered to make it easy find your bike. And gorgeous bikes they were – shiny, new, closely fit together and carefully centred around the instructor’s podium which was aglow with the light of candles. Our instructor, Ty from NYC, was cruising the room, getting riders pumped for the class. 

SoulCycle staff helped get us set up on the bike – positioning the seat properly, having the handlebars lower to mimic a road bike ride, adjusting the tension on the wheels, clipping in and out of the pedals, locating the hand weights and finding the place to store our water.

Ty was equipped with a headset and lots of enthusiasm. After some more pumping up, he explained what to expect from the 45-minute ride. There would be no distractions – no cell phones in the room, no chitchatting – just concentration and effort were required. We would be out of the saddle for much of the ride so he told us to make sure that we hydrated when we needed to and to sit when we needed to. He really wanted us to get the workout we deserved – to challenge ourselves and feel the support from the others in the room – our pack. We were a team riding together, reaching new heights, and supporting each other in our journey.

Our Experience

Judy – The avid spinner’s ride

I’ve been spinning at my local gym for about 3 years now – and I do love to spin. It’s a workout that you feel through your whole body – legs, core and cardio. Somehow, I think I may be the only person on the planet that had not heard of SoulCycle – living under my rock. But after checking out the promo video, I couldn’t wait to get on the bike and see what the hype was all about. After all, this wasn’t my first rodeo. How hard could this class be…right? I was pretty excited to take this class for a spin.

As we got settled on our bikes, shoes clicked in – I had never used clip-on shoes before – and Ty got us pumped up for the ride, I started to sense this was not just any old spin class. I could feel the sweat starting already. I’ll admit that when I walked into the room and saw that I  had a good 25 years on the entire room – I wondered what I had gotten myself into. The music was loud, strong and energizing – dance party-esque for sure. I said a little prayer and hoped I could keep up with these millennials and not embarrass Caroline and SWSCD. Since I had already forgotten how to how to unclick my shoes – there was no turning back now.

And so it began. Strong, fast legs, combined with upper body crunches and push-ups. Suddenly, I was grateful that the darkness was covering up much of my uncoordinated-ness. Throughout the ride, Ty was very encouraging, challenging each of us to push past any self-doubts to become a stronger version of ourselves. Several times during the workout, he reminded us to keep our hearts proud, booties back to lengthen our spines and to push ourselves to get the most out of the ride – translation chest out, butts back and work hard. I really liked that when he wanted us to turn up the tension for a climb he didn’t call it resistance but referred to it as turning up the support from the bike. Clearly, the vibe in the room was all about positivity, encouragement, and support – truly a physical and mental journey. Sounds hokey but I was totally buying it!

The workout was great. As a regular spinner, I felt prepared for the class – but it was tougher than I expected. Like I said, this is not your average spin class. Much of the class was out of the saddle – a great workout for the quads and not so hard on the bootie. For the uncoordinated me, the choreography was a bit of a challenge – it took a fair bit of concentration on my part to stay synced with the “right, right, right, left, right” of my neighbour. The upper body workout was definitely an added bonus. While still working the legs hard, nearing the end of the 45 minutes, we did a couple of songs using 2lb weights – only 2lbs you say! That may seem like nothing but by the end, I was feeling it.

All in all, the 45-minutes flew by. I felt like I had climbed a mountain and met the challenge. There was a great vibe of accomplishment from within the room. The class could easily be modified for riders of different experience levels. Ty was very motivating – he encouraged riders to go at their own pace but challenged the pack to push to new heights as well. I’d definitely do it again – loved the vibe of the whole experience.

Caroline – The newbie spinner’s ride

I am new to spin but no stranger to the long-distance ride. The anticipation of trying something different and the sheer number of youngsters in the room were a little intimidating. But always up for a challenge, I was pumped to give it a go.

The instruction on how to set up the bike and clipping in and out were great, but this experienced roadie would have liked a little more time to get to know the feel of the stationary bike. The class started pretty quickly and in no time Ty had the class up and out of the saddle going full tilt. The first five minutes were intense and I was thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” I decided to take Ty’s advice and go at my own pace…thinking a little stop was in order. But spin bikes have no glide and stopping is pretty abrupt. I felt like I was headed over the handlebars. For me, that was the biggest adjustment – when you stop you stop!

After that realization, I found my spin legs, got into a good rhythm and cycled my way through a very positive and sweaty workout! Determined to keep up with the class and caught up in the encouraging atmosphere, I worked that bike hard. So hard, that stairs were not a friend for the next four or five days.

Caroline’s suggestion to the good people at SoulCycle: a little more intro to the bike would be a good addition to the program for newbie spinners.

Our Overall Impression

As anticipated, SoulCycle was an energizing, positively soulful experience. The atmosphere is young, energetic, beautiful and inviting. The workout is challenging, motivating and encouraging. The staff is helpful, friendly and inspiring. While definitely a higher end workout facility, this is definitely a program that I would recommend and would enjoy participating in on a regular basis. I can definitely see how SoulCycle riders keep coming back for more.

The only downfall worth mentioning was the lack of space in the change room. If you are looking to be a regular at the King Street location, come prepared to workout in your gear and not necessarily make use of the change room facilities.

Learn more about SoulCycle King West.

SeeWhatSheCanDo

We are committed to trying new active things and to sharing our “doing” experience as part of our ongoing efforts to help inspire you to move. Stay tuned for future trials and reviews.

Find SoulCycle King West in our Athlete Advisor, your online athletic business directory. Find, rate and review programs, local community offerings and businesses that will help you do your thing.  

Find other women to keep active with. Find events. Start a group.  Check out our SWSCD Hub.

Look for advice, stories, news and more on our Cycling activity page.  

Do love cycling? Want to share your own experience at SoulCycle or with your local cycling club? Share your highlights directly on our Discover blog or by using #seewhatshecando on social media and inspire others to get active. 

 

 
 
×

Connecting you to active women, local groups, events, businesses and more.

Choose your location


or

Don't use my location, default to Toronto, ON.