You’ve got a 2-year-old with peanut butter in her hair, your slow-cooker dinner is somehow burnt, and you just had a rough day at work. Taking a deep breath isn’t going to cut it this time. Relax. We’ve got you covered with some of the region’s newest spots in which to unwind, as well as ways to spice up your workout routine. After a welcome respite, you’ll feel ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges.
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Looking to get some exercise with your faithful companion? Instead of taking a stroll around the block, consider “pup-ilates” or “doga.” Instructor Kimberly Flatley runs weekly classes designed to help participants and their pets burn fat. Class locations and times change monthly; visit the website for more info.
Blending wellness and community, the group fitness class gets St. Louisans out of the gym and into the city. The classes are ideal for yoga novices who’d rather avoid a gym or structured studio. A sampling of places and pairings: Yoga + Grown Up Recess at City Museum, Yoga + Apple Picking at Eckert’s Farm, and Yoga + Beer at various breweries.
Created by Juliu Horvath, Gyrotonic involves the use of machines with hand- and foot-operated wheelbases and pulleys that allow you to move in continuous circular motions. With roots in yoga, dance, and swimming, Gyrotonic methods are designed to help the body and mind. Gyrotonic classes afford personal attention; Gyrokinesis classes (with stools rather than machines) are taught in a group setting.
Aerial Fitness
Picture yourself suspended above the ground, elegantly wrapped in a silk hammock like a Cirque du Soleil performer. Sound impossible? Not so. Aerial fitness and yoga classes are becoming increasingly popular as fun, high-flying ways to increase flexibility and build muscle with the same therapeutic effects as traditional yoga. Sign up for classes at Lilly Steele Fitness, Bumbershoot Aerial Arts, or Upper Limits West County.
Whole Body Vibration Therapy
Want to shed pounds but can’t pencil in time for cardio? Whole-body vibration is claimed to burn calories faster than traditional workouts. Stand on a vibrating platform that causes your body to react with muscle contractions and rebalancing. The body feels weighed down, similar to how it does during weight-bearing exercise. Try it at St. Louis Wellness Center, E2 Fitness Studio, or This Way, Ladies!
Barre Workouts
The barre trend has been on the rise for the past decade, but it isn’t just for nimble dancers. Incorporating the ballet barre and small isometric movements into your workout can help you build longer, leaner muscles. Catch a class at The Bar Method, Pure Barre, or CityFit Studio.
RELAX
- PALM Health: Sited on the former Busch’s Grove location, in Ladue, this new spa and medical center offers a wide array of services. To name just a handful: an infrared sauna, cryosauna, salt room, steam room, acupuncture and acupressure, personal trainers and fitness equipment, a full array of spa services (brown-seaweed wraps, black-salt scrubs, Arctic berry peels), and myriad classes (fitness, emotional calm, balance, posture, breathing, mental clarity, graceful aging, art as therapy, poetry as self-expression…).
- SubZero Cryotherapy: Shiver your pain away. In these freezing saunas, just three minutes in a 30-degree capsule is said to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, ease muscle tension, and boost energy. During the temperature drop, your blood rushes to vital organs, where it’s recharged with oxygen and stripped of toxins. Athletes and St. Louisans with chronic pain, in particular, might consider the treatment.
- F.LO.A.T. STL: The website boasts that “it’s likely to be the most relaxing thing you’ve ever experienced.” F.LO.A.T. is similar to a warm day at the pool, except you’ll be floating in complete darkness in a tank filled with 850 pounds of Epsom salts, so you won’t be fighting gravity or ambient noise. Talk about peace of mind.
- SOL Sweat: It claims to have the benefits of a traditional sauna without the scorching heat, with infrared saunas heating from the inside out for a cleansing sweat. Try it on your own or with a SOL Mate.
- St. Louis Salt Room: The Midwest’s first halotherapy center uses modern salt therapy to improve respiratory wellness. The treatment is claimed to shorten recovery time from illness.
- Community Acupuncture of St. Louis: By practicing in a common room with recliners, Community Acupuncture of St. Louis cuts costs to keep healing practices on a sliding scale from $20 to $40. It’s affordable, accessible, and social.
