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Denver’s boutique studio scene has exploded with growth in the past few years (see “The Absolute Best Colorado Workouts for You”), but barre classes in particular are becoming as much of a Mile High fixture as yoga pants and hiking boots. In fact, the resistance-based sessions are so popular that studios founded in other states are starting to move in on the Colorado market.
Take the Barre Code, a Chicago-based company that’s scheduled to open its first corporate location outside Illinois in Ballpark in October. (It has 21 total studios throughout the country.) Co-founder Ariana Chernin, who created the growing franchise in 2010, has been coming to Frisco for years to get her snowboarding fix, but recognizes Denver’s potential as a mecca for the physically fit as well. “I know it’s such a fitness-focused area,” she says. “Everyone’s interested in being active, so it’s a great market to come to and bring our concept.”
That model is potentially different enough from the city’s current slate of barre studios for Denverites to find it interesting. While the studio offers the traditional 50-minute, isometric-focused barre class, it also incorporates strength training, kickboxing, and yoga elements into its program. Plus, the instructors emphasize a healthy lifestyle and positive body image over weight loss, with a mantra to “live by the barre code,” whether that’s taking a hike or committing to a couple hours a week in the studio.
See whether you’d like to become a member (ClassPass participants will be limited) at the free pop-up class 10 a.m. Sunday at LoDo’s ViewHouse. Three-month-old Sweat Cosmetics will be on-site to offer samples of its sunscreen and makeup (which is designed specifically for active women), and bottomless mimosas will be poured post-workout—so you can walk away with as much swag as sweat.
Follow editorial assistant Mary Clare Fischer on Twitter at @mc_fischer.