Core Collective: London’s hottest new boutique fitness studio
Boutique fitness destinations are all but lacking in London, each promising to offer the hottest and most unique workout experience. So how do you distinguish the average from the exceptional? Don’t sweat it – we’re here to give you the lowdown on our new favourite gym spot, Core Collective, which we promise you is anything but ordinary.
Despite the plethora of fitness destinations around town, we at YCB were excited to hear of a new studio opening in our neighbourhood. We first heard of Core Collective through the grapevine, and aside from some teasingly intriguing guerrilla (read: Instagram) advertising, we knew close to nothing about them. After sipping coconut-Kahlúa espresso martinis at their launch event last month, we knew they were our kind of establishment, and just had to jog along for a taster class.
Right off High Street Kensington, the gem of a space has an impossibly cool reception/lounge area, with stripped rustic wooden tables, distressed leather chairs and contemporary artwork for sale. Polished concrete walkways and industrial pendant lighting give it an understated luxury vibe that makes it feels more like a cocktail lounge than a gym.
The changing rooms alone were worth the visit. Think exposed copper detailing and white tiles worthy of an Elle Décor shoot, and spa-like amenities such as fluffy two-metre towels (WHICH ARE FREE. We may be a tad too excited about that), Bamford toiletries and GHD styling tools and products complete the experience—and make our transition to happy hour that much easier.
Of course the space doesn’t come without and in-house juice bar, Who Loves You, ready to refuel you with a choice of açai bowls, cold-pressed juices, chia egg-white omelettes and a must-have variety of raw and gluten free snacks, amongst other delicious offerings– basically a health-junkie’s heaven, perfect for pre- or post-workout socialising… perhaps with one of the many breathtaking-ly gorgeous trainers—one of them actually moonlights as a model (if that doesn’t make you book a class we don’t know what will. Just sayin’.)
Sound intimidating? Don’t fret. The nightclub feel doesn’t extend to a door policy. Small class sizes (max 14 people), attentive trainers and a feeling of camaraderie, the experience is far more welcoming than you’d expect.
Now to the main event: the studios. There are 3 classes on offer, Velocity (High-Intensity Interval Training), Accelerate (straight up spin cycling) and Resistance (TRX). We gave a shot at the Velocity class, thinking that the lack of scary equipment would make the whole thing less daunting… we were very wrong. At Core Collective, it’s non-stop whatever class you chose.
We worked through reps of jumping squats, pulsing at the bottom between each set—our quads were aching so much we genuinely doubted our ability to walk the next day. Tye, our trainer, probably witnessing our pathetic struggle and feeling sorry for us, encouraged us by telling us we were doing great. Bless him. But the worst thing? Battle ropes. The last time we used ropes for something even remotely aerobic was in elementary school, the rhythm of “Cinderella, dressed in yellow…”. This was not as fun.
There were no burpees (thank goodness, Tye probably took pity on us) but everything else from reverse lunges, press ups, sled pushes, sprints, and every plank variation ever was suffered through and done—badly, on our end. We had experienced the brutality of HIIT before, but never quite like this.
We caught up with founder Jason De Savary to learn a little bit more about the Core Collective ethos.
YCB: What made you want to open Core Collective?
JDS: “I wanted to marry all the things that I think make a good [fitness] class together so people finally had something that was in line with the hotels and restaurants they were used to going to. We’ve tried to set a different standard across all areas of the group workout.”
YCB: You’re the new kid in London’s fitness scene… what sets Core Collective apart from the competition?
JDS: “Details. Trainers. Energy of the team. Everyone believes in what we are trying to create and are proud to push to make things better. We want workouts that even trainers from other places or athletes could respect. We had a boxer in our accelerate class in week 2 and he was blown away he’s going to integrate it into his cardio regime.”
YCB: Tell us a bit more about how Core Collective works: no membership, no contract, three types of classes. What inspired you to structure it this way?
JDS: “I actually believe that people like to train / workout in different places. Exercise should be varied. We want to be that element of people’s weekly workout routine where they know they’re going to be pushed and know they can get results. And hopefully they like our space too. But we don’t expect people to not want to do Pilates elsewhere or yoga or anything. People don’t sign up to one hotel or restaurant for a year and there is no reason they should with fitness either. That’s not to say we don’t want to be their favourite… And we are working hard to make sure that’s the case.”
Core Collective has effectively transformed the gym experience from chore to chillout, while showcasing boutique fitness at its finest. Whether you fancy burning some serious calories or looking for somewhere to wind down with a nutritious snack, the clever clogs at Core Collective have got you covered.
Gym bunnies take note, because we may have just found your new temple (work your hardest and with a little luck you’ll be as hot as their trainers.)
Visit www.core-collective.co.uk and book yourself a class (first one is on them!). If we can fathom the energy, we’re going in for a Resistance sesh. See you there!
