Tonight, I was persuaded to try a new class by my friend Jackie, who has been going to a very fancy gym for the last few years. I've been there with her on a guest pass once before, but never for a class. Entering the lobby feels like walking into the four seasons, it even smells clean, which to be honest, is a little weird for a gym. Everyone walking around is buff and shiny, with matching crop top and bike short sets in a rainbow of colors. I stepped up to the front desk, "I signed up for sweatbox on classpass..." I timidly waved my phone.
"Downstairs, all the way down the hall, enter the doors on the right."
I ventured down and looked around, the door to the group class was lined in neon lights. I turned to Jackie, "I'm not sure if this was the good kind of peer pressure or the bad kind."
"Don't be a baby," she said.
The music started and the hour went by in a sweaty blur. Switching from bike to weights, to bodyweight exercises, and back again. My apple watch told me I set a cardio record. I was soaked in sweat and a little bit confused the whole time, but the instructor's energy helped push me through.
After class came the part that made it all worth it- an ice cold towel with some kind of lemongrass aromatherapy scent infused.
I wiped the sweat away and covered my face with the icy towel, breathing in deep. "This is why you pay the big bucks, isn't it?" I turned to Jackie.
She laughed and nodded, "Yep, the best part."
I'm not sure if I'll be back, but I won't say "never again" to this one.