SoulCycle SoHo

I finally decided to take advantage of the fitness rage that SoulCycle has created, after all I received a gift to sign-​up. Scheduling a class (select instructor/​time/​date) is fairly simple, but it would be nice to be able to select my bike base on class set-​up. Didn’t realize that I get an appointed «seat.» Was happy to know that my class would include complimentary SC shoes, since it does cost to rent.
Now to the reality, I was about to attend my scheduled class in a rush, but then opted not to when it was suggested that it would be best to start my first class with adequate time to assist with my bike set-​up… ok. But, during my hurried decision to attend or not they gave me the standard agreement to sign and a pair of their special shoes. As those shoes were plopped on the desk in front of me, a horrendous odor occupied my space. It reeked of foot odor that probably had been sweated for ages and never disinfected. I’m impressed of those SOHO ladies that have the time to grace themselves in/​out of these studios in fab shape. But the last thing I would want to do is wear their sweaty smelly shoes, not to mention many go barefoot in them.
Please be aware that sweat is body odor waste which causes alarm for some infectious harmful bacteria growth. Improper feet care can result in terrible consequences, not to mention fungal outbreak.
With their wholesome brand and the pricey amount for this exclusive experience I’m ASTONISHED that SC does not disinfect/​sterilize these shoes to maintain proper health safety for their loyal customers, enforce a wear socks policy for renters, or at least throw away those worn/​improper shoes. There’s even rumors that Taylor Swift has a SC instructor, but I highly DOUBT she would be given a pair of SMELLY shoes.
I’ll happily exercise, but I won’t be a souless member.

First time riding in SoHo!
As usual– very lively, very challenging.
Sat in the front this time since I consider myself (slightly) experienced enough to roll with the big boys.
No joke up there.
Had no idea that Akin, the instructor, also trains Taylor Swift. I expect to have as much body fat as her by the end of this month, thank you very much.

I don’t have any complaints regarding this location. I came here for my first ride and have been coming ever since because it’s convenient (a block or two away from the subway) and it’s in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city (a little shopping before or after class).
Everything that some disappointed people are complaining about is addressed on soulcycle’s website: if you are running 10 minutes late, let the studio know. 5 minutes before the class, your bike will be given up to a walk-​in. The prices ($ 3 for shoe rental, $ 2 for water. There is a filtered water station as well) are listed or you can always call the studio and ask. This wouldn’t really be rocket science if some customers read the policy.
Regarding hours… I mean yeah. It’s NYC, if you’re coming Mon-​Fri after 5:30 aka after work, it’s bound to be a bit busier.
As far as the location, it is a bit small but it’s spotless. It’s clean, toiletries are at your disposal and I’ve never received anything less than great customer service from the front desk. Literally if you even look like you’re having trouble clipping in and setting up your bike, one of the employees will run over to you (literally) and help you. Overall so far, I have no complaints.

I am a huge Soul Cycle fan, but I encourage all new riders and old riders to skip this location given the plethora of Soul locations in NYC.
Soho Soul Cycle is the most un-​soulful experience. For the hefty $ 34 plus shoes and water money, this location is worst than the cheap, run-​down studios in Boston for college students.
First of all, the location is tiny and the changing rooms are in the basement — very inconvenient. They have very few lockers and tiny shower rooms. Right after class, your sweaty self will be colliding with other sweaty people.
The spin room itself almost smells nasty and unclean. I’ve never been given smelly shoes at Soul Cycle, but at this location that’s always the case.
Finally, for my last two classes here, the instructor didn’t make it last minute and the sub kept checking the door to see if the instructor was arriving. Then the next class, the class earlier ended late, so there was only a five minute turnaround in between classes. By the time I went to use the bathroom once, the next and last class of the day already started with most of people still getting into the room.
Soul Cycle is a great experience, go to the NoHo or FiDi location. Skip the Soho one.

Holy Thunderthighs and gut! I’ve been doing soul cycle 3−4x/wk for 4 months and my thighs went from slim and toned to thick and muscular. I never had a stomach/don’t drink alcohol but I’m actually getting a beer gut. Spinning may work for some but wow it bulks you up like you wouldn’t believe. If that’s what you’re looking for then soul is good for you but that is the exact opposite of what I wanted. Live and learn. The music and instructors at this location are fine but the workout really ruins your body. I took the top instructors who always have a wait list and stayed on almost every beat with them. I drank the koolaid for a good while and pretty much plugged my ears to all the criticism but I learned from experience.

I’ve been coming to this studio lately because one of my favorite instructors teach here (Roxie /​/​when I can’t make her FiDi classes). Just like any SoulCycle studio, the staff is amazingly friendly, helpful and so cheeful. They always seem so happy. LOVE IT. Great vibes!

Although I consider myself a fit guy, Jaws ate me alive in my first ever SC experience this Saturday. She’s a force of nature, and apparently loves picking on the newbies. Well, at least this newbie. The good news is everyone in the class knew my name by the end of it…
ProTip: Don’t be cocky and choose the heavier dumb-​bells.
Thanks,
Edward

Extremely poor customer service! I bought into the Soulcycle hype and so far had signed up for 11 classes. One morning I arrived, eager for my soul survivor class and checked in at the front desk. The receptionist was having a hard time understanding my bike number and one of the girls assisted her by confirming my bike number.
Once checked in I proceeded down the stairs only to hear the associates gossiping about charging someone twice. I figured no big deal, it can’t be me. After completing my class I get two notifications saying I indeed had been double charged for my shoe rental and water purchase. I approached the front desk politely and showed them the email showing the double charge. The manager Samantha said she would take care of it and I asked her to send me an email confirmation. I left kind of disappointed because I knew I had been double charged by a pack of little mean girls sitting at the front desk.
After an hour or so I realized the transaction had never been refunded and I decided to head back to soul cycle to speak to a manager and tell them about my experience. When I arrived, I once again questioned Samantha about the refund and told her what had happened that morning and why I was frustrated. Samantha chose to defend her associates, while they laughed behind her, until I got angry and began to demand a refund and proof of a refund. Once Samantha was able to show me proof of the refund «surprise» my bank account finally reflected the transaction. It was never about the money, it was about the service and behavior.
I proceeded to ask Samantha for a general manager and she claimed she couldn’t share that information. As a result, I am finishing my remainder classes at other venues and cutting ties with soul cycle indefinitely. I will never ever recommend the brand to anyone. Buyer be ware! It’s an ugly overpriced culture that’ll sneak up charges on you if they happen to dislike you.
Besides that the facility is too small; no changing space, you will bump elbows the whole ride and or have someone’s ass in your face with no ac in a dark steamy room, with stinky rental shoes.

If there is anything I loved doing while regretting it at the same time, it’s this!
This is a hardcore workout for someone who runs a lot but doesn’t do much else (me).
I arrived a little late on a Sunday morning, but the front desk staff were extremely helpful, getting my bikes shoes for me and taking my outside things to put in a cubby downstairs.
One of the staff led me into the bike room and as the door opened, it revealed a candle lit darkness with pulsating music. I was helped onto get my bike and settled in as the class was already in full swing around me.
The locker room gets packed afterwards. There are showers available but I just grabbed my things and dipped.
My instructor, Jaws, was awesome. Super motivating but not in a bootcampesque way. Be prepared to sweat, and have fun!
(Also, I honestly couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to unlock my bike shoes. You have to forcefully twist the top of your foot out and up. Hope this helps, somewhat.)

Here is a «do» and «do not» when attempting a ride at SoulCycle SoHo. We’ll go «do not» first:
1. Do not attempt to ride here at 5:30 or 6:30pm Tuesday — Friday (unless you love sweaty gridlock everywhere you turn). This also goes for mid-​day on Saturday mornings.
2. Do go any day of the week at 8:30pm. It becomes a ghost town and you basically have the entire studio to yourself.
After three varying attempts at maximizing an enjoyable workout and minimizing other people’s sweat on my person, trust this is a winning tactic.
#Renegade #Warrior

It was my first time taking soulcycle and it was an awesome experience. I took class with Grace. She is such an energetic instructor and made an 830am class on a Saturday morning feel worth getting out of bed for. It was a group of us celebrating my sister’s birthday and we all had a great time. Staff is sweet and very accommodating. Definitely will be going back!

SoulCycle, the funnest cult you’ll ever belong to!
Just kidding. No but really. There are a lot of motivational quotes all over the walls and the merchandise is great for all your cult needs. Onwards to the spinning!
My friends convinced me to go because Akin is supposedly Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss’ instructor. Ok, I’ll go to an 8:30 AM spin class on a Sunday morning if I think I will see Taylor and Karlie. Unfortunately they were not there when we got there. But there were a bunch of friendly people who worked there! They were super encouraging from the moment I walked in. After grabbing a pair of shoes and putting my stuff in a locker I headed into the studio where one of the staff got me all set up — she was super nice and reassured me that I shouldn’t be intimidated by some of the other people there, some of whom went twice a day! The guy next to me was super nice too. What a great cult!
The class itself was super tough, though I was able to take it at my own speed (read: never turn up the resistance, barely use the weights, and just try to keep spinning at all times). The choreography, while fun to watch, was super difficult and I didn’t really get it until the very end. But what an end! And how fun!
Overall, I would do it again. I like fun and bikes.

My first timers advice is the same:
1) Get there early. If your set up is rushed, it will turn you off from soul cycle. Even after someone sets you up, speak up if it still feels weird (i.e. Your hands have to stretch way too far to reach the handle bars).
2) Don’t sit in the front row. That area is for the more advanced. I like to sit second row so that I am motivated by the first row.
3) Remember the 3 bike adjustment numbers for future reference.
4) Get the desired hand weights you want before class begins.
5) Use the bathroom before class begins.
6) Get all other items to increase your comfort: ear plugs, hair scrunchy etc.
7) If you are going to be late, call so they don’t give up your seat.
Now enjoy your ride. Try to do all the moves to the best of your ability. It is $$$ so if you plan to just do your own thing, there is a NYSC around the corner. This location is pretty small so the changing area does get hectic. Try different instructors. I had a solid «who’s the best instructor?» debate and it really varied. I enjoy Akin at this location. Happy soul cycling!

My soul has been saved! My husband’s Jesus lovin’ family can rest easy. I’ve spun my way into heaven.
The gift of designer spinning was given to me by two buddies who are obsessed. It is truly their religion. I’m pretty sure it’s making them broke, but this isn’t my business… their buns look firm, and they’re happy… so I was excited to give it a go myself.
As is often the case in this hood, space is tight. This makes the few minutes between classes pretty awkward. Not quite enough functioning lockers and clean pumped people are face to face with themselves in an hour: sweaty shells of themselves, trying to get out of there as quickly as possible without anyone smelling them.
Tight space and price point aside, I definitely get the appeal. Jaws is an excellent instructor (with a frightening name) and doesn’t single anyone out, even if you’re a newbie and are clearly not *quite* doing the moves properly. I really enjoyed the loud tunage, dance-​y-​ness and having my soul spun into shape in the dark.
Am I a convert? Honestly, probably not… but if I want to treat myself to an upperclass spin class, I’ll be back.

one of my favorite soul cycle studios. the studio is big and in great condition with very friendly staff. The instructors give a great class to expect to sweat it out!

I came here on a «Movember» special (where men ride for free during the month of November (2014) if you’re trying it for the first time).
I came here expecting that this would be like any other spin class that I’ve taken at gyms. Considering that I’ve been spinning for a good 3 years (3−4x/week), I thought that I would fall easily in line with the class and difficulty level. Man, I was caught off guard. Note: This is not a normal gym spin class. It’s an intense 45-​minute ride where you have to constantly stay on the rhythm with the instructor and the rest of the class. You’re not only staying on top of the pace, but also the shoulder and head-​bobbing movements. To me, the head-​bobbing and shifting of my shoulders from side-​to-​side really diverted attention away from maintaining my form, posture, and resistance/​speed.
Class:
— Took Akin’s Thursday evening class– he’s motivational, high difficulty level
— There isn’t any «instruction» given during the class (because you can’t really even hear him over the music) — you really have to follow his movements
— Great music/​more on the trance side (which is not really my preferred type of spin music) — I’m more of a remix-​type of guy
— The shoulder movements and head-​bobbing was really gimmicky and didn’t understand the purpose of incorporating it into the exercises
— Bar weights were difficult, especially after completing strenuous routines
— Akin points out students who are falling behind in resistance (which, I don’t mind), and will either say it over the microphone or come over and increase the resistance for you
Facility:
— Friendly staff– helped me with the check-​in process and helped me set-​up my bike
— The bikes are horrible– considering the price you pay per class, the spin bikes are so much better at Equinox and Flywheel (I guess I like to know what my RPM and Watts are)
— Men’s locker room is small– not really a lot of space for the guys to change– I felt so claustrophobic that I ended up taking my stuff out of the lockers and walked down the street to Equinox to shower/​change
— Lockers: tiny
— Locker area: cluster fuck of people during the changeover. Felt uncomfortable having to hover over someone to grab their locker
— Filtered water fountain for those who bring their own water bottles or you can purchase bottled water for $ 2
— The spin room is so hot and unventilated
Overall, I may decide to take a second class with a different instructor. I have a feeling that Akin’s class is more appropriate for an experienced Soul Cyclist. If I had to choose between Flywheel and Soul Cycle, I’d prefer Flywheel for its «Torqe-​board.» Flywheel is a step-​up from your typical gym spin class and keeps everyone competitive. However, Soul Cycle tries to eliminates the competitive edge and tries to keep everyone as a whole and on the same rhythm.

Take your class with Mantas and watch your world change.
This location is odd shaped, but the studio itself is very large and in great condition. The front desk people are super nice as always, and the facility itself is pristine.
This location also had free snack giveaways and popsicles on a Sunday afternoon!

Despite being a boutique fitness ho, this was my first SoulCycle experience, and it was meh. First of all, the 6 train was delayed and I arrived at the studio exactly 4mins before the start of the class. Luckily, one of my more punctual friends was already there. I walked in on her yelling at the front desk staff to hold my spot. Word of advice, little spinning padawans: arrive at least 5 mins before class or else your bike could be given away to the hordes of crazies who show up without registering, hoping someone would not show up.
For first timers, shoe rental is free; otherwise it’s $ 3. While I was filling out my form, I noticed the distinct smell of feet emanating from my borrowed shoes on the counter. This kinda grossed me out but I’ve never sniffed my other borrowed spin shoes so maybe they all smell this bad. After I finished signing my waiver I dashed inside to set up my bike. I was all ready to start class, but for some reason I could not get my left shoe clipped in. This has never happened before. I tried for a good few mins before calling someone over — she got on her knees and tried jamming my feet into the clips but still couldn’t get my shoe in. She came back with another shoe but it was the wrong size. Finally after a full 7 mins had passed she finally brought me the right shoe and clipped it in. I have no idea what happened during the warmup, bc I was sitting on the bike with my left foot dangling. The portion of class I did participate in was pretty standard. We did some tapbacks, jumps and free style spinning. The arm series was fun, but much shorter and not as burny as the arm series at Cyc or Flywheel. My favorite part of the class was probably the last song — we got to spin at our own speed to Beyonce’s Halo.
After I walked out of class, the girl who helped me clip in my shoe came over and told me the clips on the original shoe were broken and that’s why I couldn’t get clipped in. Er… thanks for letting me know… I guess? Overall, SoulCycle is an ok workout but not that different from the million other cheaper spin places in the city. I probably won’t be back and judging by the hordes of skinny betches (and bros) in lulu milling about before every class, they won’t really miss my business.

So it’s my second time doing this with Akin. First of all he is a great instructor. Me personally I’m out of shape and just had a baby like a month and a half ago. It kicked my ass but left me feeling energized and kinda high to be completely honest. I can’t keep up yet because I’m soooooooooo out of shape and not to mention fat and new to this but I think with time I can get there. No one is judging and they dim the lights. When I’m too spent I just sit in the bike and try to keep up my cycling speed. All in all I think it’s worth it!

Jaws is the best! I like the studio layout. The bathroom was very clean. Front desk chicks are friendly. Free cold pressed juice (sometimes) after class. There is an intense work out guaranteed. Intro class is only 20 $, then single classes are 34 $. Shoes are 3 $ and they have water for 2 $. There is also a water refill station if you bring your own bottle or want to snag a refill. They do have packages available as well. I will definitely plan on taking classes here next time I am in town. I am Soul Obsessed :)