This blog is for my fellow health-and-wellness junkies, along with anyone interested in weird and lesser-known activities in Atlanta.
Let's rewind to late 2019, when Joe and I were driving home from a weekend in Asheville. We were listening to comedian Bert Kreisher's podcast, lol-ing our way through the mountain roads. Bert is a hefty man, known for taking his shirt off on stage and exposing a massive beer belly during his standup shows. What many don't realize is that he's actually in amazing shape and works out religiously.
In this particular episode, Bert mentioned his favorite fitness class in Los Angeles: hot spin at a studio called "The Sweat Shoppe." (Yes, that was really the name). Joe and I had just recently entered our fitness craze at the time. We were intrigued. With extra time on my hands in the car, I did a quick Google search, not thinking there was even a slight chance they had a studio in ATL. Low and behold they had 3 studios: 2 in Cali and one in ATL. What. Were. The. Odds.
Pretty sure we booked a class for the following weekend.
Sweat Cycle, formerly known as The Sweat Shoppe, is located within The Forum at Lenox Mall. The Forum is as intimidating as intimidating gyms get, but thankfully Sweat Cycle, tucked in a corner of the gym, offers a friendlier vibe.
The first time taking this class, Joe and I about died during the intense and relentless cardio routine in the heated 85-degree room. But the high we felt afterward was amazing and kept us coming back.
Once the pandemic hit, we took a long break, but have since refound our love for Sweat Cycle. Bonus: They're now offering free weekly classes. Sign up for their newsletter for dates.
Warning: The class is hard. You will sweat buckets onto the floor below your bike. This is coming from someone who barely breaks a sweat during a normal spin class. You'll probably also get a little light-headed. If you take certain instructors, you may even need to lay on the floor for 20 minutes after class. But the amazing feeling afterwards is so worth it.
I'll leave you with a pro tip: Bring ice water. Lots of ice water.