Simply Barre Southie stands true to its name – it’s a simple, solid barre workout. And we don’t mean any disrespect. That’s a compliment. With all the uptight, snooty studios we’ve seen and all the pretentious clientele we’ve come across, this was refreshing. Simply Barre has a down-to-earth, easy vibe that we can get down with. The class was straightforward but challenging. Nice and simple.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

The Simply Barre workout followed the typical barre class structure – a weighted arm series, thigh work, seat work, and core work. Equipment used during class included a ball and one of these stretchy band thingies that we’ve never used before. But damn! That resistance band works up a burn! After a quick arm series (bummer), we’re at the barre. Thigh work was strong. It was the usual suspects – we pulsed, we held, we tucked. We entered the “shake zone” because we were trying really hard….not that it was actually really hard. Ditto for seat work: we’ve had better. The real gem of the class was core work. We held the “curl” for what seemed liked forever, all while “tucking”, “holding”, and “curling.” Abs. On. Fire. By the time class was done, we were feeling ready to hit the pool in our skimpiest bikini.

INSTRUCTOR

If you don’t like hands-on modifications, don’t take Becca’s class. Personally, we liked the adjustments. The class size was small, so she was able to come over and physically adjust our bod multiple times. Becca effortlessly managed the class tempo while she walked around the room refining and perfecting everybody’s form. She had a laid-back, friendly energy but with a motivational edge. She also just seemed cool, like we kind of want to be her friend and go to Loco after class to drink coconut margaritas. Becca gets an A in our book.

SPACE

As we’ve been saying, Simply Barre is simple. And that includes the studio. But that’s what’s so endearing about the space. It’s quite small with only one studio, one bathroom, and a handful of lockers. The space is extremely clean and bright. Very welcoming. They also have a small section of apparel and grip socks. The tanks sold were those trendy ones with hip sayings like “barre so hard” and “meet me at the barre.” Yeah…we’re going back to buy one. #SorryImNotSorry