San Diego is quickly becoming a major fitness hub.
In fact, in 2017 San Diego was ranked as the 10th fittest city in the nation according to the American College of Sports Medicine. And yes, a huge portion of that healthy success is due to the incredible weather and easy access to every outdoor sport imaginable. But it’s also clear that San Diego is slowly becoming a major player in the boutique fitness studio scene, as well.
I’ve been a little absent from the blog this past week due to my gross underestimation of just how much work I can actually physically accomplish in a day. I’m currently in San Diego visiting my husband, who was out there for the month of October for training. I spent a week guest teaching spin and working remotely with my social media job. Now we’re heading to Palm Springs tomorrow to go back to the resort where we got married for a relaxing weekend. I’m so ready — I’ve been hit with some heavy life shit recently and am honestly feeling overwhelmed and in need of a vacation.
I miss San Diego a lot.
I just moved to Honolulu (thanks to my husband’s military orders) in March after living in San Diego for three years. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been real lonely over on my little Hawaiian island. There’s a “getting to know you” period when you move where you don’t have a network of friends and have no idea where anything is. I’m finally sort of starting to settle in, get familiar with the layout of Oahu, and explore as much as possible, but it’s just not quite my scene. The vibe is off. It’s absolutely beautiful, but I know it’s not where I belong. I long for California daily.
San Diego is where I underwent my own personal wellness transformation and became a fitness instructor. I taught at so many of the studios around town. It really feels like home. All my readers from San Diego (and especially those of you that are my former clients!!! xo), I LOVE YOU. Seriously, San Diego is probably the most beautiful and positive city in America. I know Seattle and Portland will argue with me, but San Diego wins in my book. It’s a place where you feel (or you should feel) truly blessed to live there.
And San Diego’s fitness scene is super impressive.
San Diego easily has some of the best studios and instructors I’ve ever met. Just based on my personal observations and experiences in the industry (i.e., based on literally nothing but my opinion), I would rank the current order of Top Boutique Fitness Cities as follows: New York, LA, San Francisco, and D.C. Now San Diego is starting to keep up (along with lots of other major U.S. cities) in the fitness scene with those major players.
Let’s talk about my Top 5 Favorite Fitness Studios to workout at in San Diego.
And I have to admit: I’m like 1000% biased here. Okay? This is not an objective ranking – but who wants an objective ranking, anyway? I always prefer recommendations from my friends when I need to know where to go. So yes. This is just my biased opinion. Plus I taught at all these studios.
But I want to explain to you why I loved them all so much that I decided to teach THERE. I took classes at like every studio all over San Diego, so I know the fitness landscape there very, very well. And I fell in love with a handful of studios (I’m pretty picky), so I chose to work for them – and I loved all my experiences there.
If you live in San Diego or travel there and need a good spot to get an amazing workout, definitely check out these fitness studios!
1 » PURE Indoor Cycling
» PURE Indoor Cycling «
I love my former spin studio! I was able to guest teach four classes at PURE while I was here and it just made my life. This sleek studio in downtown San Diego is the most thoughtfully designed space I’ve ever seen: from the blue lounge chairs to the hair and makeup bar in the women’s restroom, everything has a branded feel that is fresh, cool, and fun. They offer two types of indoor cycling classes: the Rhythm style where you ride to the beat of the music and “dance” on your bike, and Power classes that use a monitor to track your stats in a more traditional spin style. You know I’m the bike party type. 😉 They also have an amazing selection of chic workout attire and spin shoes in their boutique area. I recommend you go take a class from the owner, Maria — plus, your first class is free if you’re a San Diego resident!
2 » Trilogy Sanctuary
» Trilogy Sanctuary «
This stunning yoga studio/vegan cafe/rooftop boutique/event space is a must-see. It’s like the hidden gem of La Jolla, and it really is a beautiful sanctuary to spend a long afternoon working or take a yoga/aerial yoga class. I did my aerial yoga teacher training from Trilogy and taught in both their downstairs Earth Room and upstairs outdoor aerial deck (my favorite!). The Nachos from their vegan cafe are one of my favorite meals (SO GOOD – those and the Perfect Tacos. I dream about them both.). The whole space is really unique and bohemian and a tranquil healing center that offers so much more than just yoga, including Lyra classes and Open Mic events.
3 » The Dailey Method
» The Dailey Method «
When I set out to find a barre studio in San Diego after my former studio Pop Physique closed their SD location, I tried everything: Pure Barre, The Bar Method, Barre3, etc. They were all great, and I got a challenging workout everywhere, but I didn’t quite vibe with any of them until I went to The Dailey Method. I was doing a lot of physical therapy for my neck at the time and was focusing on my spinal alignment and posture. I took a class from Ashley, the owner of the San Diego location, and she explained the typical barre exercises I was already very familiar with in a way that made a lot of them finally click for me. The Dailey Method brand focuses a LOT on alignment, so their instructors are top-notch at gently guiding and correcting students with their form. This means that you really get therapeutic benefits from the workout in addition to a sculpted bod, because you’re working your entire body in a way that makes it look good, but also feel its best, too.
4 » Elka Yoga & Wellness
» Elka Yoga & Wellness «
Elka Haeckel, the owner of this incredible yoga/aerial yoga studio in Ocean Beach, is the best yoga instructor I’ve ever known. She’s the real deal and such an inspiration to me, which is why I chose to receive my Yoga Alliance 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training from her. It was truly a life-changing decision, and she has been a huge source of inspiration for me throughout my teaching career. Taking one of her classes is a uniquely special experience — she has such a magnetic personality and was the first teacher I ever had who made me actually understand yoga. She incorporates the teachings of yoga with powerful asana practices in a way that is authentic and so transformative. Her Prana Yoga classes are like a choreographed, sweaty yoga power dance. This studio operates 100% from a foundation of love. I adore it and am proud to call it my yoga home!
5 » Elevate Training
» Elevate Training «
Okay, if you want the most effective workout literally POSSIBLE, you gotta check out Elevate, which has locations in both Downtown and Solana Beach. It’s a Lagree Method studio, which means they use the Megaformer, an exercise machine that was modeled after a Reformer and made way more efficient. The goal is to work your entire body in 40 minutes (or less) and push all of your muscles to the point of failure as quickly as possible to get the strongest results. And baby, it WORKS. Like, I’m so sad there’s no Lagree studio on Oahu, because in just a month of doing this 1-2x a week your body really strengthens. The combination of isometric contractions and slow movements on the unstable Megaformer platform means that most moves work a majority of the muscles in your body. The instructors play awesome music and are super motivating, so the time goes by in a blink. It’s hard, but there is no comparing the results! They also offer spin classes that are an awesome way to cross-train.
Okay, I’m off to some hot tubs in Palm Springs to give my sore muscles a little TLC. Be sure to follow along on Instagram to see my travel adventures! I hope I’ll get to come back to San Diego again soon.