I Got Soul at SoulCycle
I have to admit right up front that I am not an indoor cycling:
- Lover
- Expert
- Aficionado
- Fan
And when so many people rave about SoulCycle, when in the US you just have to put your own potentially sore arse aside and just do a class. And I had no excuses considering it is located just 3 blocks from where I generally stay in Santa Monica.
I am now a fan after my 2nd and 3rd SoulCycle experiences. I have been 3 times and each time the experience gets better! In fact, I cannot even tell you what the class was like as I was entertained – so entertained I didn’t even know I was cycling!
Who is SoulCycle?
Taken from their web site www.Soul-Cycle.com:
At SoulCycle we believe that fitness can be joyful. We climb, we jog, we sprint, we dance, we set our intention, and we break through boundaries. The best part? We do it together, as a community.
From my experience, the community to right!
Now it’s not all roses for my review!
My very first class was in Santa Monica and my experience was not great. I had just been to another cycling studio where you got a free water for the class. So when I was offered a water I jumped at the chance of a freebie! Then before the class had started, I have an email receipt from SoulCycle with my bottle of water!
Then in the class, the music was super loud and the instructor was screaming in to the mic. I had no idea what she was saying or telling us to do. This one off was at that point my ‘off experience.’ And I was very comfortable in saying I would not go back!
But around 2 years later, I’m in the Santa Monica studio again and being infected with the energy! I was getting soul before I entered the cycle studio! And I was prepared with my own water!
What I Love About SoulCycle
From a business perspective these guys and girls really get ‘branding.’ Whatever definition you want to give branding, SoulCycle tick this box consistently!
From a consumer perspective, there are 3 things I admire and keep me going back:
- There is always something going on in the studio – look at the Christmas card making table.
- Their email marketing is educational and engaging.
- The fun! There is no ‘work’ in the workout!
My Experience At SoulCycle
I am blown away at the number of people that are on the front desk in peak hour classes. I think at my 8am Saturday morning class, there must have been 5 to 7 people on the desk. And every member was greeted with a smile, eye contact and warmth. These people could easily switch to the front desk of a 5 star hotel!
I have had different instructors in my classes: Lindsay & Alba – how do I know? Because my class record is saved on their website that I can log into!
Lindsay was a pocket dynamo!
Anyway, OMG I had no idea I was cycling as she danced, pranced and sang us through an hour of excitement! In fact, at one stage we were pumping our little legs so hard that she sprayed water over the whole class in the chorus of the song! And not one person complained!
What I saw different between Lindsay and Alba’s class was that Lindsay had us connect and encouraged the person next to us with pats on the back and high 5’s! This oxytocin hit was a great addition to her energy.
And by the way, after the 2 classes that I loved I bought clothing! The clothing is cool and modern (not cheap shit shirts) and I want people to know I am part of the SoulCycle community!
My summary:
- Online booking – 9/10
- Branding – 10/10
- Workout experience – 9/10
- Service experience – 8/10
- Ongoing communication – 9/10
- Chances I would return for another workout – 10/10
Note –I paid $US30 for the visit and these are my personal experiences on the days of workout.
To see inside SoulCycle with JT’s eyes, become an Active Management Member for as little as 24.90 a month. You can see:
- The Christmas card making promotion
- The Soul Etiquette
- The Soul On-Boarding emails
- The retail space
- And more . . .
Plus you can see other gyms, studios and facilities in the world like:
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Justin is the Managing Director of Active Management, which he began January 2004. He offers coaching to businesses worldwide in everything from start up and design to marketing and sales systems. Justin also facilitates four Australian and New Zealand ‘fitness industry roundtables’ events, which allows him to see a huge cross section of business models.