Best Fitness Studios

13 ways to get a killer workout in Dallas

Going to the gym is not for everyone. Perhaps you don't know where to start with the equipment. Maybe you can't commit to the terms of the membership. It could just be you don't like the lighting.

Luckily for the Dallas fitness fanatic, there are plenty of boutique fitness studios that offer a range of high-intensity, low-impact, sweat-inducing workouts:

Bar Method
The Bar Method started the whole ballet-workout craze in 2000, with a studio in San Francisco. Now there are locations throughout the country, including Texas. Classes focus on elongating muscles, reducing body fat, dance conditioning and intense interval training. There are three levels of classes (plus pre-natal modified classes) offered at the Park Cities locale. You can reserve a space online.

Barre Bee Fit
Barre Bee Fit's philosophy differs from that of a traditional barre studio in that instructors take a more spiritual approach. It started in Chicago, with the goal of providing a one-stop workout comprising cardiovascular training and body toning. Franchisee Alicia Hutton brought the concept to the Dallas Design District, where the mix of classes means you never get bored with the same old workout. The latest class, called Baryasa Stretch, is Barre Bee Fit's version of vinyasa yoga.

Beyond Studios
With founders nicknamed "The Assassin" and "The Accomplice" and a workout dubbed "The Killer," you know these people mean business. Beyond started in 2010 with the idea that diversity is the way to attain fitness goals. Plus they wanted to shake things up a bit. The first two studios offer classes such as PILATESremix, SWEATremix, BARREremix and STRETCHremix. The newest location in Snider Plaza, called Beyond Pedaling, is dedicated exclusively to cycling.

Bodybar
Bodybar provides Pilates-minded people with a new kind of exercise routine. Each high-energy 50-minute workout combines Pilates, resistance and cardio. All 10 classes work your muscles with dynamic movements, isometrics and cardio bursts. There is also an in-studio mini juice bar with raw drinks and healthy snacks for post-workout revitalization.

City Surf Fitness
Choose from four classes at this studio, which has special equipment from surfing innovators Surfset Fitness (one of Mark Cuban's companies) that combines a paddling element with a balance board base to mimic the feeling of surfing on water. It forces you to balance using all of your muscles, which increases flexibility, strength and endurance. As you break a sweat, high-energy music blasts through the speakers, and a video of ocean surfers get projected on the front wall.

Crowbar Cardio
Owners Karen Soltero and Molly Setnic believe in "wrecking your workout, not your body." That means if you have a concern — say, your knees — there is still a workout for you at Crowbar. This studio is all about low-impact, high-intensity workouts and offers classes with RealRyder bikes (a shock-absorbing bike that moves from side to side), barre and Indo-Row machines. Crowbar also offers boot camp-style classes.

Fitness With Insight
This is the only dedicated TRX® (Total Body Resistance Exercise) Suspension Training Studio in Dallas. TRX, which was invented by a Navy SEAL, is what it sounds like: a workout in which participants use a suspension system to shift and angle their body weights to challenge their endurance. If all of that sounds scary, there is a beginner's course that focuses on teaching proper technique and body alignment in a stress-free environment before you graduate to the trickier moves.

Exhale Spa
It's counterintuitive to think that one of the best workouts in Dallas occurs inside a spa — a space more inclined toward relaxation. But Exhale's Core Fusion classes — from barre to boot camp to cycling — have a cult following, because they produce results. The fitness regimen focuses on core strength, using weights, balls, bands and your own body weight as resistance. As your body begins to transform, so, too, will your mind.

Gym of Social Mechanics
Yes, the word "gym" is in the title. But this small studio, from the owners of next-door HG Sply Co., offers a different, social approach to fitness (hence the name). Classes offered Monday through Saturday incorporate foundational lifts, body weight movements, yoga, cardio and actions that simulate daily, real-life situations. Groups are small, and there are two coaches per class. A membership gets you unlimited sessions, and you can now practice yoga on the roof.

Flywheel Sports
There are 45 bikes at Flywheel Sports, ready and waiting for high-energy riders. Classes are all about intensity; you ride while climbing and working your arms to get full-body benefits. Flywheel is definitely for the competitive biker: You can compete with a classmate and see your stats on the TorqBoard at the front of the room. There are two locations, in Highland Park and Plano.

PilatesBarre
PilatesBarre, which now has two locations, offers three kinds of 50-minute classes and private sessions — all of which involve whole body strengthening, lengthening and toning. You can expect a full-body workout with the help of a Megaformer machine in the Pilates Barre class. Bootcamp Barre involves more cardio and ballet, and the Barrebody class incorporates yoga and band resistance. All of the classes, set to high-energy music, are taught by upbeat instructors.

Speedflex
Speedflex claims to burn 300 percent more calories than steady-state exercise such as treadmills, elliptical machines or stationary bikes. The efficient workout takes only 30 minutes, and the system relies on force applied by the participant, not the addition of weights, to provide resistance, which helps keeps muscles safe from damage. The first U.S. Speedflex center opens at Preston Center in June.

Terlingo Cycle
Cycling instructor to the stars John Terlingo returned to his hometown after spending 10 years in Los Angeles. Enthusiasts flock to his Oak Lawn studio, where they sweat it out alongside the city's elite. The 45-minute, calorie-blasting, full-body experiences incorporate weights and core exercises. But Terlingo would tell you that he takes his clients on a journey toward self-improvement.

Flywheel Sports

Photo courtesy of Flywheel Sports

Flywheel Sports

unspecified

Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

nature