SoulCycle Back Bay

I have a love/​hate relationship with SoulCycle. I’ve really enjoyed every instructor I’ve had and their music selections are always great. I come out feeling great and like the class really flew by. It’s a fun workout and makes it feel less like you’re working out. I like that it’s not as competitive as Flywheel, its more of a do what feels good for you. Which is great for those Friday’s where I want a workout but don’t necessarily want to kill myself.
But I do have a few problems with it. The price doesn’t bother me so much as they make you pay extra for the shoes. Of the other cycling studios I rotate between (flywheel and cyc) neither make you pay for shoes. The locker space is also not great, which always seems to be the problem in spin studios. If you don’t get here prior to the class before yours getting out it will be a problem trying to squeeze your way through to get a locker. The bikes are literally on top of one another, front, back, and to each side. You will be very close to everybody around you. My biggest problem with SoulCycle is the temperature of the room. I get the room shouldn’t be a cool 60 degrees but it gets unbelievably hot in there and they do not turn the fans on. Last time I went I felt like I was going to pass out. And the smells were just not good. At times it also really makes me wonder if I’m actually getting a good workout or if I just think I am because I’m so hot and sweaty.
I’ll continue to take classes here to mix-​up my workout routine it just won’t be as frequently.

I checked out SoulCycle during their free first class promotion in the beginning of the new year. After hearing so much about this place, I had some pretty high expectations. I mean, the reservation email I received told me to «get ready to find my SOUL»! and if I’m theoretically paying $ 33 a class, it better meet my expectations.
In terms of the class itself, it was a great workout. The instructor pushes you hard, the music was great, and there was a good amount of variety in the spin class to make it fun and not monotonous. But the space. The bikes are packed in there like sardines and it feels like everyone is on top of each other. I get it, real estate must be expensive in Back Bay, but couldn’t you have spared taking out a few bikes in exchange for a bit more personal space? Also, the layout of the bikes make it very hard to find your bike since there is no space to cross over horizontally. You can only walk up and down the aisle unless you want to literally hop over other people’s bikes. Even entering the studio, there is an immediate bottleneck of people waiting for classes and coming out of classes due to the narrow hallway of lockers and the tiny reception area.
Ok, onto customer service. I’ve called a couple times to make my reservation and no problems there. Friendly, quick service. But at the studio, I made the mistake of not signing in my name after returning my first-​time waiver form. So, when I was on my bike, one of the employees was very rude in explaining to me why my bike was released. I understand the purpose of this policy, but I made sure to come 15 minutes early to the class and during which, no one told me to sign in. I thought by returning my form, it was implied, but guess not.
Maybe that person was having a bad day, or many other people were making the same mistake I was. Regardless, I don’t think he should have had an attitude about it… definitely a damper on the whole experience.
Would I come to this studio and pay full price? Probably not. I’ve been to many other spin studios in Boston and in my opinion, it’s not worth the hype. But, if you are a fan of spinning, then at least give it a try, then decide for yourself.

overall 3.5 stars
Pros —
Their service is very friendly and helpful. The workouts are also killer — I’m talking drenched in your sweat and the music they play is rave-​tastic. Each locker has a USB plug to charge your phone. I definitely gave the Chestnut Hill location 5 stars after my first class at soul and my first spin class in general (too excited), but after going to several spin studios in the Boston area now (ie. B/​Spoke, Flywheel, REPS, BFX, VeloCity) I don’t think it’s worthy of a 5 star review.
Cons —
Been to two classes w/​2 diff instructors so far and they have both started late! Which means if you have plans after, you probably have to skip stretching at the end. They should really treat stretching as part of the class you’re paying for and not as a treat at the end if you have time for it. For a studio that won’t let people in class 10 minutes late, but start their classes late, that’s a no-​no for me. Benefit of the doubt: they’re new and still perfecting flipping the studio

I would give soul cycle 5 stars if it wasn’t so expensive. I have to admit I’m a convert. I love spinning and I like my music loud, funky housey so Soul cycle fits the bill. I used to go to Chestnut Hill so I was excited that the Back Bay location was opening up. The work out
Is intense and I have to admit some of the moves boarder on being unsafe? (like
Doing push-​ups on the handle bar then clapping your hands while spinning fast!) however it’s a great work out, fun and the new-​age mantras are kind of inspiring and motivating. The facility is super clean and the staff is very attentive.
The clientele is mostly female so there is plenty of space in the male locker room.
As for instructors, Sal is my favorite and super motivating !

Pros: high energy, clean, plenty of amenities
Cons: very expensive, cramped, cult’ish
Summary: fun experience, great workout and instructor, but too expensive and not my scene
tl;dr
I went here as a first timer where you receive a $ 10 discount on entry and free shoes, so $ 20 total versus $ 33. Walking in, you can see it’s clean and classy. It’s well lit, there are free lockers, clean bathrooms (they had razors, shaving cream, band aids, and more which was awesome), showers and towels.
The cult’ish experience begins when class is about to start. The majority of the class is attended by early-​mid 20s females dressed in bright Lulu outfits or t-​shirts with motivational phrases. The high energy banter waiting for the doors for class to open took some patience. As class transition, get prepared for close quarters. There are about 100 people in a hallway that is more adequately sized for 35.
Going into the spin studio, it’s tight… very tight. I was in the back row and could touch the ceiling, person in front of me, and either side. It also got hot fast… I think the ventilation was poor, or I didn’t know I was signing up for a hot yoga hybrid class.
The instructor, Erin, was a crazy… in a good way. She pushed the class, focused on success and motivation and was hard on slackers. She kicked ass on the bike herself and had high energy through the whole thing. I’ve been to spin classes at several different gyms and Erin was probably the best overall.

I am absolutely obsessed with soulcycle. Went to the chestnut hill before this one open, and I am so happy they decided to come to Boston Proper. I love James L! He plays great music and is really good at motivating. This cycling studio may be expensive, but it’s worth it because you work hard and you WANT to go back.

Came here for a ride a few weeks ago.
Was late and missed my time by 12min, but they were able to put me on the wait list for the next one. Instructor was pretty good.
Free wifi and plenty of showers and lockers.

Being in customer service myself I never like to leave a negative review but here goes. I want to give soul cycle five stars and I probably would if I had shown up to the first class I booked with the studio — however — for a place that prides themselves on positivity they might want to educate their reception staff on what that means. The person who fielded my call was really short with me, seemed a little put out by my questions and was not helpful. I almost felt like apologizing before I hung up for being a bother! Anyway $ 20 lost for the ride I didn’t attend but I guess the experience saved me from any future investment. I’ll just stick with north end yoga, thanks!

If I was ever going to join a cult, Soul Cycle would be my cult of choice. It really is amazing and exceeds the hype.
I’ve done spin for years and Soul Cycle really is the holy grail. Great workout, awesome music, fantastic instructor (we had Sal), and even though it seems cheesy, the motivational portion was really helpful — this location is definitely geared towards 20– to 30-​something women working downtown who need to unplug. This was probably the only time I have ever worked out and been surprised the class went so quickly. Good selection of amenities, making it easy to go before work in the morning.
A couple small items —
— For a brand new facility, the locker area is REALLY congested (think long, narrow hallway); it was a blood bath trying to get ready for class and to pack up afterwards because there are just so many people
— They really pack you in like sardines — 56 people per class. Made it hard to do some moves (i.e., I kept touching bike behind me for stretches, moves) and it’s cramped filing in/​our of class. Again, since this place is brand new I’m surprised they didn’t make the only spin studio larger.
— Locker room — when you consider there is 56 people per class, and in between classes you have the prior class entering and next class leaving (hi, 100+ people!), there was a line for the 3 restrooms and the locker room was packed.
— It got really hot in the room (i.e., no air flow) and the instructor went through to make sure all the fans were on.
— Music is SUPER loud — yes, I know they have free ear plugs, but we had trouble hearing after class and it is at damaging decibel levels.
I would absolutely go again, but at $ 30/​class plus $ 3 shoe rental, it gets pricey fast. Definitely use the $ 20 first time goer pass with free shoe rental.

Facilities: The actual studio is extremely nice! As described in the other reviews, it is very ample, clean and modern. Amenities included are towels, lotion/​deodorant/​earplugs etc etc. However shoe rental is $ 3 (after first time) and water $ 2 (I think). They do have lockers (with USB charging) and showers. It would be helpful if these were listed in their website.
Same as Flywheel, they do use deodorizers… yes, nice smell but for someone with chemical sensitivities this is a drawback (and I also don’t need the extra dose of phthalates).
Bikes: In spite of being a regular spinner, I did feel uncomfortable in this bike. The instructor helped me set it up, but still felt unusually uncomfortable (handles, seat angle). I looked into the description from Villancy Design group to figure out if maybe my discomfort was just lack of fitness (!). Doesn’t seem to be the case. I will have to give it another try to discard that it was something with that specific bike.
Workout: Instructor was super nice and motivating. It was a decent workout with good music (sound system helps!), but burned less calories than other spin classes I have taken (Flywheel, BSpoke).
In conclusion, I have been to Soul Chesnut Hill, Recycle (Newbury, Tremont), Velocity, Pursuit, Flywheel, BSpoke… and was really expecting a bit more from this new Soul location (specially considering a $ 30/​class). BSpoke remains my favorite place to spin, but will have to give this place a second try.

Even though I have found amazing cycling classes in the heart of Boston, I was eagerly anticipating another SoulCycle location after their opening in Chestnut Hill.
I attended Liah’s class on Sunday, and loved it. She was full of energy and truly motivated the room — she even gave extra encouragement to those who were new to the class. I would definitely take her class again.
This location is laid out better than Chestnut Hill, in my opinion. There is a fairly decent retail section, followed by a hallway of lockers that lead into a larger room filled with lockers. If it is your first time, walk right through that hallway to the end — it is way less crowded and there are tons of lockers ready for you to use! All lockers have USB ports inside for you to charge electronic devices, which is genius.
The showers and bathrooms are impeccable, as I would expect when you are paying $ 30 a class. Even though I can’t justify the price to become a regular SoulCycler, this location is worth the occasional splurge.

Came here for Sara’s 6:30am class on Friday the week it opened and this place is f-​ing awesome. I had already been to the Chestnut Hill Location back in July ’14 and this place is probably even more gorgeous of a space – it’s HUGE and has an enormous cycling room, too. The staff are very nice. I tried to register for the class online within 1 hour of the start and because I couldn’t do it online I called in. The girl was super helpful and I came around 6:20am and easily got into the class. It was not full completely but def a great vibe an early morning class the first week.
It is honestly the nicest studio in all of Boston. BSpoke in Financial District comes a CLOSE second only because their space is really small and very far from the South End area. You sort of spend half the time in this class powering through and realizing your privilege to even be there (after all, it is 30 bucks a pop) but it is like yoga meets cardio meets biking meets the best dance party of your life.
Sara was incredibly energetic, fun, and outgoing. She explained everything and was a great instructor. Probably cannot afford to be regular but a great treat every now and then in the dead of #BostonWinter.