Ever since I left Canada, I've missed studio yoga. I do gym yoga for various reasons and it is just…read morenot the same, there's no real challenge, no focus and half the time you are distracted by the kick-boxing class next door. But Blue Cow Yoga is a deliciously proper studio. Right in the middle of the city, it's in a fantastic location. Spacious and very North American. You take your shoes off when you enter, help yourself to free tea or water and pad round to the changing rooms, where they have all amenities including hair straighteners. This I like! Also the abundance of lockers to keep your valuables safe are really appreciated. It's a very chill environment, they get the importance of focus and a peaceful vibe. I came for an inversion workshop and was delighted with the teacher and the experience. Mollie, the teacher, was super patient and explained everything very clearly. While she made it look elegant and easy herself, she took the time with all the beginners to make them feel comfortable. The room was very spacious with lots of white wall space to practice against, and plenty of maps, bolsters and blocks. I am definitely planning on coming back for their free yoga week for newcomers and I'd love to try a treatment too, once I recover from this inversion workout!

TREATMENTS. Sorry…read moreto shout. But, seriously...the treatments. I have not been for yoga yet (but I will!) --- and had signed up for updates via their newsletter. As luck would have it last week I received an email from them about 25 quid Bespoke Treatments. Answer to my prayers, little BCY -- answer to my prayers. After being slammed and shoved into planes, delayed in airports, working from bed and overall stress levels escalating, I needed a massage. A good, deep massage. And this is what I got. Which will have hooked me forever, so this marketing campaign to get folks into the studio worked. I'll be a faithful follower of Zoe, who whipped my knotted back and shoulders into shape. Really, very talented. Will be back for the yoga and the massage and the acupuncture -- and whatever else really? Really! It's a beautiful lower level space that feels tranquil and serene amidst the craziness of the City. It's clean, large, spacious, and the staff is friendly without being intrusive. Will return and update about the yoga -- but for now, I can say that I'm feeling mighty fine and relaxed due to that bespoke beatdown. Ahhhhhh.

Haven't taken any classes here yet, so will have to update after I do, but my wife and I really…read moreliked the cafe. It's a serene spot up above the chaos of Old Spitalfields Market, and the coffees and smoothies are quite good. We could have gone for a small bite to eat (after our workout at a rival gym, as it turns out), but it looks like they're still working on adding food to the menu, so it's just beverages for now. In any case, this would be a great place to sit and read, relax, or chat, and it's got overhead heaters for the chillier days.

I took a class here on Classpass, I really loved the studio, large warm room (not too hot),…read morewaterfall in room for relaxing sound, nice dim light, really an ideal relaxing yoga atmosphere. The room is large and so fit a ton of people but it didn't feel crowded at all, had plenty of space between mats. The changing room/showers are spacious and clean, have electronic lock lockers, and are stocked with cowshed products I believe, which is a nice bonus. I think you get one towel for your mat and can rent a second towel for showering after for a pound, not a huge deal, but there are some other boutique fitness spots like Ten Health & Fitness that have lovely fluffy towels and don't charge for this. At the end of the practice the instructor comes around and gives everyone a little 5 second massage/oil treatment with a cool damp towel over you which was so great and felt fabulous at the end of practice, provided you don't mind being touched. Overall this is the nicest yoga facility I've been to in the city, I've tried others like Yotopia, Fierce Grace (packed and smelly), and TriYoga Camden (stressful zoo of a changing room), and this wins for me, the super calming zen environment just feels like you are "treating yourself", I left on a cloud. I just wish there was one closer to my flat in central london, I would go weekly if I didn't have to take a tube ride to/from. Also wish they offered prenatal yoga, I would make a special trip definitely if they offered that.

Had a class with girl called Charlie. She was very,very rude and unprofessional. Focused only on…read moreherself, she did not care about people who exercised. Do not recommend.

Frame has such potential. It has a huge class selection with diverse and interesting classes, from…read morerestorative yoga to Frame Rave and classes are offered throughout the day. Annoyance #1: convoluted booking system. Prepay 50£ for a frame card and get discounted classes, though a few times that discount didn't go through for me. Annoyance #2: ick factor. What Frame needs is a good cleaning. Like a serious disinfection... It's pretty gross in there and it's hard to zen out and enjoy yoga when the room smalls foul and you just feel dirty.

Class gets 5 stars, 2-3 on the actual studio. I loved the barre class I took with Sinead and…read morethought it was the perfect level of difficult and she did the perfect amount of corrections/recommendations while also praising people for form and giving shoutouts. I thought it was a good mix of lower body/upper body/core with a nice amount of cardio interspersed throughout. The studio was nice but I was told that the class studio was downstairs and when I got down there it was unclear which of the two to go two. I was also so annoyed by how my class got out at the exact same time as the spin class and the locker rooms were an absolute disaster trying to get my things and get out of there with 30 women all fighting for the shower and lockers. Just seemed like really poor planning. The studio was also on a sketchyyyy street in shoreditch and I had to double and triple check my Google maps to make sure I was in the right place. It was fine for the intro offer but I'd be sick paying full price for the experience.

I popped in last night for a drop in absolute beginner class with David Kierce and I had a lot of…read morefun. it really exceeded my expectations. Reading the reviews below I wasn't sure it was going to work as I was expecting it to be overcrowded, difficult to follow, etc. but given my renewed passion for ballet and the fact that I was done with work I decided to give it a try (also to feel less guilty about my lasagna at lunch). The class is the cheapest I have tried so far (£8 and no membership fee), but the level was at par. The studio is not huge and there were quite a lot of people, but we managed to fit and to do our exercises without crashing into each other. The teacher is great, really explains carefully all the steps and positions and is very funny. I would give the 5th star to this place if it had later classes (7.20 is hard to fit into a busy working schedule) and also if the changing room was a bit bigger and organised: there are a lot of stuffs from the real academy students, so there is a bit of confusion and I am sure I will leave something sooner or later (which reminds me of my ballet days when I was a kid). i'll try to put it in my weekly timetable from now on!

I took a few adult ballet lessons here a few months ago. The ballet teacher Renato Paroni was…read moregreat; seems quite passionate and have a fabulous sense of humour. However, it was overly crowded too crowded for a comfortable session to take place. I also did not get much attention from the teacher which was not really helpful. I tried the beginner's class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings ballet classes. And I think it is too easy for me who have some experience. However, the more advance classes looked really difficult. So, I stopped going to the classes and I am now looking for other better places more suitable for my level of experience.

I've been a Virgin Active Classic member since 2010. I've visited this club a few times as part of…read moremy membership and it's just not as good as some of the other new clubs. The gym itself is tiny. You've literally gotta stake a claim to floor real estate if you want to do a body weight HIIT style workout. The yoga studio doesn't have mirrors - a major failing for a brand new gym. It does have a great range of classes - barre, altitude training, functional fitness - and they are rarely booked out unlike other gyms in the City. The showers and lockers are lovely but again, so crowded. Using them in the morning is stressful because you're literally crawling over people to get ready. It's the only Classic gym where I've ever had to queue for a shower. Molton Brown toiletries, free coffee/newspaper and the ironing service are lovely, but don't make up for a crowded, stressful gym experience. I'm not sure what Virgin Active's designers were aiming for with this gym, but it's style over substance. I'd recommend doing a trial if you are planning to visit during peak hours, or check out the other clubs in the City.

I switched from Nuffields and pay 40 quid more a month for this gym and am still questioning my…read moresanity. Nuffields has an incentive plan which includes a free MOT after 4 months and if you improve on it, they give you perks such as a free month or free PT. They also recently renovated so the equipment is newer. I switched to Virgin Active because I needed a change of scenery. Virgin Active is clean and they've got Molton Brown lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and GHD blowdriers and straighteners. That's probably where my money is going actually, since the gym is so tiny. There is hardly space to do weights and strength train and it's pretty funny watching people claim real estate on the floor to exercise. The side benefits are nice, they have a coffee machine and an ironing/steaming service in the morning. They also have anti-gravity yoga and barre classes, but good luck finding an available shower stall afterward. Definitely try going early in the morning or later in the evening because you'll have more room for yourself. UPDATE: DO NOT GO 7:30-8:30 AM ON TUESDAYS. So effing crowded.

I started at this yoga studio a couple weeks ago and I strongly urge anyone who has access to…read morecentral london to check it out and try a class. The sessions are intimate and insightful, adjusting to people's needs within the class that day. Some yoga studios I find to be very focused on image. This one reminded me what yoga was really about. (Izzy, one of the instructors is my personal favourite.) Great spacious cafe downstairs to eat and work in too and all near liverpool street!

From the owner: Yoga and fitness space in the middle of the Cityread more