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| - Well, it's been one month to the day since I started at Pure Barre, and I feel confident in giving it an overwhelmingly positive recommendation. That being said, this review is closer to a 4.5 star review, solely because of the price (which I'll address in a minute).
To sum up, Pure Barre is an incredibly effective, challenging, and fun workout with fabulous instructors and a great atmosphere, but, sadly, it's very expensive.
The Workout: If you're currently out of shape and take a class, you will be sore for days after your first few workouts. If you're currently in shape and take a class, you will STILL be sore for days after your first few workouts. I'm talking full-body soreness, the kind that makes mere walking difficult...but in a good way. I've taken a variety of group classes, ranging from yoga to pole dancing to Zumba to pilates, and none of them compare to Pure Barre. Before I started Pure Barre, I had gone through an extended period where I was working out very minimally and had gained more weight than I was comfortable with. A month later, I'm already in much better shape, and I'm significantly more toned. It's an extremely difficult workout-your muscles will shake and quiver and you'll swear you're on the verge of fainting and/or dying, which might sound unpleasant, but it really isn't. It's a good burn, and you'll keep coming back for more. You'd never think that such tiny movements would fatigue your muscles so thoroughly, but they really do. I like that Pure Barre focuses on building long, lean muscles, and targets the typical "trouble areas" for women-thighs, butt ("seat"), abs, and arms. It's also very low-impact, so it's a good choice if you've had problems with injuries in the past. I personally have had foot and knee issues, and haven't experienced any problems doing Pure Barre. If you are currently recovering from an injury and are limited in what you can do, tell the instructor before class, and they'll give you modifications during potentially problematic exercises (I've seen a number of people do this, so don't be shy!). Classes range from about 10-20 people, almost all women. I love that the classes are smaller, because the instructors will come over and correct your form (form is critical for these types of exercises).
The Instructors: Fabulous! Marirose and Erin are my favorites, and I also really like Abby and Jenny. Marirose will push you HARD, but in such a good way. Erin will also push you really hard, but she might be a little easier to keep up with if you're just starting-I had her for my second class, and she made things easier to follow than the instructor I had for my first class. Abby is also the officer manager, and is always extremely friendly, and has an uncanny ability to remember everyone's name.
The Atmosphere: Great! Always manages to smell good, despite the many women sweating like crazy. The music is really good and matches the pace of the workouts well. They sell ridiculously cute clothing up front (mostly Lululemon, Beyond Yoga, and PB-branded stuff), buuuut there's absolutely nothing that I can afford. However, if you've got the budget, you can definitely pick up some workout swag here.
Class Times/Availability: They have a good online signup system. YOU MUST SIGN UP IN ADVANCE! If you want to get in to weekend, early morning, or afternoon/evening classes, sign up at least a week in advance to ensure you get a spot. They have a good variety of times, and I LOVE that they're always asking clients on Facebook what new times they'd like to see-they've added several just in the month I've been there.
The Price: Ahh...and therein lies the rub, so to speak. I adore Pure Barre, and absolutely want to keep coming back, but sadly, I'm currently unemployed, and the the normal monthly price of $175 is simply not doable for me at this time. I started with a two-week Living Social deal, and then bought the one month new client special ($100 unlimited). They do have other package deals, and drop-in classes are around $23. I will say that $175 is the same price as an unlimited month at Sumits Yoga, so it's not an unprecedented price-it's just not in my personal budget.
I have two weeks left in my new client month, and I'll be extremely sad to say goodbye to Pure Barre. However, I've got my fingers crossed that I'll soon find a high-paying job that will allow me to continue LTBing (LTB="lift, tone, and burn") my heart out, because Pure Barre truly is far and away my favorite workout of all time.
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