SABBATH CIRCLE | Pole Dance Studio — Local services in Los Angeles

Sabbath Circle is one of the most incredible spaces in all of Los Angeles and has truly made such a huge impact on my life. I am in love with the beautiful, serene, supportive atmosphere full of stunning people finding strength, confidence, and power in movement. I have had the pleasure of taking several of their class offerings including: Virgin Beginner Introduction to Pole, Temple Throne level 1 chair & pole, Charmed flow level 1 sensual dance, Ritual floorwork all levels, Levitation Beginner Introduction to silks & lyra, Baram wings level 1 silks & lyra, and Open Pole; with owner Em, and instructors Jazz, Peaches, and Jackie. I love the way Em moves around the pole and makes it look so smooth, easy, and effortless regardless of how much strength a move requires. Her in-class support makes me feel so affirmed--she's such an incredible hype woman for her students and her instructors. Jazz has made me feel so confident in my own skin and comfortable with centering enjoyment over focusing on perfection and learning to trust that everything will come in due time. I have learned to surrender to fun and not be so married to control. I always feel so safe and bold to try new moves in Peaches's classes because she makes you feel like you can do anything you set your mind to. She has taught me, in addition to pole and dance and aerial, that you can be both personable and bubbly, fierce and sensual, and hold space for all of those things in one person. Every time I take a Jackie class I am always giddy with excitement to find out what kind of choreography and song choice we're going to get because I always feel like we're in a film performing a theater or film sequence in the best way. She not only imbues so much strength and inner confidence in her students but also the ability to trust in the process and to enjoy the journey.

Every single class I have had the pleasure to participate in has been absolutely stunning, equally relaxing, challenging, and engaging--both mentally and physically. Every instructor is talented, charismatic, supportive, loving, friendly, kind, professional, and extremely accomplished. They give incredible individualized attention and focus to each student in the class (there are 7 poles in the studio and usually 6 students per class, one person to one pole). Whether it's your first class or you've been attending classes regularly, everyone at Sabbath is so personable and makes you feel welcome. But above all, the instructors really focus on inclusion, making everyone feel safe and emboldened to center themselves, and have fun !!! while doing it.

The space itself feels like a heavenly space with so much natural light and positive energy. Dancing in this space really feels so freeing and healing. I am so happy I was introduced to Sabbath Circle by a friend, as I had tried to find a pole studio in the past and had experiences where the atmosphere was not welcoming and open, where instructors only gave individual attention to one or two people in a 50 minute class of 20. Not at Sabbath Circle. Sabbath Circle is a welcome space for everyone, and as a queer woman of color it is so invaluable for spaces like this to exist.

The studio also offers Private Classes and the option to rent out the studio, as well as monthly workshops with incredible rotating instructors from both the studio and visiting, and Pole Jams so polers can create community amongst each other and collaborate on routines and/or practice for the studio showcase that happens in October!

If you have been searching and searching for a pole studio to call home or have always been wanting to try a pole class, you must take a Virgin Beginners Intro to Pole class at Sabbath Circle. This is the studio you've been...

NOTE: They pay/offer free classes for the positive reviews, so beware.

Booking time at the studio was great and easy, but the owner has extremely unsettling energy. She was also living in the dance studio with a dog that kept barking, and had dog hair everywhere, and that added to the studio’s weird vibes. She decided to create a new rule (not in the studio policy/clean up policy) while I was there and she took away one of the classes that I pre-paid for because a flower petal stain was on the floor (all you do is spray rubbing alcohol on it to wipe it off). Then, she pretended to clean up the check-in area by moving pens in and out of the container, wiping nonexistent dust from the table, lining up table magazines, organizing shoes, etc until I completely changed into my outside clothes and left the studio. She was doing all of this while a group of students were waiting for her to start class. She neglected the current class she had and aggressively tried blaming me for her class starting late… Nobody forced her to pretend to clean the check-in area while the class was waiting for her. I didn’t ask for assistance or to be watched over while I changed clothes, I’m an adult. It felt like when you go into a store and they follow you around the entire time because they think you’re going to steal. Definitely felt the microagressions from her. I forgot to call my bank to dispute that charge and it is way too late now. But I have never returned, won’t ever return and I always advise all my pole friends to stay away from this fake spiritual studio. Great way to ruin a relationship with someone in the community and lose clients. There are plenty of other pole studios in LA, you...

I’ve had some good classes here thanks to the instructors and other students. But Em (the owner’s) behaviour is why I’m not going back. The recent five star reviews seem like an attempt to hide the truth. Like most people in LA, Em’s only kind when it’s convenient. When you try to hold her accountable, she’ll play the victim in problems she created.

No amount of crystals and fake spirituality can make up for a dishevelled space. In the studio I’ve encountered nasty floors, unkempt bathrooms and giant street roaches. Her seemingly bubbly, innocent demeanour is a cop out. When other students made me uncomfortable and messed with my belongings, she made excuses for their behaviour and said I was the one who needed to adapt.

It’s why the turnaround with instructors is so high. It’s why several great ones suddenly quit at the same time. When that many people are leaving and nothing changes, that tells me her disorganization is a choice. As much as she feigns ignorance and loves to run around like a headless chicken, her refusal to take responsibility makes it clear she knows exactly what she’s doing.

There’s nothing cute about a woman in her 30’s who refuses to grow up. Who’d rather drive students and instructors away than meet everyone’s basic needs. This place is only still running because 1) it’s the only studio in the neighbourhood, and 2) she hasn’t shown that side to everyone. To anyone reading, you’re better off driving further out to a well maintained studio that ACTUALLY has good energy (e.g. Romance and Dance, PŌL, Luscious Maven, Embody, Beehive) than dealing with the instability...