The Best Place to Find the City’s Hippest New Fitness Classes Isn’t a Gym

Your favorite fitness instructors are all heading to Newbury Street.


Lululemon fitness studio/Photo by Tessa Yannone

In case you missed it, or haven’t been down Newbury Street in a hot minute, the Lululemon store got a big revamp. Besides being your favorite place to shop for leggings, it’s now your one-stop shop for all things wellness.

The two-story retail store doubles as a fitness studio and juice bar. The first floor looks like any other Lululemon, with the brand’s hottest fashion trends on display, while the upstairs houses a fitness studio, locker room, lounge/co-working space, and Nourish Your Soul juice bar.

But what really sets the store apart is its commitment to booking the city’s hottest fitness instructors for fun and unusual classes. Chris Capozzi, who manages the store’s events, activations, and classes, says he wants the space to be a creative outlet for instructors to try new things—allowing participants the chance to try out classes that aren’t typically offered at traditional studios. While the store is offering a cornucopia of options every day of the week, below you’ll find a list of some of our favorites. And the best part: Your first class is free.

1. Recess with Lauren Keenan, Mondays at 12 p.m. and Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.: If you’re in need of some mid-day play time, drop into this class, because that’s exactly what EveryBodyFights instructor Lauren Keenan intends the class to be. Sure, you’ll use some free weights and resistance bands and do traditional exercises like squats, but she’ll also challenge you to think (and move) outside the box—smiles, laughter, and messing up are all highly encouraged.

2. Train, by B/Spoke, Tuesdays at 6 a.m., Thursdays at 8:30 a.m., Sundays at 9:30 a.m.: Spin studio B/Spoke’s signature Train class is a high-intensity interval training workout to the beat of the music. Expect strength training movements paired with cardio bursts.

3. The Foundation, with Kara Duval, Wednesdays at 7:10 a.m.: If you have yet to experience one of Kara Duval’s Pilates classes, this is your chance to try her carefully curated blend of Pilates, strength training, and functional movement. Big on form, she enables you to be more aware of your body while building strength and flexibility.

4. Kick It, with Briana Gutierrez, Wednesdays at 5:20 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m.: What fitness studio (or experience) would be complete without a Kick It By Eliza class? The high-intensity interval training class pairs kickboxing with a meditative cool down.

5. MyStryde: Power X, Thursdays at 7:10 a.m.: Just as Train is the off-the-bike workout for B/Spoke, Power X is the runner’s equivalent from running studio MyStryde. The workout is broken down into strength training stations paired with cardio intervals to serve as a perfect cross-training option for pavement pounders.

6. Boxer’s Bootcamp, with Reid Eichelberger, Thursdays at 5:20 p.m.: If you need a tune-up between boxing sessions, drop into this class. Combining shadow boxing with body weight movements and dumbbell exercises, you’ll finesse your fighter conditioning.

7. Yoga, multiple times and days of the week: What kind of Lululemon would this be if it didn’t have yoga? Available every day of the week, the yoga classes being offered feature different styles of yoga as well as a different spin depending on each instructor’s technique. Drop into Catie Macken’s Exhale class on Friday’s at 4 p.m. to end your week or try Yoga for Athletes with Taryn Burns on Wednesday’s. Yoga teachers Aly Raymer and Sarah White also teach classes weekly, so be on the look out for their classes.

8. Run Club, Sundays at 10:15 a.m.: Choose between a five or 10 mile route, and hit the city streets along the Charles River with a group of runners. Afterwards, chill out in the studio for recovery and bites from Nourish Your Soul.

The full schedule of classes can be found on MindBody, $25/single class, $118/5 class pack, $200/unlimited class pack, 208 Newbury St., Boston, shop.lululemon.com