We are obsessed with the space – this location should really be considered the gold standard for their NYC locations. It’s comfortable, sleek, and large, and has tons of towels and hair ties. Aside from the space, the instructors are good but not phenomenal. And the energy in the air is far from electric – a quality we desperately need to feed off before heading into class! It’s up for much debate as to whether or not the “stadium” style seating for these studios works, but in our opinion, this brand-defining setup makes the experience more intimate and engaged with the instructor. Even so, UWS lacks that sense of community that we thirst for and keeps us coming back. Moral of the story? Fabulous packaging, but lacking in personality.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

FlyWheel, unlike its soulful cousin, is a huge proponent of competition and stats, using changes in “torq” (aka resistance) to increase the miles you cover and the power that you produce. It trades out the candle burning and mantras for a circular seating structure that brings you a bit closer to the instructor. Each “flyer” gets just a hit of visibility of the monitors of the bikers in front of them. Oh yes, there is a monitor at each bike that reminds you just how awesome you’re doing (or how much you might be dogging it). If that doesn’t build enough competitive tension, there are two large “Torq Boards” at the front to see where you rank against other riders.

Speaking of which, Ben is ALL about the challenges – timed speed rounds that are guaranteed to leave you grasping for that second towel. And there is no mercy during the hill sections. We are not kidding about those short breaks. We think his record was about four “pushes” in the same song.

INSTRUCTOR

Let us craft a mental image of Ben for you. Picture a buff Marshall Eriksen at center stage of a stadium taking cues from this genuinely nice guy with a bit of a biting sense of humor who isn’t rough on the eyes. Is it just us or does this lighting seem to accentuate the most attractive qualities of these instructors? Now, before you spend half of the class mesmerized by the blue glow highlighting his biceps, we’ll save you the time: there’s a wedding ring on that left hand. But hey, a girl can dream, right? Good looks aside, he is a fantastic motivator who rarely lets up on the torq. It’s one sprint or hill challenge after another with “active recoveries” that last no more than 15 to 20 seconds. Ugh. But when a sexy piece like him really wants it for you, you somehow find the strength to carry on. The one thing we will say is that we already have trust issues (damn you, Barre instructors!), so ease up on the “last one” comments, unless you actually mean it.

SPACE

YAAAAAS QUEEEN! Flywheel UWS is everything a fitness studio should be in design. As for the staff, it’s hard to say what they are really like since we mostly engage with the tablets they provide for check-in. In reality, this is the only draw back we can think of – in their model, the staff becomes a little faceless instead of feeding life into the studio. Otherwise, the space is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.  There’s a wide open locker/storage area, luxurious shower and changing areas, and extra hair ties and towels right at the door when you walk in. But the pièce de résistance for us is the fresh fruit available on the way out. Yes, we know this is available at all locations, but here on the UWS it’s accompanied by a super cozy (as in “comfortable,” not a cute way of saying small) lounge area. Can we just hang out here instead of at Starbucks and get work done?