Barre & Soul Harvard Square

Love the new studio. The yoga room is massive, the barre room can get a little cramped during popular classes but that doesn’t personally bother me. No showers if that is a deal breaker for you, but they do stock the restrooms with dry shampoo and spray deodorant if you need to freshen up after class. I do the barre and yoga classes they offer and have always really liked every instructor. They don’t require sticky socks, which I actually prefer. I know they do lots of intro specials, I personally have an unlimited package and attend classes here at in the Melrose location, I like that I can attend both studios under one account.

I am really amazed this place does not have more positive reviews… I came here for Jenna’s 10am class on Sunday, ¹²⁄₂₇ and she was a really great teacher. The class was not that crowded at all and I felt that the décor of the place was adorable.
The run down…
+no mirrors. Thank GOD. I feel like Pure Barre markets itself to basically say «you are fat, come here to change yourself. Oh here, and look at a mirror for 60 mins. to look at how fat you are.» I am quite fit and HATE the mirror aspect of Pure Barre and other Barre studios in Boston. This place didn’t have one– huge A+
+the décor is so cute– love the little lights around the area, the vintage lockers, the friendly check in person and the check in process.
+parking is FREE on Sundays — meters in Boston don’t run on Sundays, woo hoo.
+Jenna was a great teacher– so friendly, excellent hands on instructions, and combined yoga with the work outs. There was a lot of great stretching time in between working out parts of the body. Loved it.
I will give this place some feedback to basically say the obvious: price. 21 bucks for a drop in is crazy and I will probably never come back here as I was just in Cambridge seeing my parents– however I am not sure what type of rich Harvard Students can afford this but the rest of us working ladies want to come but this is just not feasible to pay for… !
Overall, loved it, and hands down the best Barre Class in BOS.
xo
T

Love it! Down to earth and friendly, non-​competitive atmosphere, great teachers, and a killer workout. A couple of suggestions: add shades to the barre room as it gets super bright during the later morning classes and the sun gets in everyone’s eyes (plus it makes it even steamier in there with the sun beating in). Also, I agree with another reviewer who suggested that the studio should consider holding the barre classes in the larger room — it is often way overcrowded in the tiny barre room, and the yoga room is enormous but the class counts are tiny.

— PRICE:
I bought their $ 69 package for 1 month of unlimited barre and yoga. After that, it’s a whopping $ 155/​month, so I ended my membership after the 1 month. This is, however, one of the few barre studios on this side of the river — but that will probably change pretty quickly.
— CLASSES & INSTRUCTORS:
— BARRE:
This is also the first time I’ve done barre, so I’m not sure if my comments relate specifically to barre or the instructors. I can’t imagine this being a sustainable way to work out every day, as the instructors pretty much do the same thing every day. A lot of sticking a ball between your legs and squeezing mixed with painful ab exercises and yoga. This great way to tone/​get lean, but probably not for weight loss. I certainly hurt after every class, but the novelty wore off quickly.
— YOGA:
I *loved* Carrie, who teaches a lot of the Vinyasa yoga here. The other teachers were great as well, but Cambridge and Somerville boast such amazing yoga studios it’s not worth it to only come here for the yoga. The Hoop Vinyasa class was weird and gimmicky… basically trying to do normal yoga poses while spinning a hula hoop… most of the class was spent bending down to pick up the fallen hula hoops.
— THE SPACE:
— MATS AND EQUIPMENT are provided, which is great! Bring your own if you’re wary of germs, as I don’t think people really clean their mats much after classes.
— SECURITY — There’s a small set of old lockers outside the barre room that only can fit half of the classes’ stuff, so people just dump their bags outside the barre room door at an angle where someone could easily come in, take the bags, and leave without anybody noticing. The person who teaches the class is usually the one sitting at the receptionist desk checking people in, so during class time nobody’s in the lobby watching the bags.
— THE ROOMS are unevenly sized (given its location in The Garage, I can’t imagine them having much wiggle room). The barre room is tiny, so all of the barre classes end up being too crowded. The yoga room is an awkward L shape, and I wish they put up some shades in the windows, as the windows are level with the street lights or the setting sun and it leaves the room a little too bright.
Overall it’s a decent space but I think better barre and yoga options can be found elsewhere.

2.5 stars: somewhere between Meh I’ve experienced better (which I have) and A-​OK
Attended both a yoga class and a barre class on their Open House day — so both classes were free. Still a little disappointed because not up to par with other yoga/​barre classes I’ve taken at Exhale and Flybarre. Take note that this studio is cheaper than both exhale and flywheel so you get what you pay!
General:
–mats are provided, but after you use them, you just put it back. Then the next class comes in and uses it… without it ever being cleaned most likely. The studio should really be responsible for cleaning the mats, especially because announcements were never made to clean your own mat before putting it back
–lockers are BYO locks so it’s like your normal gym. Most studios now I feel like have built in locks so you don’t have to bring your own. Outside of lockers (there are maybe 20 – 30 of them so it’ll never be enough if both yoga and barre classes are going on), there are cubes you can put your stuff in. Very much runs on a trust system that no one will take your stuff
–Open House was nice as they had croissants and coffee
–Employees were really nice, cheerful, energetic — just what you want when you’re gearing up to work out!
Yoga: it was fine, didn’t LOVE it, didn’t hate it
–Instructor (Allison) talked a lot, if you’re into that. Constantly reminding you to breathe
–I like that she walked around to make adjustments if you wanted her too
–Was okay (³⁄₅) at offering easier/​harder positions
Barre: very challenging! was sore the next day. i think barre here is better than at exhale (although exhale yoga is better and flybarre is better)
–super crammed room. even if you were trying and conscious about people around you, it’d be hard to do the moves correctly without hitting someone. maybe it was just because it was open house and they wanted as many people as possible to try the class.
–my instructor was elizabeth who is really nice and empathetic as your muscles are burning
–she kinda comes around and adjusts you, but mostly motivates you
–i like how the class infuses more yoga than usual
overall, i would consider coming back for a barre class, but not so much for a yoga class. however, if i’m going to pay, I think I’d rather pay a few more bucks for a higher quality studio at exhale/​flywheel with the security that my things are locked away

I’ve been a member of Bar Method for a little while; however, this is much closer to my home so I decided to make the switch. My review is for the Barre and Soul (barre only) class; I can’t speak to their yoga. As an FYI, the class is done on yoga mats with bare feet (vs socks and carpet at BM), which is actually a nice way to keep your feet and body aligned.
Pros:
— Classes are a bit harder than Bar Method, which I appreciate. Dynamic exercises and a nice focus on putting in work — I definitely sweat a lot more than I do w/​Bar Method.
— Teachers are energetic, focused, and invested in you. And are just generally super nice!
— Different workouts and a focus on stretching. The classes aren’t too repetitive and inclusive of a lot of proper stretching.
Cons: I’m hoping some of these things will improve with time; I understand that Barre and Soul is pretty new to Harvard Square.
— The room used for Barre class is WAY TOO TINY. They have another huge room that maybe they use just for yoga but I’ve never been in it for a barre class, even when it’s at 7:30 pm and we’re the last/​only class. Why are we cramming 22 people into a space the size of my bedroom? Really difficult to stretch out and not hit my neighbor in the face.
— Not enough correction on form/​alignment. I like that Bar Method instructors come by and physically adjust me. I cannot imagine that I am so good where I don’t need corrections! :) Would love a little more focus on form.
— Bathroom/​locker area — there are no hooks or tables or counter space or anything in the bathroom, which is super annoying when you’re trying to change with a bag full of stuff. How able a cheap Ikea table and a coat hook on the back of the bathroom door? I don’t begrudge the fact that Barre & Soul has neither a changing area or showers, but you could make use of the massive bathrooms for people coming straight from work.
— More on bathroom locker area — this isn’t really the staff’s fault and I COMPLETELY understand that they wouldn’t be liable but re: stuff storage, most of us leave our bags on the ground by the bathroom and lockers (not in the lockers because you need to bring your own lock). A little problematic given that the person at the front desk is typically in the class with us (even if she isn’t the teacher, she’ll often take the class), which is absolutely fine except for the fact that the class’s door is shut and all of our stuff is in plain view with no one watching them. I came in one day to ask a question on my way home and no one was out at the front desk. It would have been super easy to grab people’s bags/​wallets and walk right out, without anyone knowing. Likely I said, not the Barre & Soul’s responsibility but just something to note if you go there. It’s in The Garage and not directly on the street but you can never be too careful.
Overall, the workout is great but unclear if the combination of lacking facilities and crammed classes make it a much better deal than the Bar Method (better amenities by far but $ 5 more a class).