With access to almost every kind of workout imaginable, it can be hard for New York fitness junkies to decide how they want to get their fix on any given day. ClassPass makes it easy to try new things, but you still don’t know quite what you’re signing up for when going to a class for the first time. Rachel Eisenpress noticed this conundrum and decided to do something about it. Her website, The Jonesing, offers objective reviews of popular classes throughout the city. “No one wants to walk into a new class blind and run the risk of leaving frustrated, dissatisfied and feeling like they wasted the time they had set aside to work out,” she says.
“Because there are so many classes out there, for the average class goer, you’re just looking at a list of classes and so many of them sound exactly the same,” she explains. “The description is ripped from studio websites—so what’s that really telling you about what the experience is actually like? It takes actually going and looking with an observing eye at what the vibe is like and what the typical instructor brings to the table to really understand if something is going to be an enjoyable experience for you.” Eisenpress currently writes all of the site’s reviews herself, attending each class twice to get a clear picture of what a typical class is like. She’s fair, but not scared to be honest, giving studios a rating out of ten and providing relatable qualifiers like “Good Looking Clientele,” “Not Cliquey,” or “Sweating Out Your Hangover,” which readers can use to narrow down their choices on the site.
As more and more fitness classes pop up around the city, keep checking The Jonesing for fresh reviews.
