Recycle Studio – Boston Common

Great workout but poor value:
This is actually the best workout of the Boston chains. (turnstyle and handle bar) I think of those the class is the most challenging and I always get a great workout. However this is the only one of those three I would never pay full price. For the price ($ 26) the amenities are far below the level of flywheel, handle bar, and turnstyle. They have very clean showers but in the last year have stopped providing deodorant, dry shampoo, makeup wipes, etc and have also once run out of towels. Turnstyle regularly goes on sale for 12 – 15 $ and they have all of these things. The front desk staff can also be very unfriendly and unhelpful. IMO, pay $ 4 more and get a way better workout at flywheel, or pay $ 11 less and go to turnstyle, which is way nicer.

My favorite part of Recycle are how nice the staff and instructors are.
What I don’t like is how low quality the audio is (both music and instructors’ mics) compared to the other studios out there, and how stuffy (smelly) the 7pm weeknight can get after a long day of classes.
However, the showers & towels are really clutch for a 6am week day class to get ready before heading to work, and they’re usually not too crowded — 2 or 3 girls top.

Anni might be the best spin instructor in the city. I’ve probably tried 10+ studios through classpass, and Anni’s class is my favorite. It’s really challenging, and she never lets you rest on one resistance level like some instructors do; she always has you turn the resistance up throughout songs to keep pushing yourself. Seriously, her warm up song is harder than the «challenging» songs in lots of classes I’ve been to. She also gives clear instructions and is super motivating.
4 stars instead of 5 only because they don’t have many showers and the shower/​changing area is tiny, so it can get crowded after the 7am rides when lots of people are getting ready for work. Also the elevator usually isn’t working for the early AM classes so you have to walk up to the fifth floor and squeeze by people coming down.

Okay, honestly, I’m embarrassed I haven’t written a review for Recycle.
I’ve been to both their locations, but the Boston Common location is normally my home base. My favorite instructor is Anni, who just CRUSHES it every single time. Seriously so motivating, energizing — she has this awesome ability to create this feeling and energy that I can’t even describe, seriously my favorite ride. Even at 6 o’clock in the morning, I’m feelin’ it. Love her.
I haven’t ever had a bad instructor here, though. They are a studio that does push ups and tap backs and crunches and a weights section on the bike, so if that’s not your thing, this might not be your place. (I spin a lot… and to be honest, I definitely prefer the workout without the push ups and crunches. That being said, Recycle’s my favorite spin studio and I enjoy the choreography at Recycle because it’s done intermittently and briefly in a way that helps you recover and energizes you — they don’t try to make an entire work out with on-​the-​bike-​push-​ups.)
They renovated the Boston Common location a year or two ago (??) — it’s beautiful with a nice changing room, plenty of showers, all the finishes are gorgeous. Shoes are first come first serve, though it looks like they have plenty. They sell some apparel and water bottles and have a filtered water station to fill up your bottles. Oh – they also have towels for showering, which is incredibly convenient.
Their South End location is relocating to a new space, so I’m sure that’s going to be amazing.
Staff is generally very friendly. I took my boyfriend to his first few spin classes here — he and one of the desk staff had a whole long conversation while I was showering up and we stuck around for another good 5 – 10 minutes chatting — she was super friendly and clearly enjoyed connecting with us for a little bit. It’s little things like that — feeling welcome whether it’s your first time, or hundredth, and feeling appreciated and valued. Cheesy, I know, but it’s a great place to be.

Classes here are awesome — the instructors have tons of energy and never stop encouraging you to push it throughout class. Also, in a world where studios often seem to charge for every little thing, I had a great experience here: I’d signed up for a class on a Friday instead of Tuesday on classpass, and showed up at 6am to the Tuesday class. Upon discovering the mistake, they let me take the class for free. Great studio, great people :) thanks Recycle!

I have been spinning for over 7 years and came to Recycle for the first time tonight. I was blown away by how friendly and helpful the staff was and how great the class was. I took Caitlin’s class and she had great music and fun energy. The class flew by (which is always a good thing) and I got a great sweat in. Erin was another instructor in the class who was super helpful in helping me get my new spinning shoes to work with their bikes. Overall a great experience and I will definitely go back.

Every time I take a class I always think why have I not written an amazing review yet?! The instructors are great, full of energy and fun. The classes fly by due to the fact each song has choreography which also makes me feel that I had a full body work out. The fact this studio has copious amount of clean showers available makes it a gem. I’ve been and gone to all spin studios and this location is def one of my favorites!

I have been going to Recycle for about a year now and decided it’s about time I write a post because my friends have been trying to get me to go elsewhere in the city and here is the reason why I won’t.
My usual class is the BUFF ride with Lindsay. The BUFF ride is the only «advanced» option Recycle offers and I made the mistake of taking it for my first class ever but haven’t looked back since. First of all the woman is exceptional. When I am in her class I feel like she is speaking directly to me and her motivations light a fire under my ass (literally from all the jumps and squats). Lindsay’s classes are like a Taylor Swift concert and each song is like one of her surprise guest artists.
But no matter what class I am at at Recycle I always feel like I am among friends and I ALWAYS get my ass kicked! LOVE IT HERE!

I have been attending classes at Recycle now for about 3 months through class pass. The studio is clean, and honestly, unlike some other reviewers, I have never had a problem with their customer service. That could be because I’m walking in like a zombie at 6am.
My usual class is 6am with Anni. She is really nice and helpful throughout. I love that she bikes to the beat of the music, her instruction is easy to follow and encouraging.
I have had the experience a couple times where my shoes fell out of the clips during a sprint which felt dangerous and I scraped up my leg pretty bad. Otherwise I’ve had a great experience here!

A little torn on how to rate this — when it comes to boutiquey studios, for the price, it’s not always just about the workouts, but also the amenities/​friendliness of the instructor and staff/​willingness to explain things to beginners so they don’t get turned off. The workout itself was a step above average spin classes, but the customer service has leaps and bounds to go.
Takeaway: if you’re paying this much for a boutique spin class (about the same cost for a nice dinner out in the area), just pay the extra few dollars and go to Flywheel.
First off: the vibe. So, customer service was quite simply awful. Even though the front desk knew this was my first time coming in, there was no effort to explain anything to me or show me around the studio.
And, here goes my mini rant. I got there about 10 minutes early because I was new to the studio and like to get all set up and safely settled in before the instructor starts. But by the time the instructor was about to get started, I still couldn’t figure out how to clip in. Instructor asks if anyone needs help; I raise my hand and everyone around me notices. Instructor promptly ignores and starts class. I run outside to get the front desk girl to help; lights are out and now the girl is using a fake candle to see what to strap my shoe into. Alas, turns out the clip on the bike is actually broken. Move to a new bike; she informs me that one is out of order. Move to another; finally get clipped in after another a few awkward minutes as everyone spins around us, but my handlebars were shaky and I couldn’t figure out how to fix. But now I am clipped in and don’t want to undo all that work by running back out and getting the girl again. I think if bikes are broken or out of order, either let it be known with signage, or make sure to fix the bikes because this is about SAFETY. Like, this is the main thing you offer — biking. Make sure your equipment is maintained! /​rant
The space, while updated and cute, is not conducive to having so many people in the studio at once. It has the hardwood floor/​cute apartment «look» of Pursuit, but is only a fraction of the size. (I guess that’s the drawback of the prime location). Turnover between classes was horrifying — the amount of people trying to come in and trying to get out, all at once, in about a 100 square foot «lobby» was a nightmare. There were lines for everything — to ask the front desk girl a question; to get water; to get to your stuff; etc. And everyone is hot and sweaty gross and I just want to leave and omggetmeoutofheeere.
The workout itself: A step above your average gym spin class. Free clip-​in shoes, yesss. (Love the workout you get with clip-​ins). The second level of bikes was raised up in a stadium-​style way. There was also a weight song, and my arms were sooo sore afterwards, in a good way. The instructor, minus ignoring me in the first few minutes, was pretty good — she kept the class pumped, and the playlist was chock full of fast-​paced songs by divas, which I’m a fan of. The instructor did way too many of those tapback things though, especially without explaining how to do them properly. Same with the «pushups» on the bike — it just hurt my knees so I opted out. The lighting was darker than most other studios — like, I honestly have no idea what the instructor looked like, but I really liked the dark feel. The cooling system could honestly have been better. It seems like there were just fans (even on a hot summer day) and every time it blew my way I got the stank of the sweaty girl next to me. But, I left drenched, and I’m a fan of sweating all my toxins out so I think it evens out.
Overall, I’ll still probably come here because it’s the closest studio to my apartment on Classpass, but I definitely don’t get the feel-​good vibes like I do in Flywheel or Pursuit. And there’s no way I’d ever pay for a class here out of my own pocket.

I love this place! It is super clean they have a separate shower/​bathroom that is such an indulgence. The instructors are always great and have the best music. The classes are challenging but not the type of challenging where you never want to go back. I go typically for the 7:00am workouts and it is the perfect start to my day. They give you towels and shoes if you want, and the room is very calming with the use of candles.
The only con I have is that a couple of teachers I’ve had incorporate way too much arm work to the point I get dizzy. The push ups can get a little excessive as it is a «spin» workout, not an arm workout. I get what they are trying to do (full body), but sometimes I just truly want to spin!

This is my favorite spin studio on Class Pass! Stephanie is my favorite instructor and really motivates you… especially for those early AM classes. Studio is clean and the girls at the front are nice and accommodating. You can borrow shoes which is complimentary and they also have water bottles. I always bring my own and fill up though. Every class I have been to I work up a sweat and feel great afterwards. It keeps me coming back!

I think the classes here are great but the service here is absolutely terrible. I showed up around 6:20 pm to class and the doors were locked even though someone was working at the front desk and there was a class in session. Another girl working there was coming up the stairs behind me and made me wait outside and claimed the studio was «closed». Ummm it’s not closed– you just don’t want anyone to come in because God knows what you are doing in there.
About two minutes later another girl walks into the studio and it’s all smiles and giggles for her. Ohhhhh, my bad. I didn’t realize this is clique studio! You only let your friends cycle, is that it?
Recycle studio has great classes and super nice and inspiring instructors. But because of their terrible front desk service I am giving this place a 3 star rather than a 5 star rating.

Recycle would have been three stars, but their new renovations definitely jumped them up to four. The space is much more open and there are two showers. I don’t think there are any lockers, but they lock the doors during classes apparently and you can store your stuff under the waiting benches. This makes the post class hussle much easier.
You used to have to pay to rent shoes but now they are complimentary. You can also clip in with your regular sneakers but I wouldn’t reccomend it-​it just feels bulky and not secure. Even in spin shoes, I have flown off the pedal a few times. I’d chalk that up to my inability to use a simple «shoe in» mechanism, but it never happens to me at other studios and it seems to be a common complaint here, so maybe it’s not me.
The classes are fun and challenging though and that is really what’s important. It depends upon the instructor, but the music is usually pretty varied and fun. No over abundance of techno, thank goodness. The arm workout is more strenous than I’ve seen in other places.

The bikes are impossible to clip into even after someone came over to help me! And I fell out of it 4 times during my ride which is extremely unsafe and unacceptable!!!
The instructor, John, was really quiet. I sat in front of him and I could barely hear what he was saying. The music at times got way too loud for their sound systems and it was evident because the songs started to sound fuzzy and staticky. In fact, one of the staff members who were riding had to stop, get up, and turn down the volume of the music.
The instructor did not seem to really care about our form or cue us to realign which I think is important. Probably will not be coming back even though it is so close to me. I really wish I liked this studio more and wish I had a better experience!
They do sell fresh juices and have cute attire for sale

Great class with emily. Wasn’t comfortable with the moves at first but got the hang of it quickly. Challenging, good people, and felt great after.
Was just disappointed I didn’t think to use my classpass and paid full price.

This studio is really dangerous. Their bikes aren’t properly taken care of. I was moving the handle bars down in class today and after really struggling to free it from the screw, it slammed down and cut my finger pretty severely. The girl at the front desk couldn’t find a bandaid anywhere in the entire studio so I finally had to ask to borrow some of her gorilla glue tape to at least apply pressure. The part that hit my finger was incredibly sharp and it went through the muscle on my finger. The actual class was nothing to write home about. It was too focused on incorporating arm workouts (not with weights) into the class and very seldom focused on actual cycling. I think recycle needs to focus less on looking like a good studio and more on actually being a good studio– one that focuses on the health and well being of its customers.

I absolutely LOVE this studio! Very recently (within the past month), they completed a major renovation of their Boston Common studio, and it looks beautiful. They have a couple of showers now and the space feels clean, modern and vibrant. They also now have their bikes set up with stadium seating (two long rows of bikes, the back row is lifted for an unobstructed view of the instructor). I also think everyone is super friendly from the moment you step in and I was given a tour of the new facilities.
In addition, I have loved each and every class here, both at this location and south end studio. The instructors really know what they are doing (which I can confidently say, is NOT the same at some of the other studios in the city) and always lead an amazing class. I love riding in the candlelight, and always leave feeling rejuvenated. I have no negative feedback to give whatsoever. Plus, they have some shoes available to rent, which really adds to the experience. Check out this studio!

How do I contact this studio if I need to talk to someone live? This morning I emailed a question about a class I signed up for today but they said they won’t get back to me for at least 24 hours… HELP! If I don’t get my question answered and can’t attend class, are you going to charge me the $ 25 for cancelling late?

Okay spin class, but has no contact info. If you submit a question via their online form they take days to reply. Kind of a bummer if you end up leaving something behind.

Unsafe temperatures for a comfortable workout — stay away. This spinning studio space is located in a residential building that’s not meant for as an exercise venue. The stand-​alone air conditioning they have setup cannot keep up with a room full of people doing an intense workout.
I went to one spinning workout and got dizzy after about 40 minutes because it was so hot and humid. There were at least 5 other complaints from people in my class about the workout space being too hot. The walled mirrors fogged up from the heat and the humidity of everyone working out.
Doing an intense workout in high humidity and heat that this studio has is very very dangerous for health.
It seems like the staff and the trainers are aware of the problem but they’re more concerned with making the next playlist for the next ‘hot spinning workout’
Stay away if you care about your health

I’m a little torn on how to rate Recycle, because I realize not everyone has the same taste in spin studios, and this one isn’t very well aligned with mine, so I’ll just lay it all out for you.
The pros: friendly staff and instructors, nice space
The cons: I disagree with the philosophy of the class I attended. There was not enough (any) focus about proper form and cadence. This is really the core of what indoor cycling should be about. I couldn’t believe how many people were bouncing in the saddle without the instructor correcting their form! More resistance people!
I hate the «push-​ups» and «touch-​backs» fad choreography. It’s distracting from getting a good workout in and encourages poor form. I’d rather just get off my bike and do some pushups.
My bike was broken as well as the one next to me. The staff made an attempt to fix both, but it was pretty clear my handle bars had rusted into place and were immobile. A studio with this many bikes and classes ought to have well maintained equipment. It would be nice if the bikes had computers so you could check your rpm, speed and watts. It doesn’t need to be competitive like Flywheel, just enough to makes sure you’re in the safe 60 – 110 rpm range.
Overall it was a pretty average class. I was never praying for it to end, but I also didn’t feel spent at the end. I ended up taking on a 3 mile run so I could get a better burn for the day in. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get to this studio again.

Some friends and I planned a bachelorette party here a few months ago. Getting all of the logistics squared away was a bit messy at first, but once we were in the studio, everything seemed to fall into place. The class was high energy and challenging. Get on the beat, push yourself to your limit, and the class will fly by. I loved that we worked our upper body too, with light hand weights and some stability work to tone the core.
But, what was most impressive was how much the staff catered to our bride to be. We sent in a play list ahead of time, so every few songs the instructor would give a shout out to our crew as the customized music played during class. They even put together little gift bags for us and designated a section of their space for us to gather and hang after class. The studio felt clean, open, sun-​filled and airy – a perfect atmosphere for snacking and toasting after class. Overall, Recycle did a really nice job organizing our little party. I would definitely come back for more classes, even if they’re not all followed by champagne.