Exhale Upper East Side

This place is great! I got a fantastic massage from Johanna and it changed my whole week! In addition, the bathrooms/​whole place was spotless and the staff was super friendly. A manager even checked in on my experience afterwards… If I only I could afford a massage here every day.

I’ve been doing core classes at Exhale for a long time now, and two obvious observations: the classes are getting way too crowded (that ruins my workout) and the music is terrible. At the point where I’d almost prefer NO music.

I took my first barre class last week — Core Fusion Barre with Tyler. The check in area /​gift shop is beautiful (a bit intimidating though as it feels so «fancy») and the changing area /​lockers are very nice, and well stocked with all the essentials for freshening up. The class was very mixed age wise with young women in their 20s-​30s and also those in their 60s+. Not exactly sure if I fit in, as the class did feel a bit simple and was hoping for more of a challenge. Granted I do have a background in dance so that certainly gave me a leg up on the others. It was a great core workout, although I do wish we did more work at the barre and I got to sweat more. I enjoyed the instructor very much. He was clear, motivating and very attentive to each person in the room (remembering nearly everyone’s name, which was rather impressive). I would certainly go back, but would try Core Fusion Barre Advanced next time now that I know what to expect.

I love entering this oasis of relaxation for my workouts. I have attended a couple of Core Fusion Barre classes through Classpass and feel like I’m getting such a deal. It’s an expensive Upper East Side Madison Avenue fitness studio and spa but I get to go there for, what feels like, free. The changing rooms are great, and never over crowded. They have many things available for your use– slippers, robes, razors, tampons, and really nice smelling lotion. The workout is tough, but when you’re in a zen environment it makes it easier to work out. I recommend Exhale.

Ok, some context: I’m reviewing this based on attending the Core Fusion Barre through Class Pass. So of course I was running late and was nervous I would get attitude at the desk and possibly not be let in at all. Everyone at the desk was nice and understanding, and I wasn’t made to feel bad for being late and being the farthest thing from a pampered, ultrafit UES-​er (you never know with some of these places). The teacher (no idea who, unfortunately) was smiley, funny, and felt approachable, although she did get a bit intense during the ab section (sorry, my abs are just not ready to let me lean back that far!!). It looked like a full class, but I personally never felt overly crowded. The desk again was understanding when I locked myself out of my digital locker (oof!). Also, the locker room was super nice with provided razors and mouthwash, etc. and looked like it would be comfortable for showering and getting ready in the morning if you took a class before work. If I lived or worked in the area, I would definitely take another class here.

This review is three-​fold:
1. I normally go to this Exhale to see Allison (esthetician). She is great! I have actually been seeing Allison for almost 2 years now for facials and peels. My facial was consistently amazing. She is amazing with my skin! 5 stars!
2. Steam Room/​Bathroom. It was my first time for a massage therapy at this spa. After walking about 30 blocks, I decided to get there early and relax a bit before my massage and take advantage of the steam room and waiting area. The steam room was very disappointing. It was dirty, to say the least and the smell was not pleasant; the floor was dirty, as well as the grout. I was scared to step in. Pretty sure I won’t attempt that again. 2 stars!
3. Massage — My massage was great. I had the Exhale Flow massage. Johanna, the therapist was informative immediately upon entering the room. The pressure was great and she was diligent in working out my knots. I will definitely request her the next time. She was great! 5 stars!

Deeply deeply deeply obsessed with core fusion barre here. Plus the staff is incredibly friendly (and I loved the instructor).

Love this Exhale location; the staff is wonderful, atmosphere is relaxing and the classes are excellent. I take a few of the different yoga classes offered here and all of the teachers are great instructors. The place is always kept clean and the staff (front desk, cleaning crew and instructors) are all friendly and helpful. I’ve tried a few different studios in the city and this is by far my favorite place for yoga classes! I haven’t booked any spa appointments yet but am looking forward to scheduling a massage in the near future.

Massage: I have been several times over the years for massage. I tend to like to try ‘new’ therapists but honestly the quality has been pretty dismal. Stick with the ones that have been there for a while/​have a solid client base… waiting room is puny (not even enough chairs for everyone to sit who was waiting for an appointment), there was a sign for warm neck pillows but nary a pillow could be found, and the only one magazine in the room.
Facilities: There have been a lot of positive comments about the changing room facilities which kind of amazes me. It is pretty tight, towels are threadbare and falling apart, but yes, I like the products and baskets overflowing with tampons in the bathroom stalls. And its nice having a steam room even if it is a four seater. :) And I liked the updated hair/​mirror bar rather than lockers.
Going to try the yoga this weekend… hoping that I can move up to 4 – 5 stars!

This boutique studio is one of its own. It definitely exhorts lifestyle all around as there are shops for products as well as spa services. The space is beyond clean and spacious. It’s always stocked with everything you could possibly need in the bathroom for a seamless changing experience in a space that’s zen. I normally take yoga classes which I love and I’m always excited to go back to. I took a barre class a few months ago and I definitely didn’t like it. The exercises feel awkward and unnatural. The teacher didn’t seem the most experience either… She felt more like a generic aerobic instructor than an experience fitness trainer. Not my thing, maybe I’ll give barre class another a try later with another instructor. Overall great space and great teachers. Love the space and I am always pumped for a class there.

I have been to Exhale several times and am always disappointed at how bad the experience is. The last time I went was the worst. I’ve never made this mistake before, but I accidentally signed up for a class at the UES location and showed up at the CPS location. After the CPS location was very unhelpful about the situation, I called the UES location asking if there was anything they could do. They not only weren’t understanding about it, but after putting me on hold for 10 minutes, they said they wouldn’t even check me in if I rushed to get up there a few minutes after class started! It wasn’t within their «grace» period and they would charge me the cancellation fee anyway. They were snobby and rude to me on the phone and completely unwilling to be helpful. Customer service clearly isn’t a priority for them.
Not to mention, the classes are overcrowded and the facilities aren’t that great… definitely not worth the insane prices they charge!

I have been here before, and love the Exhale chain as a whole, but I recently signed up for class pass and after years of trying everything and incurring a variety of injuries from spinning to pilates, yoga, barre and running, I am going to review my experiences from this new perspective.
Let me begin by saying the space is clean and beautiful and the front desk staff was very friendly which goes a long way. It is very easy to get to from the subway as it is right off the green line which again, is quite appealing.
I took core fusion barre with Laurie at 6:45am before work on a Wednesday. Luckily I showered before class which will come in play later. Laurie was super friendly, asked all the new people their names, and remembered them, and also remembered injuries you may have told her. I have been to studios with the same teacher for 2 months, and they still forget my limitations or injuries.
The music was fantastic, the pace was fast, the cues were perfect and it was tough enough, but I did not feel like it was out of my league, which was nice. With classpass– I plan on taking full advantage, so I do not need to be beat up, but worked out, so I can do more the next day. Maybe after doing advanced pilates for the last 2 months, my muscles may be in shape for hard classes without the soreness the following day, though I sweat my butt off during class so I know I was working hard ;).
Laurie made the atmosphere energetic, and a kind of ‘leave your attitudes at the door if you have one’, which I appreciated. It was a very positive supportive environment.
There were some regulars in their cute little outfits with a tad of ‘tude, but mostly this morning class felt friendly and I would highly recommend it.
That said, the day I went was 85 degrees and humid, even that early, and they did not seem to have the a/​c on in the workout room or in the locker room. So after class, everyone rushed to shower and get ready for work in a hot steamy locker room after a hot sweaty workout.
I had washed my hair and body before class luckily and put it in a bun, so I just wiped my body and face down, put some moisturizer and makeup on in the hallway mirror, where there WAS a/​c, and got the heck out of there. This is the only reason for a not 5 star review. I usually like to look on the brightside of experiences I have from workouts to restaurant, to professional services and landmarks. This is a personal pet peeve of mine though that I find a lot of studios ignore. They just do not take into consideration how non-​condusive a hot locker room is to getting ready for work and putting on makeup/​clothes.
Great class and instructor, already scheduled the same class at a different time and location, just to test that one out. Classpass is going to me so fun this summer!

I love this studio. It is super clean and the instructors are fantastic. I do feel that I get a more intense workout at physique 57, but exhale is perfect for me. I particularly love Laurie Levy who is super hands on and motivating. I can count on her to push me yet correct my poses when need me.
One particular instance did leave me very disappointed. I never cancel class less than 24 hours in advance, however during one of the major snowstorms I knew that it would be very difficult to make it to class on time. I called and asked if they can work with me due to the inclement weather (I mean it was a state of emergency) however they told me they would charge me regardless. I booked through classpass therefore really they wouldn’t be losing anything and this class was available for booking when I checked my friend’s account so I know the class was not fully booked. I ended up calling classpass and unlike exhale they were courteous enough not to charge me. My roommate had to cancel her flywheel class for the same reason and they were more than understanding.
To make matters worse, when I told the girl that I will try my best to make the class because I would be charged regardless, she had the audacity to remind me to be on time because I wouldn’t be allowed in if I was ten minutes late. In any under circumstance I completely understand but on this day, I mean really? There was already 6 inches of snow and it was not letting up any time soon. With half the subway lines being delayed or down traveling is a little difficult. Oh and p. s they have a 3 or 4 hour cancellation policy and I called at 1:12 for a 3:45 class. For an expensive, reputable studio, they could’ve worked with me.
Regardless, knowing that I don’t usually have a tardiness problem, the instructors and studio are worth coming back to.

The categorization as a ‘day spa’ is completely mis-​leading. Per the majority of these comments, this place is more of a fitness studio. From the lobby filled with fitness apparel for purchase, to the tiny steam room in the back of the bathroom, this place is not at all what you’d expect from a day spa. Rather than the serene all-​day spa experience, here you will find thumping music from the classes, sweaty men and women inter-​mingling with massage appointments, and even a too-​small massage waiting room without enough seats for all those waiting.
The massage was fine, not particularly better than any I’ve had before. But for a fraction of the price, I’ve had the same quality in other parts of town.
The only reason if pay these extremely high prices for a treatment would be to enjoy the facilities. Massages are $ 150+ and facials are $ 200+. Definitely not worth it.

Best. Massage. Ever.
Was very happy with Wil, who was my masseuse for a prenatal massage. This was my second professional massage during pregnancy, but this experience blew the last one out of the water. It was almost double the price, I suppose, but if you’re looking for a truly relaxing spa experience, Exhale is the best on the UES. Arrive early so you can take full advantage of relaxing prior to your appointment.

This review is for the Core Fusion classes and the facilities. I’ve attended various classes around the studios in SoHo, Meatpacking, Central Park South, and Upper East Side and enjoy them all. The facilities in UES are in a nondescript office building and is located on the 2^nd floor. The place is more spacious, like the CPS studio.
They have lockers with the digital pin pads, so you don’t have to worry about bringing a lock and overall, there’s more room to spread out. I have not used the showers but they are available. The front desk is nice and all the classes I have taken so far (yoga, barre) have been challenging and great workouts. I highly recommend the core fusion classes, and also this location.

Inhale, challenging sequences in both Barre & Yoga classes. Exhale, working my body in ways I would normally be too lazy to push myself to do so.
FTW (for the win)
I’m a fan of their fitness and I am choosing favorites, Isaac & Edward. Both yoga teachers are knowledgeable, with intelligent, often pretzel-​y postures to push the envelope. Plus, I enjoy their often dry, slightly-​to-​very sarcastic commentary — true New Yorker who know yoga. My people. They also have class times that are realistic for me; 7:15am and 7:45pm, so I can enjoy my practice without stressing to make it to/​from work. I’ll admit that I go to more yoga than barre classes here, but those are great too, in a very intense, high energy way.
In addition to the classes, their locker room is a nice upgrade to most studios with many showers, slippers and even robes! (Likely due to the attached spa, but hey, I’ll take it.)

I’m really new to yoga and through Classpass, I’ve tried quite a few yoga places over the last 6 weeks. Exhale is by far my favorite place to do yoga. Diana is amazing, so sweet and encouraging and when she went away for a couple of weeks I was so disappointed but I’m glad I went because I loved the other instructor as well– Stefanie. I’m exciting to keep learning more and really enjoy yoga at Exhale. The classes have a nice flow which I like.
I’m scared/​intimidated to try Core Fusion (the UES snooty housewives situation) so I’ll stick to yoga!

A little confusing to find (it’s on the second floor of the office building at 980 Madison ave) but once you’re upstairs it’s easy to navigate. Front desk was great, locker rooms clean although a bit tight, studios were spacious.
I’ve taken the core yoga, core sport, and core barre classes here. My favorite was sport then barre then yoga, but all were really good and worth the time.
I do recommend getting the special barre socks for this location for the core barre here — for some reason, it didn’t feel as slippery at CPS but I was definitely struggling to keep from falling during planks and stuff in Studio 2.
It’s a very serene environment and I would consider coming back to try some of their spa services as well. Their shop also has cute clothes and candles/​travel accessories!

I LOVE this studio! It is amazing. I have taken a barre class with Karen and a yoga class with Nixa and enjoyed them both immensely! I especially loved Karen’s class. She knew everybody’s name and was extremely encouraging! I would go to one of her classes everyday if I could!
The dressing rooms are really nice! There is a steam room and lots of complimentary all natural products. No parabens!
I am not big on spa treatments, but if I was, there are lots of promotions and specials so it seems like you can definitely get a good deal! There are lots of loyalty perks, too!
Check out this awesome studio!