Barre3 14th Street

Barre3 is a mindfulness-focused barre class with a gorgeous space, awesome instructors, and amenities for days. With an emphasis on cardio and functional stretching, Barre3 is sure to offer up a good sweat while making you feel like you’re in a blissed out, spa-like locale. Barre3 only has one class offering: Barre3. Although a solid option for that signature barre “burn”, Barre3 feels like it is occasionally more about the ambiance than the actual workout.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

The class started out with an intention: “This hour, this workout is just for you.” After a few deep breaths, we moved into some plies and squats as part of a warm up that got our heart rates up, but eased us into the workout without breaking a full sweat. We moved through a long center work section with lunges, balances, and planks. Each exercise was intensified with optional weights and modifications. This section was tough and definitely had us sweating and working and shaking.

After the center work section, we moved to the bar and did a series of chair poses. These were followed by continued lower body exercises involving exercise bands and balls – lots of pulsing and squeezing.

After the section at the barre, we rolled out our mats and did some ab work (classic crunch variations and scissor kicks) and finished with a nice, relaxing stretch. This class was a moderate level with some definite sweat, but is relatively easy to keep up with.

INSTRUCTOR

Kelly has the kind of attitude and smile that makes you feel like she’s known you for years. The moment we walked in the room, she greeted each classgoer with a huge grin, told us which weights to select, and discreetly asked us if there were any injuries she should know about and if we were comfortable with hands-on assists. Kelly’s energy was infectious – she balanced the mindfulness aspect with pushing for deeper holds and stronger choices well. At times, she could’ve pushed us a little more, but that doesn’t seem like her vibe. She offered adjustments and modifications willingly, but didn’t offer advancements as much. Added bonus, we could hear her clearly and her microphone was working perfectly, no scratchy sounds here!

SPACE

As soon as you enter Barre3, you can see why the class costs more than most Barre classes in the city. The front desk area is luxurious and staffed by kind people who are helpful and professional. The retail is BOUNTIFUL, with many different brands of activewear and quite a bit of natural beauty/wellness products as well. Although there are no locker rooms or showers, the bathrooms are well stocked with various toiletries—deodorant spray, clean towels, face wash (no makeup remover) and hand soap—all natural and organic options for all of them. The bathrooms are split between two individual rooms that aren’t gender specific. The lockers are cubby style with no doors or locks. Like other Barre3 studios, 14th Street caters to moms and offers a “play lounge” option with babysitters for children to hang out while mom works out.