Review: Exhale Spa

Posted on February 12, 2010 by kymarie13

So I have reviewed almost all the classes but I haven’t told you about Exhale Spa.

“Exhale is a new breed of spa – merging the paths of mind and body wellbeing and fulfilling the need for an experience that improves and transforms lives in one environment. The core of exhale is a unique and talented team of individuals with a genuine passion for helping people bridge the mind and body to improve overall wellbeing. With plans to grow their well being paradigm to 20 spas over the next few years, exhale currently operates spa and studios in carefully selected upscale locations in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, Turks + Caicos, and has several additional spas in development.”

Exhale Spa is a unique kind of gym, but I wouldn’t even call it that. It is a Spa that offers Core Fusion and Yoga classes that focus on your wellbeing. There is no fitness equipment so don’t expect to find that there. They offer four different Core Fusion classes: Core Fusion, Core Fusion Sport, Core Fusion Yoga, and Core Fusion Cardio (coming soon). They offer a variety of different yoga classes. The one thing that I really like in New York is all of their teachers rotate locations so if you have a favorite teacher you do not have to worry about going to one location to find them. In New York Exhale has 6 locations: Central Park South (Midtown), Upper East Side, Soho, Gansevoort, Manhattan House, and Bridgehampton.

Central Park South: Is their main location. It has a full spa with two studios; a yoga studio and a Core Fusion Studio. It also has beautiful locker rooms with showers and all the amenities you would need after class including their GRN products. I heard it can get really crowded on the weekends in their core fusion classes.

Soho: Is a temporary location, they should be moving into a new studio in about a year. It only has one studio and no locker rooms. But there is a bathroom you can change in. It offers all the Core Fusion classes and a couple of yoga classes. Tip: The 5:30pm and 6:35pm classes are the busiest classes during the week so make sure to reserve a spot early. On the weekends the busiest classes are 11am.

Gansevoort: Is located in the meatpacking district in the lower level of the Gansevoort Hotel. It has one studio, spa, and locker rooms. The locker room is pretty small but it has showers and lockers to put your stuff in. The studio sadly has no windows. It offers both yoga and core fusion classes. They do not offer as many classes as other locations because it is a smaller studio. In the summer they offer classes on the rooftop of the Gansevoort, I didn’t get to try last summer but I heard it was amazing so next summer I will be checking it out.

As for the Upper East Side and Bridgehampton I have not been able to visit those locations but as soon as I do I will let you know what I think. The Manhattan House location is part of an Apartment building and is only offered to residents.

As for pricing it is pretty expensive. In New York they offer a couple of different options. For all access to all locations and unlimited yoga and core fusion classes it is $285 a month (3 month commitment) or $265 a month with a 12 month contract. They offer a special price for unlimited classes at the Soho location (because it is a temporary studio) $170 a month (3 month commitment) or $150 a month with a 12 month contract. If you would like access to all downtown locations (Soho and Gansevoort) it is $205 a month. You can also buy single or multiple class packages and if you are a member of Rue La La they offer specials for Exhale every couple of months so keep an eye out for that. If you are not a member of Rue La La or don’t know what it is and want more information or to be a member e-mail me and I will invite you!

The special the offer for new students is an unlimited week of Core Fusion and Yoga at any location for $40. It is a great deal if you have never tried a class because one class is $30. For more information on classes or spa services visit their website www.exhalespa.com.

  • Pros: Amazing classes, friendly/helpful staff, multiple locations, I can see the results since I have been here
  • Cons: Very expensive, no cardio machines or other equipment, only offers Core Fusion classes and yoga

I have been a member since June 2009 and I am very happy here. Everyone knows me by name and if I ever have any concerns or questions about my progress they are always there to help. It has been a great experience and I highly recommend trying it if you haven’t.

Images from Exhale.

Filed under: Gyms | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

Review: Club H Fitness

Posted on February 12, 2010 by kymarie13

I had heard good things about Club H Fitness so I decided to go check it out. Club H has four locations: Hells Kitchen (West 55th Street), Hoboken (Sinatra Drive), Murray Hill (34th and 2nd), and Jersey City (Coloumbus Drive). So if you don’t live near any of these places it probably won’t be worth the trek to get to the gym. Club H stands for Humbluxury. “Humbluxury is having all the luxury amenities and latest equipment you expect with an easy, neighborhood vibe and more-than-helpful service you deserve. We work hard to pay personal attention to each member, so if there’s something you’re missing or want more of, just tell a Club H staffer. We strive to make you feel at home at Club H Fitness. After all, this is your gym too.”

I visited the Murray Hill located on 34th street. Walking in, my first impression was very chic and modern. The clientele of this gym is very young, I would say just out of college to late 20′s. But this was also the Murray Hill location. They also have a Cafe H and Spa H. Which are located on the first floor. The Cafe is more like a juice bar. The Spa offers all the normal amenities: Facials, Wraps, Peels, Waxing, and Massages. Prices are normal, not a deal by any means but not too crazy. A 60 minute Deep Tissue Massage is $110.

Upstairs is where the locker rooms, cardio equipment, weights, and exercise rooms are located. I went around 8:00pm and the cardio equipment was not over crowded! The gym didn’t seem very busy, which I was shocked by but I really liked. The cardio machines are placed in two different locations which breaks it up a little. The whole gym is very spacious, which is great! There is a lot of space and weights are not crowded into one place. I think even if the gym was crowded it wouldn’t feel too crowded or claustrophobic because of the way it is laid out. The locker rooms are very large. It offers towels, blow dryers, and Club H products like: shampoo, conditioner, soap, and razors. They also have a steam and sauna room. They offer a wide range of fitness class and have a cardio studio, yoga studio, pilates studio (with transformer machines), and a spin studio. Club H also has many personal trainers and offers different training packages.

  • Pros: very spacious, not over crowed, variety of classes, clean
  • Cons: Only a couple of locations

As for pricing right now they are offering an initiation fee of $99 and the rest of the month of February for free. You have to sign a 12 month contract and each month is $99 unless you want to pay up front which is $999 with no other fees. After speaking to their membership representative he wasn’t very helpful or had any enthusiasm of me joining. Nice gym but I still like NYHRC the best so far. So until the next gym…

Image from Club H Fitness.

Filed under: Gyms | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: New York Health and Racquet Club

Posted on February 3, 2010 by kymarie13

I originally went to New York Health and Racquet Club to take their Cuerpaso class but what an amazing opportunity to review two things at once! New York Health and Racquet Club has 11 locations around the city, I went to their 21st and Park location which just opened in November 2009. The club was extremely easy to get to off the 6 Train, take it to 23rd and then walk down two blocks. It is a three-story building with large beautiful windows.

I walked in and the front desk staff could not be more friendly or helpful. They showed me to the women’s locker room which is one floor down from the main floor. The locker rooms were beautiful and spacious. They provided towels, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. The products were not a certain brand but at least they provided them. The showers were large and beautiful. The cleaning lady came around when I first got to the gym and was back as I was getting ready to leave. So you know they clean a lot. The women’s locker rooms is two levels, the lower level has a door to out to their lap pool! The pool has two lanes and is about 20 yards, it is a good size for New York.

I had gotten to class 30 minutes early so I decided to take a look around. The top-level is where all the cardio equipment is. Most of the cardio equipment looks out onto the street from the large windows which is really nice. Each treadmill is equipped with its own TV and you can hook up your iPod to it where it will not only allow you to choose your music from the screen but will also charge your iPod. All of the stair machines and ellipticals also have their own personal TVs. They have many weight machines and a wide variety. Since it just opened in November everything is very new. One of their trainers asked if  I would like him to warm me up before my class. Since I had 15 minutes to kill I did not decline. He was so helpful and gave me a pretty good warm up on the treadmill. The gym was crowded but it wasn’t bad, it did not make me feel overwhelmed or that there was not a machine available.

They have two studios located on the lower level with their pool. The dance studio and the spin studio. The spin studio is like any other and the dance studio is rather small but not too bad. It could fit about 20 people to a class and has all the equipment you would need. They offer 600 weekly classes throughout all of their locations, including, Cuerpaso, which I suggest you try.

Each location offers different amenities which include: classes, lap pools, basketball courts, racquet ball and squash courts, and rock climbing. Right now you can join NYHRC for $99 a month with a $99 initiation fee but the prices are always changing and depending on what you are looking for they can probably give you a better deal. The $99 includes all of their 11 locations around the city and includes their Beach Club in Westchester, NY. Not a bad way to get out of the city in the summer. The clientele is a little older from Crunch but not by much. For the price and what they offer I think NYHRC is a better deal! I am even thinking of joining myself. I had an amazing experience and would love to check out their other locations.

Images from NYHRC.

Filed under: Gyms | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Review: Bikram Yoga Manhattan

Posted on January 31, 2010 by kymarie13

Today I decided to try Bikram Yoga Manhattan at their Soho location. It is located on Spring street between Wooster and Broadway. The location was great and pretty easy to get too. They are located on the 4th floor. When I walked up the stairs I was instructed to take off my shoes before I entered and then I entered a very small lobby with one bench and a desk. I filled out all the necessary paperwork and was given the new student special, one week unlimited for $20. The prices are not too bad, $125 a unlimited month with a 12 month contract and $140 a unlimited month with a 6 month contract. I walked back to the dressing room which was extremely small, there were two showers and hardly any room to change. I quickly hung my stuff up and went into the studio. The studio was also small (shocker) but luckily I had gotten there early and got a good spot. The first thing I noticed was the smell, it was horrible, which is not uncommon in a Bikram studio but it was pretty bad. In about 10 minutes the entire room was filled and we had to start squeezing together to fit everyone (at least it seems to be popular).

Finally class started, Pamela was the teacher for this class. She was very nice and helpful. Not like my last experience. She respected everyone’s levels and was always there to help. Once again I went through “the why am I doing this to myself phase” but by the end of class I was happy that I had gone. It was a good class and I got an amazing workout.

After I crammed into the changing room and kept bumping into people I grabbed my stuff and got out. Once I was out I realized I had left my water bottle in the changing room but I had already gone to far to go back so I tried to call them to ask them to hold it until I could come get it but all of their phone numbers are automated! I was pretty upset, it was a Lululemon water bottle :( .

So overall my experience was okay.

  • Pro’s: The teacher was very friendly and helpful, 4 locations, decent prices
  • Con’s: Too small, too crowded, smelled horrible, and an automated phone system

In my opinion I have to say that I like Bikram Yoga Union Square better. I still have one place left to try though, I will let you know when I try it.

Filed under: Workouts | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Review: Better Burger

Posted on January 28, 2010 by kymarie13

I live on seamlessweb.org. It is the easiest way to order in when I do not feel like making dinner. I normally pick the Healthy options and one day I found an amazing Burger place called Better Burger! Better Burger was opened by Louis Lanza, chef-owner of Josie’s the quasi-vegetarian restaurant, Citrus, and Josephine’s with branches on the Upper West Side and in Murray Hill. His restaurants have been featured in magazines such as: New York Magazine, Oprah, Organic Style, Zagat, Time Out, and Prevention.

He wanted to create a Burger Place that wouldn’t feel terrible about what you were eating. At Better Burger their meat and poultry is antibiotic, hormone and nitrate free. Their burgers are made from 100% meat they do not use any fillers. The french fries, which are my favorite, “are organic, air-baked and have 2/3′s less fat” than normal fries.

After eating their multiple times I have to say I love it! The fries are so good. They taste the same as normal fries to me. After reading many reviews not many people feel the same way but I have to disagree with the reviews and ask you to try it yourself. I normally get a Veggie/Soy burger or Turkey burger. The patty of the veggie burger is on the smaller side and sometimes crumbles apart but it is really good. They have organic wheat buns which are great and they offer soy american cheese. Better Burger is a little more expensive. A 1/3 pound beef burger is $5.99 and a 1/2 pound beff burger is $8.59. Sides are $2.75 each. It really isn’t too bad for what you are getting. If you are looking for a healthier option when eating a burger I suggest you try Better Burger. They have two locations one in Murray Hill on 3rd Avenue and 37th Street and one in Chelsea on 8th Avenue and 19th Street. If you go try it let me know what you think!

Picture from Grace Notes on NYC.

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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    Hello! My name is Kristine and I live and work in New York City. Since I have been here I have realized how hard it is to maintain a healthy balance while living in the City. Work starts to consume your life and you can get lost in everything around you.

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