With the announcement that Ritual One will soon be bringing its infrared yoga to Dallas, that got us thinking: Where would one go in DFW if they wanted to break a sweat in a non-traditional way?
We're not talking goat yoga or "puppies and Pilates" classes — while adorable, those tend to be one-off pop-ups. No, it's more a search for classes that go beyond the usual HIIT, cycling, barre, and downward dog. Something that's guaranteed to shake up the last six months of routines streamed at home on YouTube.
While most of the below suggestions are currently operating in person, they are doing so at reduced class capacity and often with advance reservations. Be sure to check with the specific studio before showing up.
Offbeat Boxing and Cycling Studios
This White Rock-based studio just opened this week, and claims to get done in 44 minutes what others take 45 minutes to do. That's accomplished in two cycling classes, OnBeat44 and OffBeat44. The first is rhythm and movement-based where everyone pedals in unison to the beat, with added moves like tap backs and arm presses designed to engage the entire body. The second does away with extra motions and encourages you to "just ride, baby," with the music dictating the speed.
The boxing classes are built around three 12-minute rounds, just like a real prize fight, though your opponent is a punching bag so hopefully it's not fighting back. The recovery area is in flux right now due to COVID-19, but is anticipated to be a place where you can sip premium coffee, grab a healthy snack to-go, browse a good book, try vitamins and supplements, and get advice on health hacks.
CitySurf Fitness
DFW may be landlocked (sorry, lakes don't count for this), but there's still a way to live your surfer dreams without even getting wet — well, except for the sweat. Founded in Dallas in 2013 and now with a Plano location and another in New Orleans, CitySurf lets you hang 10 while improving balance, strength, and your core.
The 35- and 50-minute classes replicate a true ocean experience, from paddling to getting up on the board to riding the waves.
AKT
The acronym stands for Anna Kaiser Technique, named for the celebrity trainer and her dance-focused approach. Short intervals of strength training are interspersed throughout the choreography (which changes every three weeks), though there are other more traditional circuit classes available too.
The studio opened in July 2020 in Plano and is run by mother-daughter team Serena Cole and Barrett Cole, who say they've recruited some of the region's top fitness gurus and talent, including professional dancers from some of Texas' top professional sports teams.
Blue Feather
This isn't your typical yoga studio. Here in a studio near the Bishop Arts District, you're up in the air instead of down on a mat, using specially adapted cloth hammocks to take your poses a few steps above the norm.
Aerial Yoga goes at a slower pace, while Aerial Work is a conditioning class in which you'll build strength and endurance. And it's during Aerial Play that you get to learn and practice tricks that make you feel like a member of Cirque du Soleil.
CYL Sauna Studio
Sometimes getting your heart rate up and sweat glands working overtime doesn't have to involve cardio or lifting heavy things. Sometimes it takes the form of climbing into a tanning bed-like contraption in a studio near Greenville Avenue and Lovers Lane and submitting to infrared detoxification, or as CYL puts it, "sweat for the health of it."
The studio's name stands for Change Your Life, and it promises to do just that through a deep sweat that's said to encourage pain relief, skin rejuvenation, better circulation, lower blood pressure, and weight loss. And all you have to do is lie there for 30 minutes at a time.
