Cardio Barre – San Francisco

I’ve actually been to Cardio Barre several times and have never been happy with the class. I really wanted to like the trend, but just found all of the classes to be so impersonal and had little to no focus on correct form. Now I pretty much only use it as a filler class when I need a workout but can’t find another class that fits my schedule for that day.
Pros:
— You really do feel a little bit like a dancer. The routine includes a lot more ballet moves and terms than the average barre class.
— You will get a good sweat out of class since there is constant movement. The instructors are encouraging and push students to keep going.
— Good sound system. Good remixed music that really goes with the movements.
— Clean bathrooms.
Cons:
— Instructors pay little attention to form. I saw several people in my class doing a move incorrectly, and the instructor didn’t even try to correct them. In addition, I find maintaining correct form very difficult at the quick pace of some of the cardio moves.
— Instructors generally don’t describe or demonstrate moves very much. I know they recommend inexperienced students to take the «Beginner /​Intro» class rather than the «Beginner» class, but they offer very few «Beginner /​Intro» classes in their schedule. In addition, I would imagine that they should still lead the «Beginner» class a good amount, as its name would suggest.
— Carpet in the studio smells musty.
— Requires a full-​sized towel for class to lay on the carpet when doing floor work. A bit of a nuisance for me to bring.
— No showers. No lockers, but cubbies are in the studio itself.

The music is A+++, come for the music. One of the most fun barre classes you’ll find in San Francisco. Incredibly fast paced, lots of reps with deep movements and work with weights. This is a dancier style of Barre. Unfortunately, they don’t have time to teach and break down the form, so I’ve found that classes at other studios help out with that. The Beginners workout is no joke until you take it at least 10 times, and the Beginner/​Intro is barely any easier. That said, with a lot of pilates, sculpt, trx and barre classes you aren’t sure how much you’ve burned… the amount you sweat in this class doesn’t lie.
A few things I don’t like:
I will say they don’t «kill» you on the thighs as much as The Dailey Method, Pop Physique or any real pure barre classes, so you’re not getting much strength in. Between different variations of the class, the choreography doesn’t change much either. Also, having to bring your own full-​sized towels is pretty lame. They should invest in mats and wipes. Also, a towel rental is THREE dollars?!

I bought a living social for $ ⁴⁴⁄₁₀ classes which is such an amazing deal and the excuse I needed to try something new:
I’ve only gone once but love it and plan on going regularly!!! I took a beginners class. I love that you can reserve your spot in class via their app, it’s so convenient and it’s great that there are 7:45pm classes offered, which is later than most gym’s stay open. You have to bring your own bath towel, which is sort’ve annoying because you have to wash a full-​size towel every time you take this class.
If you don’t have special barre socks, you’ll probably want to go barefoot. Regular socks don’t give enough grip. The class is fun, fast-​paced, and challenging — and I’m still sore 5 days later which is amazing. I really feel it in my legs especially. I’m excited to come to more classes and highly recommend this class if you really want to feel the burn :)

I’m not sure about the reviews saying this workout is too easy — I was a ballet dancer for 12 years and am in considerably good shape in my adult life, and I am so sore and tired after the beginner classes (in a good way!)! I bought the intro class pass on living social and have loved it — Alysia is a great, fun instructor and the music is always upbeat. I feel like the way you move uses muscles you usually don’t, so you can see a change in your shape and posture almost immediately. I like this so much better than Pure Barre, which is the other barre class I’ve tried, probably because it’s more based in dance (although still not fully rooted in true ballet technique or anything — it’s focused on the results). Love!

I LOVEEEEE this class! Jessica is always my instructor and she is great! I understand this class is not for everyone, especially for somebody who wants a tough instructor and sweat alot.
This is the type of exercise that you do to have fun and work out at the same time.
I always hate working out and sweating. Cardio barre make it fun and makes you love to exercise and make you feel better about your own body (or it is just me that has body image issue). The instructor corrects you sometimes, she is not pushy, you can work as hard as you can but you can take a rest when is needed. Everything is great!
To add up, they have introductory promotion. 10 classes for $ 49. I cant resist! Not at all! That is the best!
As the cherry on top, barre exercise burns 300 – 600 calories per hour and burns another 100 cal after exercising (i read it online). Love it love it!

I was frustrated and disappointed with my experience at this studio. I love barre workouts and have been a dedicated client at several studios around the city.
I purchased the Living Social deal for classes here, after a friend recommended it. The studio is clean and new and the instructors are great. Unfortunately, the Asian dude at the front desk has a major attitude and really needs a lesson on customer service. He’s rude and completely unhelpful, even when my approach was overly kind.
I took a friend with me and was mortified at the way I was treated after I had raved to my friend about how great the studio was. What a turn-​off AND what a shame! I will stick with the other barre options in SF.

Want a waste of time… Check out the «workouts» here. Want to burn more calories in the same time, take a nice, slow, walk. The workouts will never make you break a sweat, even the most advanced classes, and absolutely won’t get you stronger, or in shape. The teachers are great, but the owner is rude and will try to steal from you.

Recently started cardio barre and am SO happy I did! I have been recommending it left and right to my friends — and who can resist the 10 classes for $ 49 special for new students? They also have an unlimited month for $ 100 that I regret not signing up for instead.
The studio is spacious, and the classes are never too crowded that I have been to (the advanced classes they offer on weekday nights — Mary Kate’s are great!). If you know your body, can push yourself to be your own resistance, and know how to correct your own form, this is a truly awesome way to workout. It also never takes me more than 15 minutes into class to start dripping in sweat. Best of all — all low impact!

Recently just started going here and i have to say, the staff here are the coolest people on earth. There so down to earth and everything. The classes they offer here provide you with a really sweaty workout. And if you’re one of those people that start your new years resolution and want to lose weight fast and efficiently please do come here. You will surely Expereience a full-​body workout!
Don’t quit on yourself! It only makes things harder later! Do yourself a big favor and invest in yourself by going here. Trust me you will not regret it!

I’ve tried Cardio Barre a few times and decided it’s not my favorite. I use it as a filler class in my schedule when I feel like doing something is better than doing nothing.
The classes are highly impersonal. The focus is on sweat and speed rather than on form. Instructors barely correct students if at all. They are cheerful and don’t yell much.
The classes are heavily weighted towards legs and seat work with very little time spent on arms and abs. In a recent class, I counted more than 40 minutes spent on legs and seat.
The studio is very spacious and comfortably fits at least a couple dozen people. It doesn’t get oppressively hot. On a cold day with the fans blasting, you may barely sweat.
Socks and towels are not required. Many go barefoot or lie on the carpet directly. The dark carpet has probably absorbed a lot of sweat, foot germs, hair, and dead skin from previous classes, but I’m not sure lying on it in workout clothes that I need to wash anyway is worse than contaminating an extra clean towel.
No showers. Open cubbies line the walls of the studio.

Some thoughts on cardiobarre’s beginners class:
Open and airy studio with lots of natural sunlight
Fast paced (which the instructor will warn you about as the class begins)
Requires a little coordination (hand, eye, body)
Be prepared to plié and feel the burn
Full body workout with concentration on the core.
Check-​in at least 10 – 15 minutes before class
Bring a full length towel and I advise some water
Dress in athletic tights or yoga pants
You will stretch, lengthen and tone
I recommend this for people who have an interest in dance, yoga and pilates. Also, for people, like myself looking to shake up their routine.
Ilana was my instructor today and is super nice!!! Totally a recommend for fitness enthusiasts!

Besides having to bring your own towel to class, which in my opinion is weird and not really needed anyways — this place is great. I’m an avid ClassPass-​er and use it to go to their beginners class. When I say beginners, I most certainly do not mean easy, this class is HARD, fun, and will get you a great sweaty workout. I’m usually more of a spinning girl or runner but I absolutely love the energy of the instructors here, the diversity of people in the class and the music. In my opinion, much better energy, a better workout, more fun and a nicer group of people than Pure Barre or Mixed in the Marina. Thanks Cardio Barre!
PS: Meter parking is usually very easy in the mornings around the studio.

The beginner class is very difficult, (even though I have many years of rigorous ballet training under my belt). There is a reason it’s called CARDIO barre! However, the instructor clearly lets newbies know that the class moves fast and that you’ll be confused the first couple times.
The facility: Fantastic. The barres are very professional and mounted into the ground which makes things easier. Very clean and spacious.
Jessica is an amazing instructor! I couldn’t believe how much positive energy she had in the morning.
Overall, I’d highly recommend giving this place a shot!

Things to Know:
— Entrance is on Haight
— There are no mats — bring a full size bath towel to lay on the floor
— They don’t require socks/​grip socks like other studios
I took the Beginner class which is suppose to have examples of the move and breaks in between. Prior to the class starting, the instructor, Kelly had said that the class is fast paced and transitions quickly. This was not what I was expecting. She also mentioned to take the class at your own pace and just try to follow.
The reason why I choose to take the beginner’s class is because I had a recovering sprained ankle. I can put light pressure on it, but wasn’t looking to do anything intensive to it, so starting off this «Beginner» class hearing that it was fast paced and really intense wasn’t exactly bells to my ears.
Regarding, the class, it IS fast paced, there was only one break (to put the weights back) — so essentially no breaks and there was minimal examples. This is exactly the opposite of what their Cardio Barre beginner’s description is. Everyone seemed to be a seasoned Cardio Barre attendant and knew how to transition into the next moves immediately.
I felt like I spent most of the class just looking around and trying to figure out what was going on, when I figured it out and got into the rhythm we transitioned to the next move :(It was worst that when I was leaving the instructor was talking to the other girls that go more regularly that today she was thinking of making the class more «intense» and «hard»… which didn’t make sense to me for a «beginner» class.
The other thing that bothered me was that the instructor came to adjust me on legs/​ankle, then I told her I had a sprained ankle and she just walked away. I thought that was interesting. Granted, I didn’t tell her I had a sprain before the class, I didn’t think she’d just walk away from me when I did tell her. Maybe she thought I was slacking when I wasn’t full doing work out thats require a lot of pressure on my ankle side.
Overall, regarding the actual class itself and not so much experience, I think the class is good, gets your cardio up. It’s not exactly like regular barre (you don’t feel the burn as much). It’s more light-​medium cardio than barre. It’s a good heart rate pumper.
I would take this class again, but I think it would need to be when my ankle is recovered. It will probably be overwhelming for your first time but with more sessions, I can imagine that you will learn to figure it out.
Other things that people had mentioned were:
1. Towels — it does suck that you need to bring in your own towels and I wish I knew about this or that this was notated. Thankfully, I had a medium sized face towel.
2. Socks — I kind of would have preferred that this studio required some kind of sock/​grip socks to help ensure the space is clean. The carpet is black, which is gives you peace of mind because you can’t see how dirty it is, but imagine all those sweaty bare foot is stepping on it.

I left 2 messages on the phone to no response all day.
I then walked by and popped my head in to try and sign up for a class but the attitude of the girl on the front desk made me turn around, walk out and get a refund on my groupon purchase. Such a bummer after being really pumped to try out some classes.

I took Cardio Barre’s «Beginner» class recently and wanted to share my thoughts:
Cons:
— You’re expected to bring your own bath towel for the portion of the class where you lay down. I’m not sure what other girls do, but I can’t believe I have to schlep a full-​sized towel around all day so that I don’t have to deal with their dirty floor. Guys… provide some mats. Please!
— The entrance is on Haight street so I stood around like an idiot before I noticed other women (holding towels, of course) walking past me. Make sure you look for the small door on the side and not the large one on the corner.
— There aren’t any showers or areas to get ready, so working out before work is unfeasible.
— The workout is so fast paced that I know my form was crazy-​looking. You have to be a regular to be able to anticipate the next moves (even though I was taking a «beginner» class).
Pros:
— Hard workout that really targets all of your muscle groups.
— Very competent instructor (though I wish she would have demonstrated each move for longer before jumping into them).

I’ve done this class three times through ClassPass. It’s a bit of my «de-​load» class where I want to get SOME form of exercise in but not challenge myself that much. Full disclosure: I like bootcamp type classes and MMA classes. There’s definitely a few minutes of sweating in there and some painful bits, but I don’t think barre classes or yoga are my sort of thing. Weights come in 1, 2, or 3 lbs, which can be silly for bicep curls (curling my purse does more than a 3 lb weight) but decent for shoulder stuff at very high reps.
I kind of view this class like the «Body Pump» class offered in a lot of gyms. It’s very formulaic and there’s not much form correction going on (turns out, from talking to a personal trainer, Body Pump people are typically not certified and therefore not allowed to correct your form — whereas in this class, there’s some attempt). That being said, the instructors are also all very likeable.
It also won’t get you into fantastic shape, but will at least get you some sort of workout. Personally, I think Burn SF (not too far away) is much better.
Also, maybe I’m gross but I don’t mind the carpet that much.

If you can’t stand «My Lips are Moving» at 7am, don’t take cardiobarre.
Thankfully, I love pop music and I hope you can at least tolerate it, because they play a lot of it here. It’s upbeat and gets you going, but Megan Trainor can be annoying for people who haven’t had their morning coffee. There are ongoing classes throughout the day, so find the right time that fits your schedule.
Cardiobarre is a high energy workout based on ballet moves. You do barre work for 30 mins, concentrating on strengthening the leg, glutes and thigh muscles. The 2^nd half of the class is devoted to arm, abs and more leg work. Emphasis on tightening your core and maintaining correct posture is important. I took beginning ballet a few years ago, so the terms releve, turn out, etc aren’t new to me. The beginner’s class is done at a fast pace with little transition to the next move. It would be best to take an intro class for further breakdown of moves.
Bring a towel to lay on when doing floor exercises. Similarly, wear socks with grip to steady yourself (and for general hygiene purposes) The studio is clean and the staff vacuums it often, but it’s icky to go barefoot on carpet where other people have walked their street shoes on.
I love the instructors here. Mary Kate will make sure you work your butt off, Aerliyah is great at correcting form and her Australian accent is sexy. I’ve taken quite a liking to Kelly’s style which is upbeat and encouraging. She’s the only one who can get me to look forward to a 7am class!
If this is the only workout you’re planning to do, the classes can get repetitive and are pricey on a per session basis. Also, another disappointment?
It’s barre, not BAR. :(

I took their intro class with a Groupon special of $ 49 for 10 classes so stay tuned for a better, more indepth review later…
You enter on Haight Street– it’s confusing as they don’t have much signage for that entrance so people are constantly pulling at the locked door on the corner of Gough… Me included lol.
Inside is just one giant room with tons of light, mirrors and barres. Not much ventilation and only 1 oscillating fan in the corner, the room smells strongly of feet– like at a climbing gym so that’s gross, and you’ll wanna bring your own wipes to wipe down the bar you’re at as I don’t think they do it themselves.
Also bring a bath towel with you, you do floor exercises and the floor is a rubbery carpet like thing which is prob why it smells of feet so you definitely don’t want to have your head close to it…
Anywho, I had Kat as my instructor and she showed us pretty quickly why it’s called Cardio Barre. My legs were burning and I discovered I have muscles in places I didn’t even know existed. It was one of the better workouts I’ve gotten and the time just flew by.
Give it a try– and with a groupon and living social deals you really have no excuse not to.

I took my first cardio barre class ever with Hillary and it was a great experience!
The studio
— Located close to muni Van Ness station
— There’s just one room where all the classes take place
The class
— Elegant way to get your cardio/​strength training in for the day
— Incorporates ballet moves, lots of tiptoeing
— There are Beginner/​Intro, Beginner, and Advanced classes
The instructors
— My first class was a Beginner class with Hilary! Absolutely loved her instruction and she was very enthusiastic throughout.
— My second class was an Intro class with Kat. Also loved her. She talks with a British accent.
I got a living social deal for $ 49 for 10 classes. Which is an absolutely great deal. Don’t know if I would pay full price to come though.