When I use ClassPass and go to new studios, I always write reviews but it recently came to my attention that I have never written them for some of my favorite spots in Boston including Recycle Studio. When they opened up their new location in the South End, it seemed like perfect timing to share one of my favorite studios with you all.

Recycle Studio South End

• Location: South End (18 Union Park Street, Boston right near the Buttery)
• Type: Indoor Cycling

So, I wasn’t a fan of indoor cycling until I visited the original Recycle Studio South End location about 3 years ago. If you love traditional spinning or road cycling, know that Recycle is different in that each song has its own choreography, you ride to the beat and use light dumbbells for 1 or 2 songs. It was the first exclusive indoor cycling studio in Boston, essentially bringing the popularity of a workout like SoulCycle in NYC to Boston back in 2011. While there are tons of spin studios around Boston now, I still keep going back to the original as it is my favorite in the city.

The Studio

The new studio in South End, like the Boston Common location, has multiple classes before and after traditional work hours as well as an 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM option for people like me who have flexibility. It has two showers available stocked with Malin and Goetz bath essentials as well as lockers and a filtered water station to fill up your water bottle. They do sell water bottles as well as fresh pressed juice from The Ripe Stuff.

The Classes

The best part though is the workout of course. The music always feels fresh and the instructors are all great. I usually avoid certain instructors at most studios but at Recycle, I look primarily at convenient times that work with my schedule because I never have a bad instructor. Each ride is different but always challenges me. Lately, my schedule has me loving Erin, Stephanie and Channing’s classes.

At RSSE, bikes are comfortable and new. You do not reserve specific ones. Instructors will give you direction as to how much resistance should be on your bike during class based on a scale from 5-10, 5 being a flat easy road, 10 being barely impossible to push the pedals. As for speed, you’re encouraged to stay with the beat or intensity of the song playing and after each song in finished, you typically get a quick recovery. Don’t be fooled by songs that start out slow!

The choreography varies. Some songs you’ll sit in the saddle and work with resistance or sprints, other songs you’ll be out in third position keeping the beat but usually, I find, you’re moving all around bouncing from position, incorporating “figure 8s”, booty taps, crunches, push ups, jumps and sprints. This helps the time fly by and get you out of your comfort zone. If this makes no sense, the instructors run through the moves at the start of each class.

There is always one, or two if you take an hour long class, songs dedicated to arms using 2 lbs weights. I can never finish the song without dropping, ever. They have heavier weights for challengers.

The instructor does the entire class with you, including the arm portion but they do walk around which makes you try to keep your arms up longer than you would if they were up on the bike. This helps me stay on beat and work harder. I could never teach spin because I would be just so out of breath.

I signed up for last Thursday’s class using ClassPass and took advantage of the new babysitting option during the 8:30 AM class with Erin. I had to pay separately for the child care which was just $10, way cheaper than hiring a babysitter for an hour. Both studios are on ClassPass but to go more than 2 or 3 times a month like me, they have affordable packages that include shoe rental if you don’t have your own.

After I stopped running, I continued to spin during my pregnancy. It still is much more comfortable than running for me. Get $20 off your first unlimited monthly package using ClassPass by signing up here.

This is not a sponsored review but in exchange for a ClassPass Five membership, I’m writing reviews for studios featured on ClassPass on my blog. ClassPass Five allows me to book 5 classes a month, 2 max per studio and is normally $65 a month. The unlimited package allows you to book as many classes each month as you want with a limit of 3 per studio for $119.