Auckland has a wealth of workout and wellbeing studios, but which is the right choice for you? Photo / Getty Images
Auckland is full of fantastic fitness and wellbeing hotspots that could be your new go-to for exercise, recovery and wellbeing and to help create positive lifestyle habits.
It’s all about finding the right thing for you and making sure you love it enough to keep coming back. Try an intro-offer pack before committing and chat to the staff about your needs and preferences. You’re guaranteed to find friendly coaches or even other members who are happy to help along the way.
My first recommendation is a personal one - I’m about to open Mode Studio in Ponsonby, where I’ll be delivering treadmill and strength classes, offering an immersive workout in a purpose-built studio. A fully private personal training gym and three luxury contrast therapy suites round out the offering. The studio focuses heavily on guiding members to build strength and cardio fitness while also taking the time to recover and restore, ensuring results are seen and felt long into the future. Mode Studio is set to open next month and I can’t wait for you to check it out.
Here are some of my other top picks for working out around Tāmaki Makaurau.
Grafton
State of Health (SOH) weaves Pasifika wellbeing values into its multi-studio offering beautifully, encouraging members to connect with each other in the pursuit of their overall health. Offering a mix of strength, cardio, boxing and yoga classes, with sauna facilities on hand to unwind and release tension post-workout, SOH is a true multidisciplinary group training studio with something for everyone.
Ponsonby
Locally beloved Sala offers yoga, pilates, strength and HIT classes to its dedicated community, and has made a huge impact on the boutique fitness scene in Auckland. Sala continues to grow year-on-year and recently launched its contrast therapy services, offering members a space to unwind socially or reap the benefits of this form of self-care solo. With more development in the pipeline this year, Sala is one to visit in your search for the perfect gym.
Eden Terrace
Solstice is a semi-private open floor gym with capped membership numbers, ensuring an uninterrupted workout and zero wait time for their high-end equipment. A dedicated team of expert fitness professionals offer personal training services, with infrared sauna and ice bath facilities available to cover your recovery needs. If you’re into traditional gym workouts in a peaceful environment, Solstice is for you.
Eden Terrace
NZ’s first dance-club-inspired group training studio, Playground offers fully immersive group workouts in an inspiring environment, programmed intelligently to build strength and cardio fitness across various training phases. Experience the motivating atmosphere of dim lighting, epic music and high energy and let it push you past your perceived limits. Enjoy a coffee or smoothie on your way out from its on-site refuel station to round out your session.
Newmarket and CBD
Studio Box delivers its signature immersive workouts combining boxing and strength conditioning for those who appreciate a high-energy, motivating atmosphere and group training that works the mind and body. It was one of the first to bring innovative, immersive boutique fitness to Auckland and has since built a dedicated following and an awesome community. Choose from either of the purpose-built studios in Newmarket or Auckland CBD.
Eden Terrace
Westward Cycle offers something truly unique and impactful for spin lovers in Auckland. Combining a traditional spin bike workout with weighted arm movements and dance-like class choreography, this is a cardio and strength workout that will get your heart pumping and muscles working in perfect harmony. Ride to the rhythm of an epic playlist and lose yourself in their signature group vibe.
Wynyard Quarter
There’s something about an outdoor workout that just hits differently, which is at the core of Fitness All Together’s (FAT) group training offering in Wynyard Quarter. Bringing together an awesome community of people who love to move, FAT employs full-body conditioning workouts to improve strength, speed and endurance. Get outside, enjoy the crisp morning air and boost your endorphins with a 45-minute blast.
City Works Depot, CBD
A visit to Studio Red’s tranquil, beautifully presented yoga studio is almost guaranteed to hook you into yoga, if you’re not already one of the converted. This is world-class yoga at its best, with leading instructors and a mix of heated and standard classes that will challenge your body and calm your mind in equal measure. If you can’t make it in-studio, roll out your mat at home with one of the online class options.
Grey Lynn
Bringing fresh energy and a superbly designed studio to Grey Lynn, Basecamp offers a diverse range of yoga and pilates classes to meet the needs of any student. Switch between dynamic, challenging classes like their Basecamp Flow or Hot Pilates, and melt into the restorative practice of Yiin or Yoga Nidra. This is a friendly, community-driven studio that will look after you, no matter your experience level.
CBD, Newmarket
Fusing reformer pilates with rowing and ramping up the intensity to traditional HIT levels makes Strong Pilates a proven workout for great results. Classes vary in their focus on upper, lower or full body conditioning, with a mix of cardio and strength training that is low impact and suitable for any level. A great option for those who love pilates but could do with a little more sweat. There’s also a studio in Christchurch.
Online
Founder Laura Mohi delivers her signature style of pilates training via online platform Wild Pilates, a stunningly presented experience encompassing global backdrops from some of the world’s most beautiful locations. Join her weekly schedule of expertly curated sessions, or dive into the full online library with more than 400 different classes. Roll out your mat at home and prioritise your fitness in a way that suits your unique lifestyle.
Grey Lynn
Enter Hana for an experience of luxurious, peaceful sanctity, and services that truly offer a tangible lift to your personal wellbeing. Select from a menu of infrared sauna, ice bathing, PBM light therapy and massage, each therapy offering myriad benefits for your physical and mental health. Peruse their shelves filled with a curated selection of high-end well-being products or take a moment to enjoy a cup of herbal tea before re-entering the real world. One visit to the studio in Grey Lynn and it’s hard not to come back daily thereafter.
Victoria Park Market
An expertly crafted list of treatments at Chill Wellness is designed to accelerate healing, enhance skin health, alleviate pain, improve circulation and optimise general wellbeing. Options include cryotherapy, infrared sauna, full body light therapy, pressothearpy lymphatic massage, dynamic air compression and LED light facial therapy - the studio offers the full gamut of cutting-edge health services for peak lifestyle performance.
Takapuna
Slow down and come back to yourself in one of Slowe’s beautiful sauna or contrast therapy rooms. Each containing an infrared sauna and shower, with the added option of an ice bath, this stylish Takapuna spot is serving up hot-cold therapy to locals with flair. Allow one of the friendly staff to take you through the benefits of infrared sauna and/or ice bathing over a cup of tea or cold beverage in the waiting lounge, before you reap the benefits of these globally trending therapies yourself.
Takapuna and Auckland-wide
Connecting cold therapy with community in a stunning setting overlooking Takapuna beach, Icemunity is a pioneer in delivering the healing and energising powers of ice bathing to Aucklanders. If the North Shore feels out of reach you can ask Icemunity to come to you, with corporate wellness packages available and even the baths themselves available for purchase. A dip in the ice is a guaranteed way to rejuvenate your mind and body, and why not do it with a supportive crew around you and founder Phil Cui’s guided breathwork leading the way?
Samantha Bluemel is a personal trainer and the founder of new Ponsonby fitness studio Mode, which opens in April. Previously in this series: How to set well-being goals that actually work; how to change your habits and set yourself up for a successful year of health; how to take an honest look at your well-being, how to start working out, why nutrition is the most important part of well-being, how to build lasting fitness and well-being habits for a longer life, and why motivation alone isn’t enough to stay on track.
It’s been an Onslow signature menu item since day one. Now, Josh Emett’s famous crayfish eclair has clawed its way into the Iconic Auckland Eats Top 100 list. Video / Alyse Wright