Honest Review — My First Time Taking a Pure Barre Class

As a former ballet dancer, I am always looking for an excuse to bust into a plie or tendu. I was intrigued to see that a Pure Barre location recently popped up in my area, and decided to give it a try. Here is my honest review of my first Pure Barre Class.

Class Registration and Onboarding

I created an account on their website and was given the option to take a free introduction class. Since I wanted to go with a friend who was already a member, I decided to pay for a Classic-style weekend class instead.

In order to reserve your spot, you need to book your classes online. The classes filled up super quickly, so I would recommend scheduling classes 2 weeks in advance to ensure you get a spot.

Once I arrived to the class, I was greeted warmly by the manager and the instructor. She asked if I had any injuries and walked me through what to expect during the class.

Class Experience

The class was 50-minutes long and broken into different segments, based on the muscle group that was being targeted. All equipment was provided, which included a yoga mat, light dumbbells, a yoga ball and resistance bands. We were given quick water breaks throughout the class.

The instructor did not fully demonstrate each exercise, so I did find myself looking around the room quite a bit to try and follow what was going on. However, she did circle the room frequently and jump in to help or correct my posture when I was lost.

I was surprised to see that the workout strayed quite a bit away from the ballet moves that I was used to doing in other barre classes. Exercises involved a lot of pulses and targeting specific muscles at a time, with a focus on legs and abs. While the workout was low-impact, I did find myself beginning to sweat towards the final core segment of the class.

Overall Impression

Since the workout is low impact, I think it would be a good option if you are new to workout classes or have recently recovered from an injury (just make sure to tell your instructor so she can provide modifications!). If you are looking to incorporate it as part of your weekly fitness routine for weight loss, I would recommend supplementing it with heavier strength training days 2–3x a week as well.

While it might not have been the barre class I had been expecting, I definitely enjoyed my first Pure Barre class and will be taking another one soon.