Lately I’ve become kind of obsessed with barre workouts. So when I had the opportunity to visit the Las Vegas Pure Barre studio, I was ALL OVER THAT!

The first Friday of each month is “Bring a Friend For Free” – so it’s a way for newbies to the studio to check out a class for free. Just contact the studio to book your class!

I entered the lobby and met the studio’s owner, Lauren, who was very welcoming and explained the ropes to me of getting setup for class.

They have a whole “store” area in the lobby too! You can buy various apparel for the workouts or to just support the Pure Barre brand.

She got me squared away with a pair of grippy socks, everybody must wear socks in the studio. They also request that participants wear long or capri-length pants and tops that cover the midriff. This is to keep some of the heat you build up during the workout.

She took me into the studio, it’s got a barre all around the room and one wall is covered in mirrors.

She also instructed me on the equipment used during the workout. Yes, 2lb dumbbells look pretty weak… but after a while those tiny little weights can really start to inflict a burn when you’re doing small movements repeatedly!

We had movements where we kept that ball gripped in our knee-pit (technical term there!) and had to do tiny little leg lifts with it held there. Or we put the bands around our legs just above the knees to make moves harder and add resistance.

Our time was split between the center of the classroom and work at the barre. There wasn’t talk of ballet positions during class and I never felt like you had to be a ballerina (or even super coordinated) to do it! There were times that I felt kind of clumsy, wondering if I was in the right position, but I was never too far off!

I LOVE LOVE LOVED the workout and left feeling so invigorated! My class was taught by Noelle, she told us that we’d hate her during class and maybe the few days after but then grow to love her. Sorry Noelle, I liked you the whole time… even if you made my muscles burn and then ache for a few days after!

Noelle spotted little things where I could correct my form and get better results. She was great at being able to correct people in a way that made sense without making you feel like you were a moron! I can’t wait to take another class from her, but I also can’t wait to check out other instructors’ styles too! No two workouts are exactly the same either, it’s not like it’s a prescribed routine that you learn and get bored with over time.

The only real downsides to Pure Barre for me are:

1. Location: It’s a little bit of a drive so it’s hard to go there on my lunch break, but at least it’s still on my side of town. But I think I would like to try to make that happen a couple times a month. I start working early enough and do enough outside of typical work hours that I should be able to swing that! I might be able to plan for a weekend class every now and then too once it is no longer my CPA husband’s busy season. (Countdown is on – couple more weeks!)
2. Price: Pure Barre is not a cheap class. And I’m a cheapskate! But this was so awesome and wonderful, again… I’m going to allow myself to do this!

Barre is a great complement to running. It fatigues every muscle in the body (seriously, I think I found a few new muscles), it illustrated to me that my glutes on the left weren’t quite firing with the same efficiency as my right (which could affect my running) and it incorporates stretches to loosen up tight runner legs.  While there are online opportunities to do these workouts, and I use some of these, getting into the studio with a trained instructor has huge benefits.

Pure Barre Las Vegas
3330 S. Hualapai Way Suite 140
Las Vegas, NV 89117
702-525-3454

Oh…. and the bathrooms made me smile.