The sun is always shining somewhere, meaning you never know when that next beach trip might fall. In efforts to stay beach ready year round Beach Tomato HQ have been putting London’s spin classes to the test. From the more regular spinners to first timers it’s safe to say we’ve been put through our paces and come to realise that exercise can be really quite enjoyable when you have the best instructors to motivate and smoothies to rejuvenate. See below for some serious sp-inspiration from our reviews of our favourite London spin classes.

Psycle:

Experience

The friendliest welcome you’ll get from a gym. The Psycle team couldn’t be more willing to help, explain and make sure your spin class is everything you came for. Stepping into the simple yet sophisticated interiors and you realise you are going to be spinning in luxury. The option to pre-order a smoothie for the end of class was a really nice touch.

Class

Loud music and a dark room, lit up only by disco-like lights, made you forget the burning sensation in your legs. Despite a very full room you are so fixated on the motivational instructor that you are unaware of people around you. In between high intensity spin tracks you are encouraged to focus on yourself and your breathing, creating an unusual sense of calm amongst a heart racing Psycle class. With an added weights track it’s safe to say you leave feeling you’ve worked your whole body.

Changing Room

Psycle comes up trumps with the attention to detail in their changing room. Providing everything you could need post spin class, from towels and luxurious shampoos to hair bobbles and straighteners, nothing has been over looked here. The only downside was slightly cramped changing conditions and an ever growing shower queue with the influx of sweaty spinners when the classes came to an end.

Core Collective:

Experience

Upon walking into Core Collective, you instantly feel like you are entering one of London’s top members clubs. This ambience and décor has not been spared and this is abundant once you step through the glass panelled doors.

The friendly reception staff inform you on location of your class and your changing rooms which are all in the basement. I would recommend enjoying a fresh juice or coffee from the bar in the reception area, with artwork forever changing on the walls, it’s a great place to relax before and after your workout.

Class

After a brisk warm up, you are straight into the class lead by a professional instructor and before you know it, the music is pumping, your heart rate rising and your cycling rhythm in full swing. With every class carefully curated to a select playlist, the music is there not only to pump you up but to also act as a cycling beat, allowing for high speed sprints but also those never ending up hill climbs. A spin class at Core Collective isn’t just a case of sitting on a bike and pedalling, with a vast range of exercises organised by the instructor whilst pedalling, for a guy, you are able to realise you can do more than one thing at a time! 45 minutes flies by and once you have got your heart rate back to a resting pace, you will be taken on a full warm down and recovery involving stretching and breathing to really neutralise the adrenalin pumping around your body.

Changing Room

The male changing rooms are spacious and the lockers, easy to use.

Boom:

Experience

The whole experience was both engaging and exciting. The staff were patient and helpful, going out of their way to make the experience the best it could be. The building was busy and full but never felt cramped or claustrophobic. Everyone seemed knowledgeable and passionate about the brand, especially the instructors and I left genuinely wanting to go back.

Class

The instructor Armando was full of energy, very welcoming and tailored the session to what the class wanted. Staff were on hand to help with bike set up, the rooms buzzing atmosphere and the commotion made it feel as if something really exciting was going to happen. The class was full throttle and didn’t disappoint. People were cheering and whooping between songs and there was a good rapport between instructor and guests.

Changing Room

Small and personal but not in a cramped way, almost as if you were at home or in a small spa boutique. Quality soaps, lockers, towels and a hair dryer made it an enjoyable experience.

Groove Cycle:

Experience

Groove Cycle had a very different feel to other spin classes; it was a relatively small group (approx. 15 people, as opposed to the near 50 at other classes) which made it immensely personal. Instructor, SJ, greeted us with the bubbliest welcome, she knew everyone by name which is a something I’m yet to experience at other gyms, it was evident this was a regular class for many Groover’s and this gave it a very relaxed feel. An hour’s spin class sounds daunting but trust us, it genuinely flies by!

Class

SJ’s GrooveCycle60 was proof that you can spin with a smile on your face and, with that, for an entire 60 minutes. Grooving our way through a variety of upbeat tracks we worked our whole bodies with rounds of bike push-ups (yes, they exist), core workouts and even throwing a few punches. Combining cycling to the beat with the ever changing coloured lights made this feel more like a dance party than a gym class and SJ’s inspirational motivation kept you going when the burn got tough.

Changing Room

Clean, spacious and plenty of lockers; more of your everyday gym changing room as opposed to anything overly luxurious. GHD hair dryers and full length mirrors were a nice perk. Towels and padlocks not provided so make sure you’ve got those handy.