Written by The Strategy

With the weather warming up, and your clothing options becoming less ‘covered-up’, it’s time to remember that “bikini body” we need to whip into shape for the summer. 

Thankfully, just in time for cottage season, US based fitness program, Pure Barre, opened it’s first Canadian location on Queen St. W., in Toronto. We spoke to a Pure Barre spokesperson about the program and attended a class ourselves, so we could give you the low-down.

What differentiates Pure Barre from all other ‘Barre’ inspired fitness programs?

“With more than 370 studios, Pure Barre is the largest, most established barre franchise in North America. Pure Barre offers a highly effective and proprietary barre technique. Designed to sculpt, tone and strengthen, each 55-minute Pure Barre class is an intense, low impact workout that improves endurance, flexibility and balance. Pure Barre studios offer an unmatched client experience, combining the challenging technique with a strong sense of community.”

What made Pure Barre decided to open in Canada?

“Pure Barre has experienced consistent growth throughout its history, putting the brand at the forefront of the boutique fitness industry with three times the presence of any other barre concept in the nation. As a franchise model, Pure Barre has experienced consistent demand from Canadians who have experienced Pure Barre’s one-of-a-kind technique in the U.S. looking to bring studios to their communities. In turn, the brand made a strategic decision to approach its first international expansion carefully, building a solid expert infrastructure in-house and finding the right franchisee partners to carry out the brand vision.”

Is dance experience necessary or beneficial to a Pure Barre newbie?

“No dance experience required – as long as you can hold a ballet barre, you can do Pure Barre.”

The class we attended was taught by Toronto franchise owner, Paige Carper. We’ll be honest in saying the class was tough. We spend most of our time at our desks, and TS HQ lunches normally consist of tacos, so we classify ourselves as mildly out-of-shape.  But saying that, even though we needed to take multiple water breaks, we could still feel the burn and  felt that we got a lot out of the class. With each movement, you could feel muscles you never even knew about working, and the ballet-inspired room made us feel elegant and strong. When talking to other class attendees, they all shared the same consensus: they loved Pure Barre because a) it was challenging and b) they saw the results within a short time frame. 

This class is definitely one we will be returning to and we can’t wait to see you there. Pure Barre, 737 Queen St., W, Toronto