Dear gentrification warriors: Lay down your arms, saddle up and quiet the anger inside of you by shouting positive affirmations.
SoulCycle is coming to Tampa (South Tampa to be exact, if you couldn’t figure that part out).
The New York City spin class with a cult and celebrity following has filed permits for its fourth Florida location, a 2,834 square-foot studio in Hyde Park Village. That’s according to the TBBJ, which pointed out that Miami-based steakhouse Meat Market and a St. Petersburg-born co-working concept, Station House, have also filed papers to move in.
Reps from the studio — which boasts Katie Holmes, Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa and Chelsea Clinton among its famous devotees — would not comment on the matter, but there are already two jobs posted online (instructor and assistant studio manager). Instructor auditions are happening on February 7 in Miami, where SoulCycle has locations in Brickell, Coral Gables and Miami Beach.
SoulCycle has transcended your basic, run-of-the-mill spin cycling workout. It’s more like fitness porn on a stationary bike. Classes are held in candlelit rooms, and the studio walls are painted in more posi-hyperbole than your hippie yoga instructor’s Pinterest page (think: "the rhythm pushes us harder than we ever thought possible”). Riders look absolutely stunning during tap-backs (the act of thrusting your hips backward while riding out of the seat), and we’re sure no SoulCycle-r has ever farted while doing the on-bike crunches.
At first, those brave enough to try it will feel like the failures and degenerates they truly are, but almost all regular users have reported improvements to their physical form and sleeping habits. There is no word on whether “Noon on Monday” (a reference to the SoulCycle class sign-up process) is still a thing there.
According to TBBJ, first-timers can pay $20 per class. The cost is $30 for a single class after that (that’s like 200 Coors Lights, or something). There are also class packs, ranging from $60 for three classes to 30 classes for $780. “SuperSoul” packages come with 50 classes and perks like advance sign-ups and priority on waitlists, and cost $3,500.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 7, 2019.