Many fitness studios around London are turning up the heat – literally. Heated workouts are said to improve your flexibility and help you burn more calories. But most importantly, they're great for when temperature outside plummets and all you want to do is feel toasty while laying down on a heated yoga mat. Here are 8 of the best hot fitness classes around London to keep you warm in the winter.
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Never done a hot fitness session before? Fierce Grace is ideal for beginners as it offers attendees the choice of a ‘hot room’ or a ‘warm room’ to work out in. The focus of the yoga classes here isn’t on aesthetically pleasing poses. Attendees work hard to achieve a strong stretch, but the slow pace and relaxing moves are more about easing tension than creating Insta appeal. Various locations. Prices vary according to studio.
Expect a pumping playlist at One Ldn’s vinyasa flow classes. With the studio heated to a toasty 35 degrees and a cardio-focused routine, you’ll leave dripping in sweat. Thankfully, the class is candlelit and there are no mirrors, so there’s no danger of you catching sight of your flustered mug during a downward dog. Imperial Wharf. £20.
Don’t be fooled into thinking Pilates is a doddle. The movements might be small but the impact is mighty, especially when you’re attempting to pull off a double leg stretch in a hot studio. 3Tribes has three spaces: two in Crouch End and one in Borough. Each class involves 60 minutes of stretches, tightening twists and resistance moves. You’ll be toned in no time. Various locations. Starts from £10.
No prizes for guessing where Hotpod’s yoga classes take place. With low lighting and purplish tones, the inflatable cocoons have an extraterrestrial quality. If that sounds suspiciously like trying to do exercise in a tent, you’re not far off. Each pod fits up to 20 yogis inside and is heated to a tropical 37 degrees, evoking something of that feeling when you wake up at 7am in a sweaty tent at a festival. Just don’t go with a hangover. Various locations. From £12.
As its name suggests, this is a challenging and fast-paced session, so not for the faint-hearted. Ashtanga classes feature the same poses in the same order each time – and these are powerful ones (think backbends and balancing), with the studio space’s temp set at a steamy 36C. Just prepare yourself for the shock of re-entry into London’s chilly atmosphere. 13 Mercer St. Covent Garden. £17.
Sweltering studios aren’t just for slow fitness. Bikram Yoga London has turned up the heat with a dynamic flow-based class held in a balmy space. The session is designed to sculpt, pump and tone bum, abs and core. This 60-minute session will have you working up a real sweat. 1a Magdalen St. London Bridge. £20.
The temperature is turned up to a pleasant 32 degrees for this Another_Space hot yoga class. Expect 60 minutes of dynamic flow, mindful breathing and powerful movements, which promise to boost the strength and flexibility of your vitamin-D deprived limbs. The tropical climes promise to raise your heart rate and clear your mind, too. Pre-Christmas stress be gone. 4-10 Tower Street. Covent Garden. £22.
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