Over the past two decades London's boutique premium fitness industry...
...has undergone a significant transformation, with a growing emphasis on personalized experiences, community-building, and innovative classes.
In the early 2000s, a handful of boutique yoga and Pilates studios like Triyoga began to emerge, offering a more intimate and personalized fitness experience than traditional gym chains.
From 2010, the boutique fitness scene truly blossomed, with immersive cycling studios like Psycle and Boom Cycle taking inspiration from US concepts to create something special for the London market. Barre and Pilates studios such as Barrecore and Xtend Barre also gained popularity, while HIIT and strength concepts took off in the mid-2010s with the arrival of US imports like Barry's Bootcamp and home-grown brands like 1Rebel.
Today, London's boutique fitness scene is more vibrant than ever, with a plethora of options for fitness enthusiasts. Strength training has seen a surge in popularity, and while Pilates has always been a favorite, it has become increasingly popular among male participants seeking its benefits.
Investment and interest in the boutique fitness space continues to grow, and despite recent challenges, London's boutique scene is set for big things in the years ahead. Whether you're looking for an intense HIIT workout, a calming yoga class, or a Pilates session to improve your strength and flexibility, there's no shortage of world-class fitness concepts in London's thriving boutique fitness scene.
We anonymously visited over fifty clubs in London – detailed below are the leading experiences that stood out as best-in-class.
1Rebel High Street Kensington
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address 45 Phillimore Walk, London W8 7RZ
1Rebel has been a staple in London’s fitness scene since its 2014 launch, and their RIG concept has more than lived up to their strong reputation. During our visit, the coach delivered a well-structured session with four stations combining cardio and strength training, but it was the energetic and attentive coaching that really brought the experience to life.
The lighting and design features of the club rounded off a world class, five-star club and experience.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
Boom Cycle Monument
Concept Cycling
Address 8 Lombard Ct, London EC3V 9BJ
Boom Cycle say their concept is not about metrics and competition - it’s about joining your community for a ‘party on a bike’ and creating a fun and accessible space where everyone feels welcome.
This was the promise, and our anonymous visit to the club fully backed this up – with positive energy and vibes radiating from the instructor throughout the class.
The team made every effort to make sure we got a great session, and we also appreciated the extra space around the bikes.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
Barry's Bootcamp Soho
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address 59 Kingly Street, Soho, London, W1B 5QL
Barry’s Bootcamp Soho has everything you’d expect from a flagship location – a spacious reception area offering a strong sense of place, a full wall of branded merch and possibly the most beautifully designed shower and changing area in London’s boutique scene.
Fortunately the workout lived up to this strong first impression with a charismatic, friendly and attentive coach. Even in a full class, he was able to connect with everyone and give individual pushes and form adjustments. A first-class fitness experience befitting their five-star award.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
1Rebel Oxford Circus
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address Market Hall, 9 Holles St, London W1G 0DB
Step into any 1Rebel location and you’ll feel you’re about to be part of something special. In 1Rebel Oxford Circus, the exposed brick and polished concrete of the public areas is contrasted with the darkness and neon lights of the ‘Rumble Room’, creating a strong sense of brand and place.
During our visit, we were led by a motivating and attentive instructor who made a strong effort to connect with everyone individually and bring energy and life to the room, completing a five-star experience across the board.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
Barry's Bootcamp London Central
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address 163 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BH
Barry’s London Central is the brand’s “OG” location in the city. Its launch in 2013 signalled one of the first international boutique concepts to hit the UK, making it a milestone in London’s fitness scene.
The newer Barry’s locations may offer more spectacular facilities and public areas, but it was our instructor at London Central that really made our visit a five-star experience – they radiated positive energy, and backed this up with attentive and personalized coaching.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
Barrecore Mayfair
Concept Barre
Address Ground Floor, 6 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PD
Barre studios have scored consistently well at The Fit Guide, often delivering a level of care and attention that should be seen across the industry. Barrecore’s Mayfair location was no exception, with our instructor doing a wonderful job of taking us through a well-structured and expertly delivered session.
She had all the ingredients of an industry-leading instructor, adjusting each exercise to everyone’s ability and experience level whilst making an effort to meaningfully connect with everyone.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
UN1T Southwark
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address 251 Southwark Bridge Rd, London SE1 6FJ
UN1T presents an aura of strength across the whole experience. There is, of course, a big strength training component to their workout and methodlogy, but it’s the strength of the UN1T community and their ‘We Train As One’ message that really left a big impact on us.
During our visit, the session was run by two energetic and professional coaches, who took extra care in ensuring our first visit was a good one.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
Digme Covent Garden
Concept Barre
Address 4-10 Tower St, London WC2H 9NP
When brands offer a wide range of class options and concepts, it can often be hard to deliver strong and special experiences across the board. Based on our visits, Digme have delivered great classes in each of their modalities, with their barre class in Covent Garden being no exception.
During our class, it was the personal touch that really stood out. Our instructor really got to know about our experience and ability level before the session started, and then gave us individualized coaching and attention throughout the session.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆
Soul Cycle Soho
Concept Cycling
Address 3-4 Great Marlborough St, London W1F 7HH
SoulCycle started a boutique fitness revolution when they launched their first New York studio in 2006. At the time, the idea of paying $30+ for a class seemed absurd to some, but as it grew in popularity and developed a fervent fan base, it became clear that people were willing to pay for incredible fitness experiences.
Fast forward 13 years and SoulCycle launched their first studio outside North America in Soho, London. We’re pleased to report that when we visited, the instructor’s energy and charisma lived up to the SoulCycle reputation.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆
GRNDHOUSE
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address Unit 3 Sheldon Square, London W2 6EY
GRNDHOUSE, founded by a team of popular London trainers in 2021, was born out of a desire to bring quality strength training into a market swamped with cardio-heavy options. The original offering was an online-only platform, but as the industry opened up, GRNDHOUSE launched a flagship physical location in Paddington, London.
The founding team of coaches have successfully brought their on-screen charisma into a spacious, impressively-decked out studio and training space.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆
Kobox City
Concept HIIT/Strength
Address 85 London Wall, London EC2M 7AD
Kobox launched in 2015 with a tagline of ‘Fight Club Meets Nightclub’, and brought a unique and impactful experience to London’s scene. The concept combines water-bag boxing with strength work in an accessible and fun format, with no prior boxing experience necessary. The dimly-lit room, lighting effects and banging tunes round of the nightclub-esque vibe.
During our anonymous visit to their City location, the class experience was outstanding, taking home our highest 5-Star Class Experience Award. Our coach for the day delivered a masterclass on how to give a personalized and energetic experience, even with the room at capacity.
Overall Award ☆☆☆☆
Class Experience ☆☆☆☆☆