Talk about a supreme fitness event!
I was invited to a series of launch parties for ClassPass (of which I could only make one sadly) who offer access to the best fitness studios in the city. Currently they offer classes for those living in or near to Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. They just recently expanded to San Francisco and to celebrate they held three launch parties. I attended their launch party at Barry’s Bootcamp on Tuesday and I was so excited!! I had heard a lot of great things about Barry’s Bootcamp (primarily how HARD the workouts were) and I was excited to learn more about ClassPass. I am always up for trying new things, and trying new fitness classes is high up on my list of fun and new things to do.
I arrived to Barry’s Bootcamp (located near the SF Giant’s stadium) and of course I was late … SF traffic + a Beyonce & Jay Z concert at the Giant’s stadium, what can I say? Luckily I had actually arrived juuuust in time, with about 5 minutes to spare before class. There were SO many people that had showed up for the launch party! The energy was contagious and I started getting really excited although still nervous because of how hard the workout was supposed to be.
Source: http://www.peanutbuttered.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/img_6626.jpg
For the workout, they split us into two groups that would be switching between treadmill intervals and strength training intervals. For those who know me well, they know that I am nottt a fan of running. I was petrified haha!! The instructor announced that we would be doing a leg and butt workout, and the next 50 or so minutes consisted of countless lunges, squats and sprints! They made us use a resistance band to do some butt exercises and I loved that, because I think that resistance bands are very underutilized in most fitness classes. Also, the cool thing about Barry’s Bootcamp is that every class is different so you don’t know what to expect. Although I hate running, I really enjoyed the workout; the music was great, the workout was intense but fun and the room had some awesome lighting going on. My one criticism is that as a first-timer to the bootcamp, it can be a little overwhelming trying to follow instructions on what to do since the instructor does have to switch back and forth between the groups. I highly recommend this workout for those who want a real challenge and are looking for something new and engaging. Pluuuus, a bunch of celebrities such as Jessica Biel, Kim Kardashian and Jake Gyllenhaal are avid fans 😉
I had to rush a bit after class to avoid getting a ticket for parking for too long (SF problems) but I did manage to sample some yummy juices from Urban Remedy and receive a goody bag from ClassPass! I received so many amazing treats including a ClassPass top, EOS lip balm, a birchbox, water bottle, a gomacro bar and some peppermint vanilla gum.
I am really happy that ClassPass has come to SF and allows people to try out a variety of different fitness studio’s. Variety is the spice of life after all, as they say 😉
Have any of you ever done a workout at Barry’s Bootcamp before? I would love to hear what you thought about it, we can swap stories of how sore we are 😛
Honestly yours,
Alice
3 Comments
I wish there was a better place to post my review, but classpass in San Francisco has some serious issues.
First, the site itself is often unusual and very buggy. But worse, the person that convinced me to sign up told me there were plenty of places near my work to use. The map of locations in SF is buried in the website. I found a few near my work and thought I’d try it for a month. Only after I signed up was I able to see that those clubs near my work have no, none, zip, zilch classes. None. Of course, you can’t get a refund after you sign up and the only way to cancel is by emailing them – you’ll only find that in the small print of their terms after you sign up. There is no easy method via the website. And you better do it quick, because they charge your card for the next month fast.
The next closest club, and as I commute to the city from the east bay it isn’t really an option, states that to attend any of their classes you have to go to a “Start” class first. But the start class isn’t available via classpass. So I called them. Well, you have to take it and pay the normal rate for their classes – not through classpass… and the first open class is over a month away.
All of this just screams scam artistry to me. I’d be very very wary of this product for now. I’m very very very unhappy and will make it a point to cost them more than the $99 they conned out of me. Already have two coworkers that were thinking of it that no longer are. You just can’t play games like these guys are. The business won’t last around here.
Hey Juniper,
So sorry to hear about your bad experience, I would not be pleased either 🙁 I visited their website to try and see if I would have the same problems. Their email address is located quite clearly at the bottom of each page and throughout their FAQ page. As for the locations, once you sign up it is easy to see the locations and they also have a Pinterest page which shows all the studio locations which you can check out prior to joining.
In terms of the start class, that sucks that you had to attend that in order to do their classes! I would definitely email ClassPass and let them know you have been having a lot of issues. I am sure they can help you out and make sure the same problems do not happen to anyone else.
Thanks so much for your feedback! Reviews, bad or good, are useful to help companies improve 🙂 Let me know what you think about my blog when you have the chance.
Alice xxx
Hi there!
We are so sorry to hear about your experience, we’d love talk more with you, Please email us at info@classpass.com.
Thanks!
–ClassPass