Jordin’s Paradise

The open level pole class was an intense disappointment. Coming from a professional pole dance studio in Seattle, I was immediately disappointed and shocked at how dirty the studio is, that they were allowing street shoes into the studio space, and how unkempt the poles were. The instructor appeared overwhelmed by the class size of 12 which is understandable. In such a large class with a variety of levels there is no way to provide personalized attention. The poles are all placed too close together so I spent the whole class afraid of hitting the girl next me. The instructor was not teaching proper safety techniques — such as proper shoulder engagement or even proper shoulder warm-​up. She was unable to troubleshoot basic problems. For example, one girl was having problems turning and the instructor was unable to tell that it was because this girl was not on the balls of her feet. The instructor did not correct women when they were jumping into moves which can lead to serious shoulder injuries later on nor was she correcting poor pole grips — again which can lead to serious shoulder injuries. There were more «advanced» girls kicking into their invert moves which leads to injury and means they don’t actually have the strength to deadlift their bodies into an invert as is proper technique. There appears to be no understanding of basic pole techniques or safety at this studio. I would venture to guess that the instructors are not properly certified to be teaching pole dancing. This was a wholly disappointing and ultimately terrifying experience. I have been dancing for 6 months at professional studio in Seattle with instructors that have multiple certifications, have all competed, and a studio owner that judges competitive pole dancing. If you want to keep your shoulder, I highly advise against taking the pole dancing classes at Jordin’s Paradise.

I absolutely love this studio. The instructors are super and the front desk on Fridays is so nice. She also teaches twerkshop and she breaks moves down so I can actually grasp them. Sometimes the smell from &Pizza next door is not pleasant (I smell it in the main hallway on the way to the elevator) but I will deal with it because of the proximity of the studio to my job. I’m new at pole but love the Intro pole classes and level 1 classes. Doonya looks so fun but its packed. The studio is nice and larger than I expected. They also gave me a free Lyft ride code woo hoo!

Sadness.

I tried a class through ClassPass. While I enjoyed the class itself, the loud mechanical whirring from the ceiling was distracting. It’s definitely an older building and you can tell they tried to make it as nice as possible with candles to cover up some funky bathroom smells. The staff seem really nice and the other classmates were friendly. I’ll give it another shot but the building is not in the best shape. Also this is a pro or con depending on who you’re talking to, but the entrance smells like pizza because it’s next to &pizza so I was compelled to get pizza after. :)

I don’t understand this place. I agree with the other reviewers that this place is two steps away from serious litigation. The elevator appears to be the only way up or down and it only holds 3 people max, maybe 4 if you are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder touching sweaty strangers. I can’t imagine this is compliant with fire codes. Anyway, the receptionist herself was very unfriendly all the times I’ve been.
I also agree that they pack their classes in so close together, in a studio where there is nowhere to wait (we once got yelled at for waiting outside the class in their entry way because they turned it into a tiny gym/​studio and rent it out to personal trainers, so you are left entering classes while they are still going. Please leave 10 minutes in between classes, for the flow of classes so that people can comfortably get their stuff. Then there is a mad dash to throw your things into empty cubbies inside the room, and find a spot so you can actually see the instructor.
The classes are packed with way way too many bodies in one room, especially when there’s only a front mirror (no side mirrors) and it’s a very long narrow studio so the people on the ends can’t see the instructor when she is on the other end. Again, I question fire codes having that many bodies in the room. Why can’t you cap your classes so those of us who sign up early can actually see the instructors and not worry about hitting their neighbor (yes I’ve seen this happen every class). In Doonya classes when there are moves where you drop into a plank/​push up position and then jump up I seriously had to duck to avoid the person in front of me kicking me.
I wouldn’t know where their bathrooms are because I never got a tour from the unfriendly receptionist. But I do know that you apparently cannot try out a class for a reasonable price. The receptionist said that maybe my friend can try out a class for free, just ask the instructor. The instructor looked at me like I was nuts and said that it’s the studio’s rule that it costs $ 30. Really, $ 30 to try out one class for first-​time goers? Especially when you pack in around 50 people into a small, cramped studio you can’t afford to give any kind of discount? That price was enough to send people running away.
The Doonya class I like when I’m not ducking the kicks, trying to find the instructor, or worrying about how we will all exit in the event of an emergency.
The zumba class I was really disappointed with, the instructor that starts with an A. Really guys, have you ever had a fantastic zumba instructor before who can do these moves, inspire you because she looks amazing doing them, and teach at the same time? Once you have you’ll know better.
This place is just waiting to go under once a competitor opens up with a larger, cleaner studio, where it’s clear that there is any kind of care given to the customer experience in the least bit. I’m on class pass and have tried out all kinds of studios and I’m in shock that this place operates the way it does. I think it’s a lot of younger college age women who go and don’t speak up, and the lack of competition for some good Doonya and Zumba classes.

I have been coming to Jordin’s Paradise on and off for a couple of years. I pretty much come solely for their Doonya classes which are great. I love them because you get a great cardio work out and it’s just a lot of fun. I am quite uncoordinated so if I can do it you can too! Jeannie does a pretty good job at explaining the moves and a lot of the same moves are repeated so I learned also by just watching her and the other more experienced women around me and got better by going back. I would say stand somewhere in the middle so you can see her but others as well. Jeannie’s Tuesday and Saturday classes are primarily focused on cardio so it is a lot of dancing. Her Thursday classes have an added weight and ab component so the dancing in the first half of the class is higher energy just as an FYI. Those are the ones that currently fit into my schedule and I like because you get a totally body work out.

After taking a barre class, I had to come back and say Val is also an amazing teacher. I took a pole class with her as well, and in both cases I learned a ton. One of the floor exerfises
exercises in barre made my legs feel weird and when I asked her about it, she dropped some serious knowledge about how the different muscles and nerves interact. I came away with some useful homework after a great workout. Definitely recommend.

I went to Jordan’s for an introduction to Pole dancing class. I could not have been more satisfied with what I got in return. The great space, the great energy, the friendliness of my instructor, the patience in teaching, the minted hot towels. Just brilliant. Really made my first trip to DC a great one!

I have been going to the Jordin’s from a few months now, and they have different classes running all through the week. I have been to the Hip-​Hop and the «Bollywood-​Doonya» class.
Hip-​Hop: Trying to get back into the dance routine, I was looking for a hip hop class. Stumbled across this hip-​hop class, that Kelsey teaches, and it is fantastic! All that you look for — Good dance numbers, good choreography, and a good teacher.
Doonya: If you are into Bollywood songs, this is the class for you. This class draws in the crowd, and Jeannie, the instructor does exceptionally well to make sure you sweat while having fun.
Rania, the owner is so down to earth and friendly! She herself teaches a few classes, however, I haven’t got the chance to check them out.
Overall, if you are looking to unwind after a long day, and mix it up with other workouts (weights, running), you should definitely give these a go…
Verdict: Definitely, give it a try!

I have such incredibly mixed feelings about Jordin’s Paradise. On the one hand, I worked with some really fun instructors and took some really great classes at this studio. On the flip side, however, I don’t think I learned anywhere near as much as I learned at other studios, and at times felt so discouraged that I stopped taking actual pole classes and just used some of my 10-​pack for flexibility or Zumba classes. All in all, I have to rate this studio as being right in the middle, because the good and the not-​so-​great are both fighting for my attention in this review.
The positives:
Really friendly instructors who definitely take the time to get to know pretty much everyone, especially anyone who comes in for more than a couple of classes. Every instructor that I had was more than willing to stop and answer questions or go over something again if a student was confused.
Great diversity of classes, from flexibility classes to straight pole instruction to choreography to Zumba and Bollywood classes
Strong poles that are actually well-​constructed and solidly mounted in the studio.
The negatives:
The levels of the courses for learning how to dance pole just seem completely inappropriate or unstandardized to me. When I’ve taken classes at other studios, I felt I was always learning something and that the skill level matched where I was at in my progression. Here, you are expected basically to take one intro class and know how to climb (I do know how to climb, but didn’t learn that until several lessons in during my initial training), and then you’re taught moves that require climbing and hanging off the pole already in Pole 1 classes. If you haven’t really built up the skill or the skin resistance to grasp your thighs high up on the pole, you can’t do a lot of the class. It seems to cater to the more advances students who go back into lower-​level classes to brush up on technique, but it really does a disservice to beginners. I would much rather have lower-​level pole classes instructing about things I can actually learn, like spins and the technique behind hanging off the pole, rather than just jumping from 0 to 100 after one lesson.
The temperature is either hazy hot or freezing cold. There seems to be no in-​between.
The poles are always up, so when you take any non-​pole class, you are trying to work around them and often bashing into them in the process.
They don’t seem to ever really cap the classes, so in some of the pole classes you have to share a pole and then get even less practice and learning.
Overall, I had a really nice time learning from these very knowledgable and friendly instructors. If the studio was more coordinated, I think it would serve them well. But for now, I would choose my old studio any day over Jordin’s Paradise.

First things first-​I NEVER write reviews, however and unfortunately, I wanted to warn future clients of this studio.
They lock you into membership where you are obligated to submit a «30-​day» notice to cancel your membership. I signed up for a membership for the sole reason of attending a class that was offered once a week. However out of the blue with no advance notice that class was moved to a different time, which I was unable to attend. I asked the management to cancel my membership, however I was still charged for the month after. I have requested a refund, for weeks but no response. 4 months later after my attempt on calling the studio which nobody answered, a woman «Michelle» calls back. She continued to say that refund was not possible because we require students a 30-​day notice. Okay, well then are we not supposed to receive a 30-​day notice for the class change as well? Not only that she was very unprofessional over the phone, continued to call me as «love» instead of «maam» which would have been more appropriate. It is very unfortunate with the lack of their professionalism in management and customer service when they do have great instructors.
Over in all I’d recommend purchasing groupon/​living social deals when they do offer, however DO NOT sign a membership contract. It will get ugly, and seems like several people have suffered a similar issue.

Beware of this place, their «memberships» and «deals,» as I now have $ 600 of unauthorized charges on my debit card 5 months after attempting to cancel what was presented to me as a «10 class pack for $ 99.» I attended one class at this studio, which was, as many other reviewers noted, cramped and dirty.
I was willing to eat the $ 100 cost for a 10 class pack, even though I never intended to return after the first one. Jordin’s front desk person told me that it would be «no problem» to stop the charges. That was in September, and as of yesterday, they charged my card a monthly fee again.
I’ve had to get my bank involved in this fiasco, all for taking one class at a mediocre studio. Also note that if and when you do need to get account issues resolved, Jordin’s has a policy of «it will take us at least a week to respond to your email.» Seriously. And they refuse to handle/​acknowledge such matters via phone. Perhaps in the Paradise where Jordin lives, the only acceptable messages are sent via a bottle tossed out to sea.
Having belonged to a lot of gyms and studios in DC in the past 13 years, this is by far the most deceptive and unethical one I’ve encountered. Most are reasonable and honest once you speak to the right person. I hope Jordin’s finds an incentive to change their business model instead of trying to take money they don’t deserve from people who don’t want to give it to them.

Place was dirty, cramped, bathrooms and back area reeked bad smell. The Zumba class was good though. The Instructors need mics or something — hard to hear them over the music.
Tried redeeming water offer — none was available. Water cooler available though to fill your bottles. They have cups there too but they were dusty.

I’m really happy so many people learned to enjoy movement through this studio. And my experience with the people (front desk and instructors) has been a positive one in that they’re all nice. HOWEVER…
–as someone else has already noted, the studio is very cold. It’s also been very dirty when I’ve come by, which is gross, especially when you’re sitting to stretch or otherwise rolling around on the floor. I’ve never felt like I needed a shower from sweat, but I have felt like I needed one from the dust and dirt on the floor (or those beat to heck yoga mats – what on earth? Just tell us to bring our own! Those all look like they’ve been chewed up by a dog.)
The couch covered by a sheet also gives things sort of a grimy vibe… Why have a couch at all if you’re worried about it getting dirty? How about some chairs or benches? The front area is cluttered with all sorts of random stuff, and it gives off the impression of being run by people who aren’t that aware of making good first (or second or third) impressions.
–the level of instruction is nowhere near where it needs to be for the pole classes. It’s just all over the charts: some teachers do 90% stretching/​conditioning and almost no time actually learning how to use the pole. I’ve taken level one and the intro class several times now and it’s always something of a mess. I don’t feel like I’ve acquired any skills or progressed at all. I know that could be chalked up to my own failings, but I’m a pretty fit and attentive person. I feel like the teachers must not be given much guidance in terms of what one should achieve in any level, and though the times I’ve been there it’s only sparsely attended, I don’t feel like I learn a lot. If there are only two, three, four, or five of us in class, we should be taking a lot in!
Here’s the thing: yes, pole requires a tremendous amount of upper body strength and people who show up without having activated their muscles in years are going to struggle. Even strong people are going to struggle because they’re learning something new. But if every person in the class spends most of the time looking blank or discouraged or confused, something has gone wrong! As far as I can tell, these teachers have not been taught how to teach. If you’re determined to try someone, Carmen has tons of energy and is very encouraging. She seems to understand the actual mechanics of what helps you use the pole better than some others and can explain it. I also liked Valerie a lot but I think the schedule has changed so she doesn’t teach strictly pole/​pole trick classes anymore.
I’m disappointed in this place and confused by it’s reputation, but maybe the non-​pole dance classes make up for the cleanliness problems? I’m going to try some of the other local pole studios in the hope that the instruction standards are higher.

Rania,
Thank you for teaching us your fantastic belly dancing skills and for providing a fun, energetic atmosphere for my friend’s bachelorette party! All 13 of us in the group were thoroughly entertained and determined to emulate your exotic choreography! Even though we may have looked a little ridiculous at times, not one person was bored or complained of being embarrassed to show off their skills.
I absolutely love Jordin’s Paradise, and give it 5 golden stars for professionalism, quality facilities, location and fantastic instruction. I can only hope that one day my bridesmaids take me to a dance studio half as fun!
Thanks again!

First things first: This black chick is like Rhythmless Nation when it comes to choreographed moves. I have the absolute WORST hand-​eye (and I’m guessing «foot») coordination when it comes to this type of stuff, but I digress. I’m normally, bashful, reserved, and in transition from nerd to grown ‘n’ sexy woman, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give Jordin’s Paradise a try tonight. Plus, it didn’t hurt that I received a birthday courtesy class (turned the big 3 – 0 last Thursday). lol
When I first arrived to the studio, I was welcomed by a pleasant lady with glasses and curly hair. Sorry, but I didn’t get her name, but she was very warm and friendly, and she wished me a happy birthday. She also showed me around the studio. I signed up for the Funkified class, but a pole dancing class was wrapping up.
SN: More power to those chicks who participated in that class! It takes a brave soul to do acrobatics on a pole in front of others without making it seem like you’re auditioning for a 2 Chainz video. It piqued my curiosity enough that I might give that class a try… Might. (o_​_​O)
I first felt awkward about the class, but who doesn’t get butterflies when they try something new? The instructor– I believe her name was Katie– was fun and very personable, however, and I began to ease into the session. Truthfully, she made it fun enough that I forgot it was an actual cardio workout. The other ladies in the class were delightful to be around too, and it seemed like everyone was having a lighthearted time, which is something I look for when it comes to working out in large groups. I plan on returning in the next month or so, but there are other studios I’m going to try before I make a final decision. So far, JP is the forerunner.
The only reason that I didn’t give it five stars is that the studio is a little cramped, and I think it would be nice to have a waiting area while other classes are wrapping up. If I take that pole dancing class, I really don’t want an entire audience staring at me, especially if I bust my behind falling on the ground. Lol Also, you have to walk through classes to get to the restrooms, and that can be disruptive to those who are really into their workouts. All in all, the vibe is cool here. I don’t see why I wouldn’t return. :-)

Dear Jordin’s Paradise,
Why so cold? Don’t you know that warm muscles are important for any dancer/​exerciser? I am regularly baffled by how cold you keep your dance studio. I have never been to a dance studio quite so cold. Yes, we might sweat if the air conditioning weren’t on (during the winter) or if the heat were on (during the winter), but that’s what we’re supposed to do when we exercise – Sweat!
Also, how on Earth do you regularly claim the «Best Dance Company» award when you aren’t a dance company??? As a dancer, I know that a dance company is a troupe that performs, not a company that provides dance classes. I guess you just tell your clients to vote for you in that category so that you’ll win, huh? Is that even legit? Real dance companies in DC don’t do that type of lobbying for votes and don’t have customers to lobby anyway, so they don’t win. For the record: You are NOT a dance company.
So, you’re a dance studio… an okay *fitness* dance studio that’s kinda cold a lot of the time with a really poor layout and no water fountain. That just raises even more questions:
(1) Why did you set it up so that now there is no legitimate waiting area near the registration desk, and you have to walk *through* the dance studio to get to the bathroom, tiny «waiting area,» and changing room? It’s just nonsensical. Adding a kettlebell studio at the front of your space where the waiting area used to be just adds to the layout problems.
(2) How can you have a hip hop cardio class or a Zumba class in a «Big» Studio when half that studio has poles fixed in place? Perhaps you’ve changed and grown faster than your coordination or design skills, but your studio has just one of the worst layouts of any dance studio I’ve ever been in.
(3) Why don’t you post a calendar for a season like every other dance studio in town rather than month to month? I am certain that your instructors and your students would prefer to know that their classes will still be happening next month. Think of what a pain it is to purchase a membership and then have your favorite class cancelled the following month.
(4) Do you even try to enforce your no dirty street shoes policy? I guess it’s convenient for some that you make Lysol available to they can Lysol off the bottoms of their street shoes, but I see very few people actually do that. I’ve talked to several students who didn’t even know they weren’t supposed to wear their dirty street shoes in the studio. I will never take another class here that requires me to be barefoot because my feet always wind up filthy (and cold!) by the end.
(5) Why is your chair dance class a drop-​in class when the instructor teaches on a 4+ week timeline? You can’t actually just «drop in» to the class unless you know that it is week 1 or 2 of her routine. It should be an enrollment class and not drop-​in.
(6) Got stairs? The only way to get to and from your studio is on a tiny, slow elevator. I’m sure I could run the stairs faster and get a little extra workout in.
(7) What is the deal with your record keeping and customer service? I found three separate errors on my account over the course of a year. While you did eventually fix the errors, that’s a lot of errors, and it usually took at least a few days to resolve. I have never been able to get anyone on the phone when I call you, and it takes time for anyone to respond to emails.
Don’t worry, though. My letter isn’t just complaints and confusion. There are a couple of things I like about you. Namely, your hip hop cardio class, Funkified, and Zumba classes with Ashtar. Ashtar is a fantastic instructor. Before I found her class, I had completely given up on you She is a huge asset to your business. Giver her more classes and a raise. Funkified is awesome, but it’s only offered once a week at 5:30pm on a weekday. womp womp. Give Katie some more classes to teach at a time when working people can get there.
Here’s hoping for a better, brighter future,
V

This place has been on my radar to try for 2 years now. They’re really known for their pole dance classes but they do also offer other dance/​yoga/​hybrid classes. I bought their $ 30 Unlimited Class for a week package and was able to try out 4 different classes.
Zumba — Not bad. Didn’t seem as intense as the Zumba classes at Crunch though.
Doonya (Bollywood) — Loved it! Overall a better cardio workout than the Zumba one for me. Non-​stop jumping/​stomping fun. The instructor was really good. She showed basic moves for all the Bollywood newbies in the class and was very engaging. There were also toning moves with dumbbells as part of the 1 hr class.
Zumba Toning — It’s Zumba while holding the toning sticks, which didn’t really weigh like anything. I did like this class better than the regular Zumba because the instructor (Tanya) was more engaging and energetic. I think she also teaches Zumba and PoundFit classes at Crunch!
Pole Dance Intro class — So why isn’t pole dancing a sport?! I couldn’t move my left arm the next day. haha. Those pole dancers have mad athletic skills! It was hard and fun as the time as we laughed at ourselves as we ungracefully tried the moves. LOL. The instructor was great too. She gave good instructions and really broke it down for us and even gave each person personal attention. I went on a snowy Sunday afternoon so there were only 4 people in the class and we all had our own poles. Not sure if they ever let more people in the class than the poles they have that you’ll have to share. Also loved the stretching in the beginning and end of class.
This is not the biggest or fanciest studio in town but I do recommend them for their pole dance classes. Drop in class rates here are not cheap, $ 25 a class! Buying a package or waiting for a special deal is the way to go.

I’ve tried a few pole dancing studios before, but I wanted to start practicing more regularly so I decided to purchase a package at Jordin’s after doing some research on Unilocal and I’m so glad I did! They have more levels than some studio’s I’ve been too, which means you can really figure out which class works for you without feeling like you’re stuck with a group that’s too advanced or not advanced enough.
I’ve taken classes with two instructors so far and they’ve both been extrememly friendly, engaging and effective. They’re really hands on and will spot you/​adjust you for any trick. I’m not sure what their maximum number of students per class is, but I’ve never been in a class where I had to share a pole, which always takes some of the fun out of the class. I’m really excited to keep dancing here and exploring some of their other classes. I definitely recommend this studio if you really want to learn pole and have a super fun and challenging workout. They also offer a lot of other classes like zumba, flexibility, yoga, etc, but I’ve never tried any of those so I can’t speak to them.
I also have to give a HUGE shoutout to the management and, more specifically, Sophie. I’ve sent way too many emails over the past couple weeks trying to manage my memberships (I purchased multiple class packages at one time and have had issues shifting them around online, but Sophie has been able to fix everything online) and just asking general questions and she’s responded within a day to every one and been extrememly helpful and efficient. I’ve read a couple bad reviews about the management on here and honestly can’t understand them. I’ve had nothing but a good experience working with them and, if I’m being truthful, I haven’t been the easiest customer to deal with ;)

Before you read this review, there are a few things you need to know about me. Well, actually, just one thing.
I hate to exercise. HATE. With every fiber of my being.
Since moving to DC 2.5 years ago, my husband has successfully gotten me to go running a grand total of one time. Yes, I played sports growing up and went to the gym in college, and am generally in-​shape and healthy, but exercising for the sake of exercising has never appealed to me. Until… I discovered Jordin’s Paradise.
I actually came to the Unilocal «socasize» event here last year and LOVED the class. Yet it took me several more months to get up the guts to sign up for a year membership. (And I don’t have an excuse — the studio is TWO blocks from my house) But ladies, let me tell you how glad I am that I joined Jordin’s!
I haven’t taken all of the classes at Jordin’s (still working up the courage to try pole dancing one day), but I come every week and love the classes I’ve taken (for $ 59/​month I get 8 classes, which is perfect). My stand-​out faves are:
* Belly Dancing with Rania, the owner (this is a must… and let me tell you, my husband has been more than supportive of this endeavor!)
* Zumba Toning with Candace — non-​stop work out and fun!
* Flirty Chair Dance and Yoga with Daphna
Yes, the studio is small, but so are most of the classes. The instructors are all warm and are intent on people not just getting a good workout, but having fun in the process. The hour long sessions always fly by and I am still amazed at how much I actually ENJOY working out now. Five stars all the way.