Exhale Gramercy

Exhale has a nice high end spa feel, but it was much more reasonable compared to the über spas of the city. I found that Exhale strikes a good balance of luxury and quality at the right price.
The «zen lounge» is a bit small, and it got quite crowded while we were there. There are two bathrooms (each with a shower), so they were also a little busy. We got a couples massage which was actually really nice. Overall we really enjoyed the experience and I would definitely recommend the fusion/​swedish massage at Exhale.
It’s worth noting that you can buy packages of three for $ 299, but they all need ot be used by the same person. They also run package deals throughout the year.

I get all of my waxing and facials with Quyen. She is the best!!! Knows exactly what my skin type needs and recommends product options I can purchase right at Exhale! She is very gentle and extractions are the least painful i’ve ever gotten! She always makes sure you are comfortable. Would ¹⁰⁄₁₀ recommend

Core Fusion Barre class was amazing. I think the trainer’s name was Michaela? She totally kicked my tush bc every muscle esp my glutes was on fire!
I went to Julia N for a massage. Her massage left me feeling stress free and knots free. My body felt super light. As an full time esthetician and full time mommy my body is always in pain; so for my body to feel great for more than a couple days says a lot about her ability. The best part about her massage was how fluid her hand movements were (not many LMTs has that touch). Everything just «flowed» beautifully and that feeling is better than getting a new LV. I highly recommend Julia!
1÷12÷16 her cranial massage; it is everything!!!

Love the windows in this studio! The room is smaller than others (like Flatiron’s Exhale and Physique 57 in Soho and on 57^th Street) but I really enjoy being able to look OUT.
Nefertiti brings a great vibe to the class. Fun and healthy thing to do on New Year’s Day!

Pretty tiny studio. Like so tiny that everyone makes a mad dash to get inside while people from the last class are still leaving just so they can get a spot in front of the mirror.
The day I went (my first time attending) a woman from the previous class kept coming in to look for her missing leather jacket… so apparently someone from her class had swiped it from the cubbies — NOT COOL.
I took a regular barre class and a cardio fusion class — the cardio fusion class was by far better. However, i won’t be returning to these classes as I’ve noticed a bulking in my legs from the nonstop quad work. I also don’t particularly like the aesthetic barre seems to give you, if I am to go by the teachers’ large quads and calves.
Lastly, the people in attendance just didn’t seem very friendly. It’s so weird that you can have all these women who love fitness be in a class and everyone look so sourpuss. Isn’t exercise supposed to increase endorphins?

I took a Core Fusion Barre class on a Monday night here. Was a little hesitant because I hadn’t done barre in a while and I had struggled with it as it was when i was doing it! First thing’s first — the location is inside the Gansevoort — you have to take the elevator up. It’s a bit confusing once you get up there. There’s a check in area then the studio is down the hall. The reviews are true — the studio is tiny and my class was enormous so everyone was on top of eachother. The teacher was nice right off the bat. She went around and asked everyone what levels they were. Regardless, the class was extremely grueling. I had been going to the Exhale on the Upper East and found that semi manageable but was really struggling here. The girls who looked like regulars seemed to be enjoying it but I was in rough shape, so much that I ended up pulling a muscle really horribly in a Zog Sports game the next day… my bad for not stretching… sigh.

3.5 stars.
This is probably the smallest out of all Exhale locations available in the city. No lockers/​facilities since it’s a tiny space located on the 3^rd floor inside the Gansevoort Park Hotel.
The space is so small that I almost always bump into someone else next to me during my barre classes. However, the workouts are consistent with all other Exhale locations since the instructors all switch up their locations often, so that keeps me coming. Just don’t compare the actual space with the other locations!
PRO TIP:
Water cooler is located inside the gym (across from where you check-​in). Arrive at least 5 minutes early to secure a good spot since space is very limited.

I’ve been to the exhale in ues, Central Park, soho and flatiron and this is by far the worst. All the other reviews are true about the class being down the hall from the check in area that is shared with a hair salon, and that the bath and lockers are only reserved for the spa guests only. To make matters worse, there is an office INSIDE the class room! So during the class, there would be people walking in and out of the office and the only entrance is, of course the entrance to the class room, it is ridiculous! The people almost stepped into me when I was doing the push ups! Never go to the gramercy location. It is more of a pop up room than a boutique studio.

Go to Physique 57 for barre classes – much better and nicer

Wonderful classes and fabulous massages!

Took core fusion barre for the first time with julie. She was very helpful, instructing me to tuck my hips, or move my foot a certain way.
Good music, good instruction. All the equipment is new and you look over park ave. The facility is within the gansevoort park hotel. The class was killer, i felt like crying some of the moves burned so badly right off the bad. Definitely feel it working. I took it through classpass. If i can even make it up the subway steps tomorrow maybe i will be back to try again! Everyone should go atleast once! Muscle confusion at its best

5 stars for the Core Fusion Cardio class.
I had tried 2 other classes (barre and extreme) at the Flatiron location and was lukewarm but the Cardio class got me to buy my first 10-​pack at a NY boutique studio. The class was challenging, but adjustable and doable. I thought it was SO fun and immediately got back on the mindbody app to schedule my next Cardio class. And apparently the change up the routine every few weeks so you keep challenging your body instead of falling into a routine. It’s definitely a full-​body workout, there are mountain climbers every few minutes, a lot of different types of squats, and the squats are integrated with light dumbbells. After a few minutes though, those 2 lb-​ers feel like 50!
2 stars for the space.
The layout is weird — I’ve been to a few classes now and at least 1 – 2 people miss checking in before class b/​c the elevators let you out into the middle of a hallway and the check in is down to the left and the studio is down to the right.
The studio itself is quite small and a glass corner of the building — so you look out onto the street and other buildings (on the 3^rd floor). This might bother some more self-​conscious folks but if they didn’t have the glass you’d feel super cramped and claustrophobic. I rather like it. I also like the smaller space b/​c it’s a smaller class size than other Exhale locations. I feel like the instructor can move around the classroom and keep an eye on form.
They have large open cubbies in the studio entry. It can get crowded b/​w classes but it’s just for a few minutes as people move in and out quickly.
According to their website, you can use the shower and locker rooms for the hotel gym/​spa facilities but it seems from the other reviews that this is kindof frowned upon in practice. As a result, I’ve never tried to use anything other than the studio here so can’t speak to that.

I am not a morning person. There are so few things that can get me out of bed at 5:15am short of a natural disaster, bucket of water on my head, my ceiling collapsing (this is a thing that actually happened #welcometonewyork). BUT one thing that CAN get me out of bed at 5:15am is Core Fusion Barre at Exhale.
I’m kind of a barre junkie — I’ve tried Physique 57, Total Barre at Chelsea Piers, FlyBarre, PureBarre, BFX Barre, Flex Barre — anyway, I’m weird and I’ve proven my point that I have way too much free time to go to barre.
Core Fusion Barre is, in my opinion, by far the best barre workout. The reason I say this is because there is actual attention to form, helpful instruction, focus on stretching and gaining flexibility, and because it’s really, really freaking hard. However, I also find it the most variable in actual workout. The beginning is always the same — planks, arm series, push ups, etc. But depending on your instructor, the actual thighs, glutes, abs sections can vary quite a bit in terms of intensity and actual exercises. Personally, I don’t think that’s a bad thing because you never know what exactly you’ll be doing and keeps things from being stale — but I can see it being annoying to some other people because you can’t exactly predict your entire workout. My favorite instructors so far have been Rachel (who I believe just left), Nefertiti, and Jennie.
As others have said, this «studio» leaves something to be desired. I got lost the first time I got here because it’s in the Gansevoort on the third floor (which isn’t super clear when you look on the website or it is also possible I just didn’t read closely). The floor is hardwood so you have to rely on your mat (but these mats are incredibly thick and cushy) and it’s confusing to have to traipse up and down the hallway in your sticky socks and Lulus to check in and then go run down the other end of the hall to the studio.
I’m also under the impression that people taking classes aren’t technically supposed to use the two showers — but they are a combo shower/​bathroom stocked with really nice products (if you can sneak in?).
ANYWAY. To summarize — 5 stars for the workout itself, 2.5 for the space. I wish it was cheaper but I’ll keep going as often and as long as ClassPass lets me (Exhale please don’t ever leave ClassPass!).

Based on the Barre class, I would give a solid ⁴⁄₅ stars. Based on the facilities and everything else, 1 star at best — though they barely even deserve that! I was drawn to book at this studio because I was excited that this was a new location with a SAUNA (I love saunas!) and made the mistake of not checking Unilocal first. I’ll share my thoughts on the actual class first, then the facility:
I had the pleasure of taking a core fusion barre class with Kat and thoroughly had my arse handed to me. She was an absolute joy — the class was challenging but led with such enthusiasm and appropriate music. She also made it a point to try and learn everyone’s names — a task made easier by the fact that this studio is TINY as HECK and would comfortably only hold about 12 students — and continuously praised everyone by name the entire session. After class she even took the time to demonstrate the hanging stretch rack to all the newbies — which was super helpful to learn about proper alignment and form.
As some other reviews note, this space is ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS! Upon arriving at the 3^rd floor, you have to head all the way down one long hallway to the check-​in desk, then schlep back to the opposite end. The front desk is extremely chaotic, as the sole receptionist had to deal clients of the hair salon in addition to hotel guests and spa guests in addition to studio clients.
I’m convinced the wood flooring in the studio was designed to bump up sales of the exhale socks as it made for a super slippery class.
There is no locker room, just cubby holes in the studio — as all the lockers are reserved for spa guests. The so-​called «changing room» featured on their website is merely a curtained off changing space (think department store fitting room) filled with crap from the Cutler salon clients. The spa manager was extremely reluctant to tell me where the showers were, since there are only 2 that are prioritized for spa guests. She made it a point to reiterate how X-​Y-​Z were just supposed to be for spa guests and that she was doing me a favor (in other words, hurry the hell up with your shower!).
As for the sauna session I was seeking — I didn’t even bother asking about that since the answer surely would be «for spa guests only». There should be a major disclaimer on the website and at the front desk that amenities are not meant for studio clients.
Sorry, but at $ 37 a pop, a good workout just doesn’t cut it! I don’t expect luxury, but even your neighborhood NYSC or Planet Fitness has adequate shower facilities, locker rooms, bathrooms, etc so you don’t have to face the world a sweaty mess. I’m sure a lot of regulars who live in the neighborhood know the drill and don’t mind the inconvenience, but for the rest of us, this exhale is an extremely poor representation of the brand and a poor excuse of a boutique studio.

I’ve been taking classes through classpass, so I’ve been trying to go to as many different studios as possible to see which ones I would possibly join long term. Prior to this location, I’ve been to the exhale upper east side location, which was beautiful and luxurious. I thought the Gramercy location core fusion barre class would be the same (the one is closer to where I live), but man, was I wrong. Just to put it out there, the instructor was great, but the space is just terrible.
This location is located in the gansevoort hotel, but nowhere on their website does it say what floor it was on… I had to go through other people’s Unilocal reviews to figure out that it was on the 3^rd floor. When I arrived, I went to the check-​in desk, and all they said was «OK you’re good to go.» This was my first time there, I had no idea where the studios were, where to get towels, where the changing rooms were, etc. I then proceeded to ask him, and he said it was on the other side of the floor.
When I walked over, I saw a door that looked like a regular conference room door you would find at a hotel. I’m not sure why they don’t have their rooms clearly marked… there is also no changing room (the hotel bathrooms are SUPER hidden in the back, btw). There are no lockers, so please come prepared to put your stuff in a wooden cubby hole shelf right a the entrance of the door (super safe, right?). I think they do have amenities, but it’s reserved for their spa customers only or something???
Just a little disclaimer, I was one of the last two students to arrive to class, but when I got in there, I kind of assumed there would be space for me, since they’re not supposed to overbook classes. When I got there, every single mat was taken and the instructor had to put me in the very back with barely any space. The person who came after me had to set up her mat right next to the instructor, laying out her mat HORIZONTALLY. The mats were also way too small — at 5’1, I can’t ever imagine thinking a mat is too short for the length of my body… When it came to the part where we had to go to the bar, again, there was no space, so I had to be put on the stall bar ladder… I have never had this happen before, and it was ridiculous that I had to do that. I had a chance to use the actual bar when some people left early, but the spacing was so cramped that other people’s legs were swinging over mine when we were doing stretches… definitely not something I want.
This studio room is probably half the size of any other studio I’ve been to; they either need to expand their space, or take fewer students. I would not come to this location again. There are definitely better barre classes elsewhere (pure barre, flex studios, flybarre, etc).

As a barre instructor visiting New York I was interested in trying out Exhale’s spin on Core Fusion Barre. I had a difficult time finding the location which isn’t shown anywhere on the outside of the building. It’s inside a hotel. I didn’t see any note about this when I signed up online.
The layout of the place is rather disjointed. After finding the studio inside the hotel you have to take the elevator to the 3^rd floor and then the check in desk is at the opposite end from where the class space is.
The studio is nice, clean and small with a nice view. I prefer this over an overcrowded class. The instructor gave good cues but was a little on the flat side.
My overall experience was overpriced for what it was.

Came here for the class. Teacher is great, class is super intense and I like it. Facilities are very clean and beautifully decorated. Downside is that they only have two showers and it’s kind of small — which is understandable because this is not a gym. Another thing is, I wish the studio could be more spacious and use carpets instead of wooden floor for the core fusion class.

This review is purely based on the space and customer service as I’ve taken a couple of their core fusion classes already and love them.
Even though this space is in a hotel it’s very small. There is only 1 studio and a small check in area.
You can either place your belongings in a cub in your class or you have store it in a locker on the second floor — which is what I did.
After class I was hot, sweaty and in need of a shower. I was advised that the showers were in the spa area and found that they were located in single bathrooms. Only 2 :-/​
This would’ve caused a problem if there were people waiting to use the restroom but there was only 1 person waiting when I came out.
While the class was great I’m not sure that I’ll visit this location again. I don’t like the layout.

Guys, stop being haters.
This review is for the Mind/​Body classes — namely Core Fusion Barre. Basically, this class is the sh*t. You get a full body workout and your muscles will be BURNING like all hell. I’m a pilates junkie at heart, but I love a good mat class and have tried many all over the City. The Core Fusion Barre classes are handsdown the best that you can get.
Yes, it is a bit pricey, but the workout, cleanliness of the studio, quality of the instructors and class size make it totally worth it. Trust me, I have been at some dirty ass, poorly run studios and been salty as hell about paying $ 20. At Exhale, I feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth in terms of the workout and my overall experience.
And…: drum roll :. I decided to become a member. Like I have really been everywhere (lots and lots of Groupons). I truly believe my body will be transformed (but I’m already in pretty solid shape, you know from the fitness studio whoring). I can go to any of their locations (no excuses when I travel domestically, ugh — I mean, yay) and spa services are discounted. They’re currently running a special where they waive the enrollment fee for the month-​to-​month membership. They also have a special with the Week of Transformation where you get $ 80 off your first month. I was all over both.
Check it out. You won’t regret it.

Review based on yoga class only:
Came here with a small group of ladies for a private yoga class. Instructor was excellent, class was challenging and the studio was beautiful. Great location in Flat Iron District. Would recommend the private yoga classes for special occasions but I certainly can’t speak for their other services.