Friday 13 May 2016

Studio Review: Frame



Up next in this little series of studio reviews is the renowned Frame, and notably the new Victoria opening which launched at the start of April.

Situated a two minute stroll from Victoria station, the location couldn't be easier. Classes range from Hit to Barre to Yoga and I've been to a couple of the Monday evening Frame Yoga classes over the last few weeks. There really is nothing better than Monday evening classes after a long day of work and I like the fact that all of the Frame classes operate on a drop in basis - you don't feel like you're joining a regular group as the newbie!

FRAME-03-21-16-Victoria Studio-003







FRAME-03-21-16-Victoria Studio-031





The Space 

Designed by leading architects Matheson Whiteley, with strong input from founders Pip Black and Joan Murphy, the new studio features high ceilings and modern clean lines paired with bright pops of colour and lots of green to keep the space fresh and light.

Yoga and Barre are hosted in the same studio space, typical of Frame's standard design: warehouse conversion, exposed brick work, white walls and mirrors. Classes have around 15 people and everyone heads in and just gets on with things - mats out, bricks at the ready and a few minutes of chill out time before the classes start.

Yoga on a Monday is titled, Frame Yoga, and is priced at £13 a class, not the most expensive and not the cheapest. Frame Yoga isn’t based around a certain style of Yoga; it’s the mindfulness of Power Yoga, the strength and speed of Rocket and the flow of Dynamic Vinyasa. It’s good for the mind and body… Especially on a Monday.

Pip Black, co-founder of FRAME comments “Literally 20 steps from the station, FRAME Victoria is the first pay-as-you-go, multi-discipline studio in SW1. It really is a one-stop-shop for all things health and fitness making it a destination for Framers to have fun getting fit, grab lunch from the Fuel cafĂ© and even pick up a pair of leggings from the FRAME Shop and get back to their desk all within the lunch hour”
Booking

Simple and easy. Online registration and you're set-up for life to book classes at all of the Frame studios. You pay for your classes without having to buy studio credits first and I managed to make the most of the 2 for 1 April opening discount code, so paid £13 in total for two Monday night classes. 

The Tutors 

I had both of my classes with Dimuthu Fonseka who was great. Explanatory yet challenging in her method of teaching, with a good amount of time dedicated to moving and warming up at the start of the class. Dimuthu ensured she always explained the adaptation to each pose and worked to the various levels of the class. As the class has such a 'drop-in nature to it', the tutors really do have to teach to the newest yoga student and the most experienced and I thought this was accommodated particularly well at Frame. 

Added Extras 

Shopping temptation! Does that count? Frame have recently launched their second collaboration of activewear with Whistles and everything is available to purchase from the Frame shop. Not an added extra perhaps, but nice to browse before classes none-the-less.

The changing rooms are sleek, there are big fluffy towels, lockers and good shower gel in the four showers available. It makes it easy to arrive to the studio straight from work, or head on to dinner after. I also love that Frame offers 'spare kit' should you forget your own, and forget about smelly school-eque kit from lost property, the kits are all super stylish and from the best brands, ensuring you look chic even when you ran out of the house in a mad rush!! 

Final Thoughts 

I like Frame. I like the easy booking process, the set up, the juice bar, cafe attached and the tutors that teach there (most of whom also teach elsewhere, or run their own classes). For me, yoga isn’t a competition, there is no such thing as ‘being good’, but as long as I keep practicing, I can see the benefits, both physically and mentally. Dropping into classes whenever you fancy helps with this - you can book last minute, on the same day or two weeks before. Classes aren't too expensive, there's a huge variety at times to suit everyone and I'll definitely be heading back! 

Find Frame here

No comments:

Post a Comment