A large screen showed Prince’s “Purple Rain” during a cycling class. Afterward, people nibbled cheese and crackers, drank punch and played trivia games.
That was “Pedaling to Prince,” a theme night at Fly Fitness in Kirkland recently.
This isn’t your typical gym — owner Traci Bartee has made sure of it.
“You don’t just come in, swipe your card and leave,” Bartee said. “I like the aspect of people coming in with their friends, meeting new friends and we all hang out afterward.”
Fly Fitness opened on Kirkland’s Carillon Point Jan. 3 with the goal of fusing working out and socializing. Bartee makes up all the classes, which explains why some of them have names you’ve probably never heard of.
There’s Organized Chaos, which flits between performing lunges on the dock outside, cycling inside or whatever else the instructor feels like. There’s Flycycle, which is 30 minutes on the bike followed by 30 minutes of yoga, barre exercise or Pilates. There’s even a class called Flymamas with Hot Wheels, which Bartee dubs “a stroller exercise program for fabulously fly moms looking to claim their pre-baby bodies” — no babysitter necessary.
“I see people at the gym doing the same thing every single day, and they’re going to get bored of that and quit their goals,” Bartee said. “You have to make it something that’s enjoyable.”
Bartee’s been in the fitness world for more than 12 years. She owned her own studio in Connecticut, capitalizing on trends like personal training and boot camps —rigorous workouts that flow from one exercise to the next without rest — before they became popular on the West Coast. Four years ago, Bartee moved back to Seattle and began building a client base.
While her Connecticut studio focused on personal training, Bartee found she preferred small group training over one-on-one instruction. She noticed a greater energy and camaraderie within the group.
That strategy followed her to Fly Fitness, where no class has more than 15 or 20 people. With small classes, Bartee said they’re able to cater to every person and give modifications to the workouts, challenging both the beginners and the advanced. Plus, people can actually get to know one another.
“I get really excited to come to work for the first time in my life,” said trainer and instructor Christine Ianni. “Being able to have a place like this to get involved and know people is really cool for me. It doesn’t feel like a job. It feels like a social hour.”
Paul Hyatt, a firefighter who lives in Bellevue, has been working with Bartee for two-and-a-half years. He said he’s gotten in better shape and felt more motivated to eat healthier. Hyatt said his back doesn’t hurt like it used to.
Since Bartee opened Fly Fitness, Hyatt has gone in to exercise almost every day.
“You’re always working on core muscles and large muscle groups, but you’re rarely doing the same exact exercises,” Hyatt said. “Traci makes it a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor.”
Anyone can drop in for a class for $22, and their first one is free. Packages of five to 20 classes start at $90, and “frequent flyer packages” run $130-$180 per month and include a T-shirt and personal training session.
In addition to the theme rides like “Pedaling to Prince” — and next month’s “Biking to Britney” — this month, Fly Fitness is hosting a Sporty Soiree Sleepover on Jan. 29 that partners the studio with local businesses. It includes one night at the Woodmark Hotel and Spa, lunch at Le Grand Bistro, four Fly Fitness classes, a nutrition seminar and life coaching session.
The studio opened just in time to catch people making good on their New Year’s resolutions to trade channel-surfing for cardio workouts. But Bartee said you can make a resolution to be fitter and live healthier any time of year.
“You don’t have to wait until Jan. 1,” she said.
More information
Fly Fitness is located at Carillon Point, Suite 2225. For information, call 425-522-4408 or visit wearesuperfly.com
Rachel Solomon is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.
