Soul cycle spin class
It's been four years since indoor-cycling studio SoulCycle popped up with Target, and it seems a permanent Twin Cities location has been fitness gossip since then. But the wait is over—and the Big Apple-based brand is finally riding into the Minneapple (well, Edina, to be exact).
While the brand has been very tight with info—keeping us on the edge of our seats—rest assured, the barricades went up earlier this week indicating that our first Soul will open up this Fall on the ground floor of a parking ramp at 3945 Market Street in Edina.
Since opening its first studio in 2006, SoulCycle, known for its 45-minute stationary bike workout in a sweaty, dark studio with high energy instructors, has developed something of a cult following in the U.S. It's even beloved by A-list celebs including the Beckhams, Beyoncé, Kelly Ripa, the Kardashians and Michelle Obama.
But Soul isn't the only celeb-approved boutique fitness concept making its Twin Cities debut this year. Also slated to enter the market is Barry's Boot Camp. The Los Angeles-based brand will open a North Loop studio next month, on the ground floor of the Loose-Wiles building (701 Washington Ave. N.), which was most recently home to office space.
Barry's first opened as a standalone boutique fitness studio in West Hollywood in 1998. Today, it has over 45 locations across the globe. In addition to Minnesota, the brand is expanding into Colorado, Oregon, and Virginia.
The popular workouts (pioneered by the brand's creative force, Barry Jay) are mashups of intense cardio and strength training (AKA high-intensive interval training, or "HIIT"). All are done inside the studios' "Red Rooms" and encourage a fast-paced, high-energy class including beat-driven music and, you guessed it, red lights.
Photo courtesy of Barry's
Barry's Red Room
Barry's truly is black, white, and red all over.
The North Loop studio will boast space for fitness classes, women’s and men’s locker rooms, and a large lobby with a Fuel Bar and a shop stocked with Barry's-branded merchandise (because if high-end boutique fitness studios have taught us anything, it's that it's important to look the part, right?). What's a pair of $198 python skull leggings on top of a $35 class, anyway?
This post has been updated since the original story published on January 6, 2020.
