[solidcore] Downtown Brooklyn — Local services in New York

I was a loyal patron of this Solidcore location. I held a weekly streak of over a year long, and loved working out with the kind, fun instructors at this location (particularly Raven S., Portia B., Marcelle W., Barbie S.I, Blu W., and Hadiyah G. -- they're truly rockstars, so talented and so motivating!) Going to Solidcore DTBK was even sometimes the highlight of my week, and I was considering membership since I was so dedicated.

But in November, I entered the studio at 7:02am for a 7AM Saturday class. This seemed fine -- the door code/my app still worked, so I entered, found a locker, and put away my belongings. I grabbed my water bottle, dashed to the class room at 7:05am and found a reformer. The instructor, Jordan P., put her hand on my back as I got into position, and told me "I needed to leave since it's 7:06AM." I was baffled -- I entered the studio within the grace period, was not disruptive, had been to over 50 classes, and had been to many a class that started 5-10 minutes past start time. It likely turned to 7:06am as I got onto the reformer -- that's how quickly I entered the room. Additionally, plenty of people go to the bathroom at the start of classes and join in AFTER start time. The room had plenty of empty reformers. I've also always been punctual, but all of this meant absolutely nothing to Jordan P.

She insisted I need to leave and see the receptionist, so I was ejected from class -- but there was no receptionist even there. I waited 10 minutes for her.

When the receptionist arrived, she told me I could try to come back in an hour and get into the next class. I came back, and then she told me that because I was a Classpass member (she never asked me for my status or name beforehand) I actually couldn't get in. Now I had wasted two hours of my day on trying to get into a class after being unfairly kicked out of one, and was essentially told there was nothing that could be done despite my longtime loyalty to the studio. I was essentially considered a second-class citizen customer because I use Classpass.

The receptionist did not even offer a comped class voucher or any other solution since she "is not a Classpass employee." That was the only timeframe I could attend that week, so I ended up dropping my Solidcore streak of over a year. I am extremely disappointed and saddened by how dismissively I was treated by Jordan P., and am not sure I will be returning at all to...

Hmmm… I went to Google to find this studio where I signed up for a class while traveling and saw a few bad reviews… mostly from people who show up late to class or missed or late cancelled. 😅 and I felt compelled to leave a review.

Solidcore is not for the faint at heart. If hardcore is not your jam, Solidcore won’t be your match made in heaven.

I’ve been a Solidcore unlimited member for a few years now. I found it through ClassPass and knew right away that this is what I needed in my life. I actually love that they charge me a late cancellation / no show fee that hurts enough so I show up (for myself). 🤣 It helps with accountability.

If you’re new to Pilates/reformer, try a foundations class. Show up early so the instructor has enough time to introduce themselves and give you a download. Ask questions. Watch the videos in advance if that makes you more comfortable. Know your door code. I find that almost all solidcore instructors I’ve had are great and some are exceptional. And some are hard and some are SUPER hard - pick your hard 🤣

Doors auto lock if you’re more than 5mins late so make sure you have enough buffer. And have fun!

Oh, and the best part - it helped me cinch my core without bulking up the rest...

I'm a member in another state and absolutely love the workout. I was in town for work for the week and decided to go to this location a few times. The studio is nice. Make sure you're changed beforehand because they don't let you in until a few minutes before class and if others are also needing to change, you may miss the first minute or two of class waiting for a bathroom to open up like I did.

What I found to be odd and unenjoyable is how a few of the coaches treat the class like a HIIT/F45 type of vibe. I've been a member for years and have been to several studios in different states but have never experienced the screaming and intensity of the coaches like I did at this location. You're supposed to move as slow as possible, and it takes a lot of focus and concentration sometimes to balance or stay in the move. The screaming and shouting does not match that energy at all. I quit HIIT because I wanted to do something less stressful. The vibe at this location raised my cortisol levels and I felt so stressed. Virginia was the only trainer here who really matched the vibe of the workout. I felt motivated but not like I was in a boot camp. Her music was...