Good Sweat
SoulCycle Union Square: A first-ride report
Today the much-buzzed about—and pretty controversial—SoulCycle Union Square location opened in the backyard of its competitor Flywheel.
Well+Good clipped into a bike and sussed out the brand-new spin studio.
Did SoulCycle bring it or was it a bust? Read on!
The deets:
The (cramped) layout is more like SoulCycle’s uptown studios than the spacious Tribeca flagship. There’s one studio with 60 bikes; a slew of lockers that use a pin code (no lock needed); and change rooms with showers. Classes on the hour. Towels provided. Water and shoes extra. $32 per spin.
The good:
- The location is truly in Union Square, a two-minute sprint from the Farmer’s Market and subway
- There are five showers. FIVE!
- The vibe: SoulCycle feels like a place you want to be and it’s filled with a surprisingly passionate group of 20-somethings
- An awesome sound system, with lots of bass, which the guys in class were raving about after
SoulCycle plants their flag in Union Square with these tanks and T-shirts
The bad:
- The new studio is as packed as a flight on Southwest Airlines, a long-standing fault of the brand. SoulCycle, I will pay you to take five bikes out of that studio, so I can get to my bike without a lubricant, do the stretches correctly, and lift the weights without knocking my neighbor unconscious.
- No star teachers like Kym Perfetto or Stacey Griffith on the schedule
The temporarily ugly:
Every show has its opening-night jitters, so I don’t fault SoulCycle Union Square for these kinks (unless they’re still there a month from now).
- No waiting area—hopefully spacing the classes 15 mins apart will mean this is less of an issue when it’s not opening day. “I feel like I should be getting champagne when I get in,” said one spinner, whose patience was tested by the crowded stairwell where we all waited.
- The narrow locker corridor downstairs was as tight as the studio, and packed with people from two classes.
- The stairs: There needs to be a giant sign forbidding bike shoes on the glossy cement stairs down to the changing area to prevent wipeouts (which I witnessed).
- Um, no grapefruit candles?
SoulCycle Union Square, 12 E. 18th St., btwn Broadway and Fifth Ave., 212-208-1300, www.soul-cycle.com
Sticking with Flywheel! Great people…ALL AGES!!! Don’t feel stressed to fit in…come to Flywheel…you are welcomed.!! Great classes, great instructors..free shoes and free water.
PS….try Fly Barre…..Flywheel is now spinning plus a barre method studio….get your cardio and your strengthening in one stressless place!!!
You will LOVE it!! Almost don’t want to post so we can keep it a secret!!! :)
one more thing….ALL instructors at FLYWHEEL are superstars. Each offers you something different…..never disappointed !!!
See u there!!
Bottom line…..its still not Flywheel. Theres no Ruth Zukerman at Soulcycle (their loss)…..theres still a charge for water and shoes at Soulcycle (even after spending over $30 per class), theres no stadium seating, theres no torque board. It may be the newest location but it still doesnt hold up to Flywheel. BTW – Im an old Soulcycle fanatic but once i tried Flywheel there was no turning back. I still have a Soulcycle credit I have no desire to use, Id be happy to give it to anyone if they join me at Flywheel for a class so you too can see the difference.
I have to say I am always amazed at how biased your website is against SoulCycle; to me it is all about the instructors. If you adore Flywheel’s Ruth – which you clearly do – then follow her; I took her a few times and I just found no vibe at all at Flywheel (everyone staring at their little display and no sense of community) so I went back to Laurie, Nick and Kym at SoulCycle. But as to your “no star teachers” comment – Stacy IS teaching at Union Square so you just aren’t paying attention. And a lot of their new instructors are awesome – it’s nice that they have a new venue to show off their talents. I agree about the stairs though they have to sort that out – and they need another NYC location cause the demand seems to be there. I was in Union Square twice this weekend and the place seemed to be buzzing – good for them!
Having been to both places let’s just state a few facts. 1)SoulCycle is fun. Personally, yes, doing push-ups while spinning and standing up while spinning and dancing while doing push-ups ultimately will get you a fun ride but unsafe spin (IMO). I remember Ruth as the only SC instructor who NEVER did these CIRQUE DU SOLEIL like moves. Ask any Chiropractor what they think about toying with body alignment doing these FUN moves and decide for yourself. SC instructors are very nice, but no nicer than FW instructors who NEVER do these push-up moves. 2) SC again is great fun but when the instructor says we are on a hill and everyone is biking like Lance Armstrong, you appreciate that little screen that FW has. I guess it depends what you call a hill. You cannot cheat at FW. 3)$60.00 for a “special” 50 pack that gets you a front row? That is elitist IMHO. Even buying series at SC has no loyalty reward. And paying for water and shoes? What gives here? FW is a much better value. Even the top tier unlimited series allows you to spin at about half the price of SC and once you get comp water and shoes you sort of feel like are they kidding at SC? Well at least they don’t charge for the towels. 4) It is really what you like and what you want in your workout. The other thing is once the SC $60 first row is filled at 12noon and you find yourself in the last row you get a really good view of the sometimes tall person in front of you. Sorry, but the stadium seating makes a world of difference. There are no bad bikes and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out. So in closing, there will be people at both places. My take is FW does have community as SC does. Remember FW is just about 1 year old. The notion that community and energy means colliding (this has happened to me often) with the person on the bikes near to you at SC is not the energy I need. The FW bikes are not as close so I think of it as a restaurant layout. I like my table not on top of my neighbor. Sounds like I prefer FW? Yes I do, but SC is also a fine place to spin, just not for me for reasons stated. Peace.
Hey Rachel, Thanks for your comment. We looked at the SCUS schedule and as of this weekend Kym wasn’t on it. Neither was Stacey. We’ve since heard from SoulCycle that both will be added to the Union Square location schedule. Agreed, the demand is there!
Really? Stacy has always been on for Wednesday night at 6:30pm and Kym is on for Friday afternoons. Good they are adding more though!
Can’t we all just get along LOL Frankly I like both , and thank heavens both provide excellent cardio , however, SC does have this dated LA wanna be/bottom feeder vibe that can be annoying. If you can get past the desperation of some of the riders ( especially Stacey’s followers.. Stacey is MAGNIFICENT her riders are mean spirited and clearly suffer from a lot of money and NO LOVE in their lives ) Soul Cycle rocks and so does Flywheel
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by striving4zen, Well + Good. Well + Good said: This weekend, @SoulCycle Union Square opened in the backyard of competitor Flywheel. We took it for a spin #NYC http://bit.ly/e4Y8YI [...]
Its all sort of silly. Competition makes
people better and gives us all choices.
I choose Flywheel but if they did not
have Soul Cycle to keep them on their toes, who knows? It is all good.
My favorite thing about Flywheel at this point is that it is attracting clients seem into being athletic and fit and not skinny and style conscious.
Soul cycle has to me, the same ego oriented vibe that drove me out of Jivamukti years ago towards a less “look at me , look at me…” vibe. I just wanna work and get fit. Where ever.
Ditto Rachel. This site is so pro-Flywheel that I can’t help wondering whether there’s some sort of kickback involved. I’ve checked out Flywheel (including Ruth’s class), and yes, I can see why people would like the stadium seating, or checking out their stats on the torq board, or even taking a class that doesn’t involve push-ups on the bike. But personally, I prefer Soul Cycle classes where I can rock out and get a great workout without having to check my torq and RPMs every two seconds, or feeling like I’m on display thanks to stadium seating. Sure, it’s pricier, but bringing my own cycling shoes and water bottle to class helps. And I think it’s ironic that other posters have faulted Soul Cycle for having an “ego oriented vibe.” If anything, Flywheel breeds that vibe by putting riders on display via stadium seating, and encouraging them to brag about hitting 400 on the torq board, whereas Soul Cycle is all about community. I’m just happy there are multiple indoor cycling options in NYC. And I am hopeful that the more people go to Flywheel, the easier it will be for me to book a bike in Laurie and Janet’s Soul Cycle classes!
I think it is great that both exist because they push each other to be competitive with one another. Flywheel took all the gripes about SC, addressed them and then corrected them in their business plan. There is a definite community at FW and the owners really care about the clients. Free water and spin shoes are only the tipping point. After going to flywheel I really feel nickel and dimed at SC!
I am kind of over all of the negative energy against soul. If you are a fly supporter- GOOD for you. what is the silly expression? don’t yuck other peoples yums? for every person that has something negative to say about Soul there are hundreds of people who are fulfilled and mesmerized by their experiences at Soul. No different than when we read reviews on Yelp or other OPINION sections- the people with tons of time on their hands and who are consistantly negative are the people that enjoy throwing “competition” under the bus. Soul NEVER throws anyone under the bus. Lets see a link from a Soul supporter that says anything negative- and to sum up- thank goodness for all of these incredible athletes at all locations- if it weren’t for them (fly, soul, etc)= we would be stuck in old routines…with no inspiration and no soul.
THANK YOU RACHEL, ALP102000, AND MARISSA! This blog has such good content and I get crazy when I read this BS about Soul vs. Flywheel. What is so controversial about SC opening in Union Square? This is a big city, with room for both of these brands. The only comparison is that both offer indoor cycling!!! The vibe and energy are vastly different. Personally I love the chaos in between classes at SC, I love that the bikes are close together so that I can feed off the energy from the rider next to me ( In the 4 years I have been at SC I have never knocked anyone unconscious during the weight series), and I think all of the instructers are rock stars! I rode at Union Square last night…the studio is brilliant….with or without grapefruit candles!
No negativity here…I wish Ruth and Flywheel all the best.
I think the bias is in favor of Flywheel for a reason. SoulCycle has grown into pardon me, “The Blob.” Enough with the pretentious rock star, ego, overblown words, self-absorbed, YELLOW gum (that everyone touches,ewwww). The cool factor at SC is at the point where it is unbearable. Even the “gear” that is sold with a 600% mark-up is so pretentious. Enjoy the chaos and celebrity watching and the grapefruit (enough already, can’t you switch to mango) candles. BTW – the stadium seating is great and hello, the LIGHTS GO DOWN and you cannot see anyone. I guess there are many who know the “history” of SC and the story of the TWO women who had a vision is like talking about The 3 Stooges and leaving out MOE!
Somehow when Ruth was there (A FOUNDER) it felt real and professional. I truly think her standards were on a different level. Have fun spending 10K at SC. Do I hear Hedge Fund wives? Oh, come on, just kidding.
Why is SoulCycle under a microscope and always being compared to FlyWheel? It’s like comparing Iyengar Yoga to Ashtanga yoga. One is not better than the other, simply different. Personally, I gravitate towards Iyengar, not Ashtanga. Similarly, I prefer Soul Cycle over FlyWheel. That doesn’t make SoulCycle the better choice for everyone, but it does make it the better choice for me. Thank you Soul Cycle!
Jackie
I think the history that you might not know is in play here. In the early days R, J and E founded SC and depending on who you believe, 2 of the 3 did the wrong thing. Watch CNBC American Greed. Of course there are other versions of the story, but at one time it was only R who was up on that bike and she brought a huge following from Reebok and without her there would be no SC. It got ugly to the point where 2 of the 3 went after a lovely and kind instructor who was fired from SC because of her ties with her mentor, R. This ugly episode did happen, as 2 of the 3 just had to seek what some call revenge. Trust me, this lovely instructor was treated so badly by 2 of the 3. They just could not let some petty $ amount go, as SC expanded. They had to go after her and for what? It for many showed that the Soul was stripped from SC.
This lovely instructor is so kind and the thought of 2 of the 3
doing what they did is revolting.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth,
It is my experience that there are 3 sides to every story. In this case the 3 sides are SC’s, FW’s and then there is likely the truth somewhere in the middle. Isn’t it great that we live in a city where both FW and SC can thrive? Great job both brands on making so many people so happy that they are compelled to take the time to defend your honor!
Bottom line is that SoulCycle wouldn’t be what it is today without Ruth, and there’s no denying that despite the ardent efforts of J and E.
please disregard and delete last post
Here is another reason I won’t be going to a Soulcycle anytime soon – especially Union Square….I DONT WANT TO DIE
http://www.tmz.com/2011/02/11/soul-cycle-gym-new-york-city-tom-cruise-kyra-sedwick-kelly-ripa-gwyneth-paltrow-fire-hazardous-ladder-hatch-vacate-order-union-square/
http://tinyurl.com/5rf75m7
Well I always thought that Soul Cycle was too cool in a no so good way but now I see they are hot! Hot with violations and studios so hot they are smelly
Union square SC is a fire hazard stink-bomb and W 72nd SC is also a fire-hazard overcrowded stink-bomb. SC why not take out a few bikes for starters and relocate eventually to locations with 2 exits and more space? You will still make plenty of $, right?
WeSoul Cycle has more locations and can accomodate (WAY) more people than Flywheel, and also is more expensive than flywheel (the cheapest you can go is $28 per session plus you pay for water and shoes).
How is it possible that you can find a seat saem day at flywheel almost all the time, but not at soul cycle?
Get a life people. More people prefer SC than FW. It is that simple!!! It does not mean that one is better than the other, but that is what it is.
Flywheel is only around 1 year Cathy. Oh and the cheapest you pay at SC is $28? Pardon the pun but “highway robbery.” SC is so overpriced but you are right, people will pay. It’s like putting a $1.50 sticker over the .99 cent potato chip bag. Have fun and hope social security is around in 30 years. :)