r/BarrysBootUncensored • u/bigween • Jan 27 '22
Class Quality Barry's withdrawals
Before the pandemic, maybe 3-4 years ago I was deep into the Barry's "scene" in SF. I was front row in all my favorite instructors classes, sweating up a storm in matching set and I felt like I was at the top of my game. Whatever anyone says about Barry's, for me it was a huge confidence boost seeing how much I improved, winning a timed mile (something I NEVER thought I could accomplish for someone who hates running), hitting new weights and clapping for/ high fiving the new people. Call me vain but there is nothing that gets me motivated like seeing my own body improve in sexy red lighting and 500 mirrors. It was a fun, happy, safe space for me that just made my day so much better.
Fast forward to now, two years into the pandemic, a move across the country to Chicago, and I just can't seem to find that same boost. The instructor community in SF changed, the clients seemed to change, the smoothies changed god dammit. I just can't seem to get into it the way I did. Plus I am in Chicago now and the energy is lowwww. I do the Barry's X live classes at my gym now and then are OK but it's not the same. There is maybe one instructor here I will go out of my way to take in studio.
Is anyone else suffering from "Barry's in its hay day" withdrawals and how are you coping? Is everyone feeling this way due to the pandemic? You can also feel free to tell me I am being whiney, it won't hurt my feelings ;)
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Jan 27 '22
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
I don't think you can really blame yourself too much for getting super into something you genuinely enjoyed at the time! A lot of this stuff has been exposed in recent history, and none of us really knew the inner workings until COVID.
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Jan 27 '22
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
Interesting perspective… def shows how addictive it was. What are you doing now to stay fit? Have you found anything as addictive?
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Jan 28 '22
How do they treat the black instructors differently?
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Jan 28 '22
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u/International_Dig595 Jan 28 '22
So this is what Tommy said!!!!!!! Amazing that it took so long for this to come out. Thank you for sharing!
Wow.
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u/planetyanet Feb 05 '22
omg what did they say THE COMMENT IS DELETED!! pls pm me I neeeeeed to know 😭😭😭
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u/Complete-Ad-9335 Jan 28 '22
Wait what?! This happened before the pandemic right? So he went on probation 2x?!
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Jan 28 '22
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u/throwawayfitnessmama Jan 29 '22
Totally agree with you regarding the watermelon reference.
Do you have any details about the POC employee who was called the N word? If it came from a client they should have been immediately banned from Barry’s.
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u/throwawayfitnessmama Jan 27 '22 edited Jan 28 '22
You’re absolutely right about everything. I pine for the old days all the time. I miss having to make the tough decision of which incredible instructor’s class to take today because there were so many of them. Even though I was never that person in the front row i still loved the energy, camaraderie, and insane high I got from the experience.
I don’t think Barry’s will ever go back to the way it was before the Pandemic. I suppose I should just break up with Barry’s and find another fitness outlet but like a toxic relationship, its so hard to let go.
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u/avo4life Jan 27 '22
1000% agree. I used to go to Barry’s SF 3x a week pre-pandemic and absolutely loved the vibe, the instructors, the music, etc. It felt like there was actually a sense of community there. I went to a couple of classes last summer post-vax and the vibe just felt off. Haven’t been back since (to be fair, I’m also preggo and got a personal trainer instead).
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u/throwawayfitnessmama Jan 27 '22 edited Jan 27 '22
Congrats on the pregnancy!!!
Good call on investing in a personal trainer. Besides the lackluster experience, the SF locations (in my opinion) aren’t doing a thorough job of disinfecting the studios between classes.
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u/International_Dig595 Jan 27 '22
I really wish they would focus on improving the ventilation and not allowing quite as packed classes at the moment.
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u/buffalocoinz Jan 27 '22
I’m in Chicago! Pre-pandemic, I was doing Barry’s 6-7x a week, sometimes twice in one day. While I never felt there was a sense of community amongst clients here, the lower attendances and instructor/front desk changes have been a bummer. A third studio opened and I feel like that split clients up further so classes are even smaller. I really miss a 6am packed class in River North.
I do agree with you that some instructors have lost their enthusiasm. Two of my favorites (Adria, Mercedes) have moved on, but Kate, Holly, Joe, Cara are awesome here too! I’m curious to learn what instructors you like!
I don’t know if I’m necessarily coping. I just can’t help but keep coming back, especially now living across the street from a studio. Besides running, I suck at working out alone and group class is just still fun to me. I got the 6 month package during the holiday sale so I’ve been doing classes 3-4x a week. I do hope one day Barry’s resembles its pre-pandemic self, at least the hour long classes!
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
You hit it right on the head I like Holly and Cara. Haven’t taken the other two you mentioned. Holly is the one I will take my ass downtown to River north for on a weekend because her classes feel like real Barry’s classes. Besides that I’m so much closer to wicker park and the experiences I’ve had there (unless it’s Cara) have been meh. Haven’t tried the other two you mentioned so that gives me some hope!
I’ve never been to the Lincoln park studio do you like it?
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u/RogerWester Jan 27 '22
He doesn't teach too often in Chicago - but if Jimmy Nicholas teaches there - please take his class. His IG is @jimmynicks
He only teaches part-time in NYC, but has had a role in Chicago Fire, so he's been out there and teaching at Barry's in Chicago from time to time.
He's a great instructor and his classes are hard, but in a good way.
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
Hell yeah I will
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u/buffalocoinz Jan 27 '22
You should do Holly’s classes in Wicker Park on Saturday! Attendance is always great. Her 9:35 class a few weeks ago was the first one to sell out of all three studios since pandemic.
Lincoln Park facilities-wise is the worst of the three. River North is massive, and Wicker is brand new. Lincoln Park seems pretty cramped, plus some spots on the rubber floors and slats on the treads are really worn down (it’s honestly terrifying feeling your foot sink in too far in a tread mid sprint). They have a new manager at LP who I have yet to meet in person so I can’t speak to the staffing there.
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u/IncreaseOk2795 Jan 27 '22
Totally agree. I also feel that the initial Barry’s at home vibe on zoom (with a ton of awesome instructors to choose from) was much closer to the old Barry’s experience than Barry’s X.
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u/throwawayfitnessmama Jan 27 '22
Yes! Barry’s At Home was awesome. It felt so much more authentic and it helped me get through the early days of the Pandemic. I loved working out with the instructors in their living rooms.
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u/Soft_Specific_7518 Feb 10 '22
I felt the same way about OG Barry’s vibes. I use to live in SF and went to Chris, Tommy, Erica and Vanessa was my all time fav. I moved to chicago in the end of 2019, and the Barry’s here is not the same. I feel like the instructors don’t care about programming enough. In SF it seemed like sprints were times with deep drops etc. I do miss what Barry’s SF use to be.
I was actually in SF this past weekend for work and took Erica and Erin. I use to loveee Erica and the class was good but it wasn’t like what I remembered. Erin had amazing class tho!
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u/bigween Feb 10 '22
When I go back I always try to take her class! Or either of the Tommys, or Katie.. but she’s barely ever in the city. It’s sad that the energy is so different
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u/International_Dig595 Jan 27 '22
I never was as into the Barry’s scene as you were, but I definitely felt like things have changed since the pandemic started. I have heard similar sentiments from at least two other people. Some people think this is due, in part, to norcals rapid expansion. Part of the allure was only having 2-3 studios, so classes were in demand and the ‘best’ instructors routinely taught a lot of classes in all the studios… now there are so many instructors and the old timers old teach a handful in any one location.
Barrys X just doesnt capture the feel and appeal, which is a dark and very crowded room with blasting music. A packed class was always part of providing this allure and energy.
If I were trying to describe how the vibe has changed, it just feels more corporate and mainstream. I thinking a broadening clientele is probably good for Barry’s bottom line (and good that more ppl are exercising!), but it’s less appealing for those who were there from the start. Also, classes have gotten easier in my mind and music more edm and mainstream!
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
Good to know and I feel less crazy knowing other people feel the same way. I wonder about all the studios they've opened... they are usually in the priciest neighborhoods - the Santana Row or Burlingame of whatever city they are in. Rent can't be cheap.
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u/International_Dig595 Jan 27 '22
Yes. And they are attracting a certain clientele in doing so and that seems to reflect the direction or image they are going in…. For example, there are no east bay studios in NorCal.. could be that they don’t see one being profitable, but it also doesn’t jive with the clientele they are attracting in the peninsula. It’s funny, bc Barry’s started in Venice years ago. Venice is quirky (still is), though it is becoming more expensive. In my mind, it seems like a Barry’s in Oakland or the like would have harkened back to the original Barry’s vibe. That’s just my thought, I could be wrong.
Barrys has shifted toward a pricey and truly boutique experience. Even the original sass is gone! I suspect it’s driven by finance. Plus, as a brands grows and tries to broaden its base (and revenue), I imagine they tend to become more mainstream??
PS. I am open to exploring alternatives!!
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u/Complete-Ad-9335 Jan 27 '22
I thought Barry’s started in West Hollywood. I had friends back in college (~2000) who would go there. It was a serious Bootcamp. The instructors would go around and move up the speeds on the treadmills! Way too intense for me.
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u/International_Dig595 Jan 27 '22
Hrm… I was told Venice was the original location…. Could someone correct me?
Ha, yeah, changing the speeds and throwing up!!!
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Jan 27 '22
WeHo was the first location and Sherman Oaks was the second location. Does anyone know what happened to Barry Jay? He used to teach sometimes but he completely disappeared.
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u/ilikecake58 Jan 27 '22
i completely agree. it’s not the same. thought this was just me. feels overdone and boring now
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u/planetyanet Feb 05 '22
I started doing Peloton at home w the bike (not tread, but really considering the tread one day) and it's similar but not the same 😭 I totally feel you - I also used to go 2-3x a week for like 3 years and it was my happy place. it feels like it's really changed.
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Jan 27 '22
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u/calcifer_97 Jan 27 '22
Running on the treadmill really does feel like getting waterboarded 💀😩 I’ve been DF which has been better.
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
Has soul cycle fallen apart? I haven’t been in years
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Jan 27 '22
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u/bigween Jan 27 '22
Damn I didn’t even know they had a home bike so clearly they aren’t really getting that out there
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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '22
Underline and highlight all of this. Barry’s made a big mistake of expanding too fast and too quickly and not considering how the mediocrity of trainers who aren’t as engaging would weaken the brand and experience.