Row House

Here are a few thoughts on the Columbus Circle facility:
Space — The single bathroom on the main floor is tinier than the one in my apartment, and that’s saying something. Nonetheless, the facilities are quite clean.
Receptionist — She could be a little more welcoming, but at 6:15pm on a Friday, I don’t blame her.
RH Full Body 50 — Great full body workout! My lower back was definitely feeling it the next day, but in a good way.
If you haven’t been working out in awhile and want to get back in the game, this is the place to start.

This morning I took an Express class with Steven A and had an incredible workout. The class had some no-​shows, so I was very lucky to benefit from personalized attention with 1:1 coaching. Steven conducted the class with the same enthusiasm and professionalism as if there were 30 people in the room. The drills were great and emulated those used by teams in competition. I improved my stroke and left the class exhausted and exhilarated. Steven and RH rocks!
As an add on, this morning I took a class with Chris A as coach and he is one of the few who will motivate me to arise on a Friday for a 7am class. Solid direction with a sharp sense of humor and fun drills that leave you feeling accomplished. No wonder he has a following. Other fantastic coaches — Arielle, Gretchen, Matt, Hana, Bretton… the list goes on with reception that make you feel welcome. Give it a go!

This was a great workout! I was skeptical but curious of a 50 minute row class because it is one of the newer «en vogue» NYC workout scenes. It’s a few avenues off Columbus circle so make sure to give yourself enough time to get there.
The studio has two bathrooms, so it was easy for me to change coming straight from work when I arrived. The bathroom floor was a little grungy but overall ok.
The class itself was a good challenge. There was great entry level instruction for a beginner like me at the start and the instructor walked around and checked on all the first-​timers through the class. You do about 40 minutes of rowing and 10 minutes of floor work in the middle which provided a nice break. The studio also provides a towel for you to use, and trust me, you’ll use it! This got my heart rate pumping along with the great music.
The only complaint I have is that the water cooler is an elevator ride downstairs in the cross fit gym, it would be nice to have one upstairs too.

I’m giving a tentative 4, which is really a round-​up from 3.5, because the workout itself was really challenging, a lot of fun, and left me sore the next day (in the best way!). But, the space is TINY and pretty out of the way, so there are certainly downsides.
Pros first — the class is a good workout, and that’s what you’re there for. I came for the Full Body for my first class, and definitely feel like I got a full workout. The instructor (Hana) came around to all the first-​timers before class started, and made sure that we understood the machine, practiced proper posture/​technique with us, and explained what the dashboard meant. During the class, she was super enthusiastic and encouraging, and did a good balance of rowing with us (which is always motivating, and helps you get the right rhythm/​posture) and walking around correcting people, which I really appreciate. They also have lockers with scramble locks (so no need to bring your own) and towels available, so the basics are covered.
The major problem I had with this place was just the size. It’s TINY, which means almost no waiting area and bumping into people as you’re waiting for/​leaving a class. But more importantly, it also means bathrooms are a hot commodity. I got there about 20 minutes early and was still barely able to slip into the bathroom before my class started. There’s only two bathrooms and they double as a private toilet/​sink and a shower, so if someone is in there showering, there’s no way for you to pee. Not the hugest of problems, but it definitely stressed me out to be wondering if the person in the shower would be done before my class started. Also, the only water cooler is downstairs in the crossfit studio, which again isn’t a huge inconvenience, but it would be nice not to have to take an elevator downstairs just to grab some water.
Weirdness with the bathrooms/​water aside, I still really enjoyed my time here, and am looking forward to coming back.

Great cardio Workout ! The class is divided between 3 parts, 1 rowing, 2 floor exercise 3 more rowing ! Don’t think that you will have to have big arms, this is all about the legs. So great exercise for girls!
The studio is very cute. People are extremely nice and attentive. My favorite instructor is Gretchen! She is really attentive and makes sure to give you a give workout !
The showers are good, with the normal amenities. But no hair brush …
They accept class pass also !

I’m so glad I finally got to come here. I’ve always wanted to go to Row House ever since they opened up at this location.
The space itself is rather tiny. Not many employees either. I like that we can take Wednesday’s free TONY magazines on Tuesdays.
Caley has been my favorite, so far. Her core floor work, in my opinion, has given me the best results. I felt like I sweated more and I was sore the next day. She also gave great pointers. How to sit up right, and whatnot. Originally came in with a Gilt City voucher and I’m thinking of buying extra packages just for her classes.
I tried Ashley’s Core workout last night. I think she’s new. She’s very vocal… talked wayyyy too much, and felt like her floor work was me trying to half-​ass an ab workout at home. Her music choices were BOMB though. Lots of Drake. YASSS!

While far off the beaten path, it is worth it to venture to Row House. I generally take the 10am class on Saturday and I have always been satisfied with this class time. The instructors push you just the right amount and I always leave feeling accomplished. I like having the variation between the rowing portion and the non-​rowing portion which includes things like squats, burpees, lunges, and sit-​ups.
However, this past Friday I went to the 7pm class with Sam and the experience was not as good as usual. He was all over the place and the typical level of enthusiasm and motivation just was not there. Normally, the instructor gives you specific intervals or stroke counts to follow and this helps you gauge your exertion level throughout class. Sam seemed to have some difficulty with timing and the class suffered by not having much structure.
Row House provides small lockers and changing rooms with a shower, though I do not find the bathrooms to be all that clean. For me the location is not too far out of the way and since I have enjoyed the Saturday classes I will return.

I don’t give 5 stars unless my mind is blown away so 4 stars is pretty high for me. I came here on a Tuesday night after work for the 6pm class using Classpass. The level of difficulty in my opinion is intermediate rowing with moderate core work but this is «Row House» so of course the concentration is on rowing. The core work is just a bonus or a break from rowing depending on how you look at it. The atmosphere of the class is dark and I loved the darkness because it puts your mind in a zone to just get crazy with the workout. There’s three rows of rowers, there really isn’t any special attention from the instructor to any row you choose so don’t be scared to sit in the front.
Here’s the breakdown; The vibe is like a spin class where the instructor has a headset used to project their voice to the whole class instead of individual attention. The instructor starts off the class with a tutorial for the whole class no matter if you’re a beginner, intermediate level, or a rowing expert which is great because nobody gets left out and that sets the tone and pace of the class. The instructor is encouraging but never gets in anybody’s face to embarrass them.
There was pretty much 9 to 12 minutes of rowing for three to four sets with intervals of hard «pulling.» After each set of 9 to 12 minutes of rowing there’s floor work which was three sets of squats, lunges, and sit-​ups. The following sets of core work included leg raises, laying towel touches, and bicycle crunches, followed by one minute of plank. The whole class is set up in sets that increases the intensity of the pulls by 10 seconds each time. For example, 30 seconds of hard pulling then 30 seconds of easy pulling, followed by 40 seconds of hard pulling then 40 seconds of easy pulling, etc.
Overall, I left with a good vibe from Row House. The class gave a good workout and my body was full of sweat. These classes are what you make out of it, nobody is going to force you to row so if you didn’t sweat then you didn’t try. Oh yea, and the general music played during the class was pop music.

One of the best full body workouts in the city. You will leave the class drenched in sweat. The first time I went was a Friday evening. The class was not very full. The instructors was great. He knew it was my first time and worked with me on my form in the beginning of the class and came and checked in on me throughout the class, which I appreciated. He was very encouraging and made you push yourself without being aggressive.
The class was broken into sections. The first section was a warm up (where the instructor worked on your form) and would ask you to push yourself for sections of time. We then got off the row machines and did squats, lunges etc. We did more intervals on the machines, then did abs. The last section involved resetting the machines and timing yourself going all out for a three minute interval and then after a rest period doing it again, trying to beat your score.

Really good full body workout in a part of town I rarely go to. The facility is great (not really a locker room, but that’s fine). Fresh towels, friendly staff, and clean machinery.

I think some people come in here with the misconception that rowing is a pure cardio work out.
You won’t be dripping in sweat by the end of it, but if you are using proper form, you will feel the resistance training in your muscles (esp shoulders and back) the next day.
I would return, but it’s not my favorite ClassPass class. I wish there was something similar to those things in Flywheel or Peleton where you can see how your output ranks.

I took a Row House Row CORE class through classpass. I really enjoyed the workout itself. Rowing is a full body workout and I could really feel everything working (core, arms, legs, back, butt).
Arielle was the teacher for my class and I thought she was great. There were a lot of newbies in the class and she was very attentive and helpful. She walked around and helped each of us focus on attaining the proper form in order to get the most out of our workout. She did warn us that if we were new to rowing our lower backs would start to feel achy and this is very true. Mine is very sore and I don’t have back trouble normally so if you have back problems this might not be the workout for you.
The class was manageable but challenging. Much like spinning, you control how hard you want to work. There were intervals of lunges, squats and a good amount of plank/​core work which was nice to break up the rowing.
The only problem I had was with the facility. It’s very small and there are only two bathrooms with showers. Row House shares it’s facilities with a Crossfit class as well so there were a bunch of people waiting for the showers from other classes when I got out, in addition to all the people in my class that wanted to shower. They should really get more bathrooms/​shower stalls. We all needed to get to work yet were held up.
I would go back, just not before work as I did not have enough time to shower after the workout (you will sweat!). Otherwise, I thought it was a unique and challenging workout to add into a rotation.

Went to row house as a class pass and really enjoyed it. I had never rowed before but there were a few other first timers inter class as well. Instruction was good, and Eric took time to go around and make sure everyone was comfortable and using the proper technique. His interest in teaching and making sure everyone had a good experience was great.
I liked the intervals of rowing and other exercises (burpees, lunges, push-​ups).
I also liked the challenge to try and row farther during the second open row period than the first. This kept class competitive but made it approachable for all levels, rather than rowing against each other, etc.
Great workout and will definitely be adding rowing to the rotation.

I bought a single class to try it with someone who has classpass.
I took the Monday 9:30am full body with Jennie. Only 4 people showed up and we were all first timers. Jennie said it would be nice if we could keep 500m split under 2:30 throughout the class.
At first it was some warmup on tempo followed by the first set of floor work. I really disliked the floor work because it was all core. It would have been nice if there were some squats and lunges. Even bridges would have been helpful to strengthen the hamstring which rowing really relies on. Then we did 300m row 20 sec rest 8 minutes AMRAP. Jennie suggested 4 rounds minimum but I think 5 is quite doable. The second set of floor work was single shoulder press, squat thrust + press, russian twist and high knees. The last round of interval on the rower was 3 rounds of 2 minute rows with 40 seconds rest.
Overall I’d say you get out as much as what you put in, but I could have done everything at my own gym. The instructor didnt really give much individual attention and the stretch at the end was very minimal. I don’t think it’s worth $ 35. The people at frontdesk were very nice and lovely.

3.5 Stars.
Row House offers a solid workout. I took the total body conditioning class with a really tall guy with dark hair and nice abs (no idea what his name is). I think that maybe I rowed harder and longer (pardon me) that I otherwise would have on my own at the gym. The miscellaneous exercises (squats, lunges and ab work) thrown into the class were a plus.
Maybe I didn’t work hard enough (this is certainly a possibility), but I really didn’t feel that deep fatigue and sense of accomplishment that I usually feel after a kickass class. Yes, I felt sore and will probably feel it worse tomorrow, and yes, I cursed myself for not realizing that it was a slight uphill walk back to the Subway. But there was no utter exhaustion, muscle fatigue and «oh my god, I’m so out of shape, I need to change my life» feeling that I get from say Soulcycle or Barry’s Bootcamp. Although I technically didn’t pay the full price for the workout, when I pay for any class in the $ 35 range, I want to absolutely get my money’s worth.
A few positives…
The studio is really nice. The whole design concept and colors work really well together. It definitely feels like a high-​end workout facility. The equipment is new and high quality.
A few things I didn’t like…
The music for my class was awful and extremely distracting. A mix of country and like classic rock or something — very few songs that I actually knew the lyrics to and no Beyonce. It was also awkwardly loud and just didn’t flow with the exercise sequences. I’m sure that’s an instructor thing and not all classes will be that way.
The warmth at check-​in was non-​existent, bordering on unfriendly. I certainly don’t need the super bubbly check-​in person, but some intonation would have been nice.
Single stall bathroom/​changing area for a class of 20+ people is a bit inconvenient.
Overall, Row House offers a unique workout for a class setting, so its definitely worth checking out and a great way to switch it up.

I’ve been to three RowHouse classes through my ClassPass membership. Great combination of rowing (maybe the new spin craze?) alternating with core strength training. In the past I’ve found rowing monotonous, but the instructors come up with inventive drills that are challenging and allow you to compete with yourself.
Instructor review:
Sam — Chill, fun gives individual attention, great for beginners, great workout.
Eric — Clearly passionate about rowing as the co-​owner/​co-​founder. Great energy, very attentive to individual rower form, performance. Pushed each of us individually to be better, get a better burn. Superb class overall.
Jennie — Probably the hardest and most effective of my three workouts, but also the least fun. More of a drill sergeant’, spent most of the class with the timer, very little personal attention, very little encouragement. Can’t deny this was still an excellent workout.
I’ll be back!

Enjoyed my first rowing class ever — and glad to have started at Row House. It is a clean space with a simple layout when you walk in, and the front desk person was friendly. I think I took Arielle’s class, and she was very nice. I let her know that it was my first class and she said she would explain form and technique to everyone at the beginning of the class and she even suggested I take the machine next to her (which was very helpful). I saw that she walked around and made adjustments, which was nice. I was already sore from my workouts from earlier this week, so this was another great workout. I felt it in my arms, core, glutes, and legs (we’ll see how tomorrow feels). We alternated between intervals and also work on the floor (lunges, squats, planks and other ab work).
It is very far west from Columbus Circle, but I hopped on the crosstown bus since I was coming from the East side, so I got off the M31 on W. 57^th and 11^th Avenue. There are 2 unisex bathrooms with toilets and shower stalls, so I didn’t get the chance to wait around for a shower since I had to leave after class. There are lockers with combinations you get to choose, so no need to bring your lock.
Bring your own water, because I didn’t see a water fountain, though they were selling bottles at the front desk. I will be back to take another class with my classpass!

Was curious about rowing/​ERG machines as a workout and decided to give this studio a try. It’s a bit of a hike west but manageable from Columbus Circle (I kept feeling like there’s nothing out here! but keep on walking and you’ll see it past a luxury apt building with the same number).
We had a substitute instructor (forget her name!) for the 7am but she was good. I could hear her throughout the whole class despite it seeming like the mic wasn’t working (I was at the machine right behind her — can’t speak for the row behind me). She emphasized form, which I appreciated, but she didn’t really go around fixing anyone’s — maybe we all just had really good form, though. I didn’t think she was super-​motivational (she did clearly map out what we were doing and provide countdowns), but maybe I’m just used to the ex-​dancer/​cheerleader/​Rockette instructors at Exhale and Physique.
The full body class was structured so we did a warmup rowing, intervals of strong rowing, off-​ERG work (squats, lunges, abs), intervals of rowing (as fast as you can?), off-​ERG work (squats, lunges, abs, THIS TIME WITH SANDBELLS!), then intervals of rowing for distance, followed by stretching. It was a good mix although next time I’d like to try rowing throughout (just to see if I can do it/​whether it’s that much harder). I LOVED the late 90s music choices mixed with current hits.
There’s no locker/​changing room but there are two unisex bathrooms, each with a shower inside. I shower at the gym in my office building so I didn’t see whether they provide shower/​conditioner/​towels/​etc. They had a wall of digital lockers and people also left stuff on open shelving that the reception desk folks could easily keep an eye on.
There were small towels in the rowing studio. Didn’t see a water fountain. They sold Kind bars at reception. You need to wear sneakers. The space is new and clean and I liked that it’s a very different vibe from the very pretty/​giant diamond set that I usually run into at exhale/​Physique/​Peloton. Not intimidating like everyone else there is part of the ERG cult and I’ll look like a total newb trying to keep up (I feel like this at spin studios). There was a good mix of dudes and ladies at the 7am, slightly skewed to more ladies.
It was different and I liked it. Will try to make it out here 1x a month on my ClassPass.

Initially tried this class through classpass. Rowing is such a dope workout. I am talking ass, legs, core, and arms all getting the full workup during a class. I have taken mutliple classes by now and have admittedly gotten much better at rowing and makign it through the classes.
The coaches are great and for the most part will really help you perfect your form. I love love love both Arielle’s and Sam’s classes. In both of their classes they alternate between row machine and floor work. They also tend to use my type of tunes (EDM) which motivates me in and of itself. I also love when they turn off the lights so there are no screens to look at. Then it becomes, you, the rower, and your tremendous will to row your ass off.
Even the front desk people are great. Here is my last conversation:
Me — «Hey I signed up for the wrong class. My friends are in 12:30 NOT 11:30. Can I switch.»
Her — «Why don’t you just do both?»
Me — «Umm is that too agressive though»
Her — «Well this is NYC so you should know the answer to that.»
Me — «Shit, I guess I am doing back to back classes»
Her — «Just check it off in your soul as the day you did back to back classes and follow it up with an awesome brunch»
Me — «I think you are my new favorite person»
Sad thing though that I don’t even know who I was speaking to because this was all on the phone.
Whether challenging yourself or the others in the class this is a great workout. Your first class might not be the greatest feeling but by the time you get your technique down you will love it.

I got a great deal on Row House classes as the studio was just opening up, and loved them so much that I jumped on a similar deal for EVF 360 (CrossFit-​like classes) at the same space, downstairs –
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The space is immaculate and the aesthetic just feels *cool.* I had never really used an erg (rowing machine) before, so I appreciate the small class sizes and the trainers’ attention to form. There are a wide variety of folks taking the classes, so no need to feel intimidated if you, like me, have been hitting the NY nightlife/​associated food carts a little hard and aren’t feeling quite in shape.
The trainers are all very friendly and encouraging, also. I really had a moment with one while I was being pushed to the point of exhaustion during a final sprint of the class. I mean there was some intense eye contact and sweat flying everywhere, it was pretty rad.
The class itself is a mix of erging — tempo, sprints, etc., similar to a spinning class — and bouts of body-​weight exercises/​abs. And burpees, so many burpees. The music is clutch, too. At the end of the class, they turn the lights down and you just rock out while erging away. You will leave feeling tingly, in a good way, and like a badass who just burned a bajillion calories.