SoulCycle West 77th Street

As a studio, W77th feels a lot like the UWS neighborhood itself – down to earth, at ease, and a super welcoming oasis in the midst of a frenzied city. Better yet, it’s like coming home from a long day to put on a cozy long sweatshirt or that old T-shirt you’d never be caught dead wearing in public – it’s just comfortable and happy. So the roster isn’t littered with superstar instructors, but the ones that do teach here remind you why you became so addicted to Soul to begin with. Between the space, the people, and the instructors, W77th definitely feels like coming home – cue the Cheers theme song!      

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

Difficulty wise, Emily will never give you more than you can handle. But she IS big fan of gradually increasing the resistance anywhere from three to six times during almost every song. She really puts the pressure on for you to rise to the occasion and do as the SoulCycle Gods say and “make it juicy” – the resistance that is ;). She is also a bit of a purist – less choreo and more staying on beat. That said, she brings in those sweet but oh so frustrating isolations that push you to the brink. And you really get the sense that she’s right there with you in the thick of it – more motivation from the bike than dancing around the floor (although, let’s be honest, do they always have their resistance up? These Soul instructors could totally just be riding easy on their pedestal. This is a question that has kept us up at night.). You’ll spend a lot of time in her classes in 2nd or 3rd position – hellooooooooo jumps!

INSTRUCTOR

Forgive us, but this has to be said: Emily puts the “Soul” back into SoulCycle. There’s something about the combo of her teaching style and song choice that reaches into the depths of you and gives you a gigantic hug. It’s as if her class says to you, “You are enough, you are awesome, but dig deep because your best self is waiting just across that finish line”. Hey! You in the back, I saw that eye roll. Look people, isn’t the detox/motivational piece part of the reason that we drop our $35.53 to go to these classes?

When Emily isn’t teaching you can find her performing on  broadway. We LOVE LOVE the fact that her playlists are peppered with hints of Broadway – “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen during the cool down had us tearing up. You will always leave there smiling and she has the kind of personality that makes you want to grab brunch with her after. We are certainly putting her on our regular rotation.

SPACE

At W77th, the staff is SUPER young but incredibly eager to make you feel welcome, to celebrate your important occasions, or just to make you feel awesome for walking in the door. That warm personality really pairs well with the cozy space. As one of the smaller SoulCycles in the city, there are no formal locker rooms, just individual bathrooms and a single stall “changing room”. Hey, at least they have a separate space for people who would otherwise take over the bathroom for 10 minutes creating the perfect top knot – yes Becky, we’re looking at you! Planning to pop off to work or a hot date after class? We hope the sweaty look works for you – because there are no bathrooms here, ladies and gentleman. And yes, we know this is a bit of a deal breaker for some – but we promise the spunk this place exudes is still an A for effort in our book!