Location: 1042 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Readers’ pick: Taylor Swift Saturdays
SoulCycle’s Georgetown location puts a sweaty spin on the Eras Tour, and Swifties are ready for it.
The studio’s take on the Taylor Swift phenomenon, led by SoulCycle Instructor Christopher, is its signature 45-minute cycling class accompanied by jamming Taylor Swift songs ($24 for students). The weekly 11:45 a.m. Saturday class provides an opportunity for Swifties to exercise and embrace their beloved songstress.
Whether you have a workout buddy joining you or attending class alone, riders are welcomed into a bustling, enthusiastic community with the same purpose: listen to Taylor and sweat.
SoulCycle’s workout is like “driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.” Except instead of a Maserati, it’s a black stationary bike. Instead of driving, it’s sprinting and stomping away as the resistance ramps up to mimic a hill. By the end of the class, you’re burning red.
The beat guides the movements and speed, giving you the opportunity for cathartic release as you sprint across an invisible finish line to the upbeat pop hit “Cruel Summer.” Class participants sing along with whatever breath they have left from exercising — perhaps more eager to listen to Taylor than bike.
Christopher intersperses choreography — like using the handlebars for crunches or pulling your hips back — throughout the class. While it may be difficult to keep up with at first, you pick up on it quickly. The combination of movements helps make the class feel over soon after it begins.
Sometimes, the class’s playlist has a specific Taylor Swift theme, like requests from regular attendees or breakup anthems. Most of the time, however, it’s just any Taylor Swift the instructor wants to hear that day. With a discography spanning nearly 250 songs, each class remains a fresh musical experience. The room is dark and loud with tunes blasting — so no one can hear you belting “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)” as you battle heavy resistance.
Christopher consistently leads Saturday’s Taylor Swift ride. He keeps the room motivated with his feel-good energy and hilarious commentary about everything from the television series “Survivor” to Fountain Diet Coke. His enthusiasm for Taylor and her budding relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce enhances the class experience, motivating you to work out even if you’re nursing a terrible hangover from the night before.
SoulCycle has a reputation for being a little bit culty — but if we’re talking reputations or cults, it’s hard to not mention Taylor. After experiencing the interspersed choreography, dim lighting and quotes on the wall like “inhale intention and exhale expectation,” it’s easy to see how the company earned this label.
But if it’s a culty experience contained in 45 minutes that allows you to get endorphins both from exercise and from listening to a megastar, it’s not the worst exclusive club to take part in.
