As We See It

Ditch the gym! Three new studios offer an alternative approach to getting fit

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Sin City Yoga on Aug. 31, 2015.
Photo: Mikayla Whitmore

In case you didn’t have enough places to get your sweat on, three new health and fitness studios have sprouted up throughout the Valley. Don’t like working out in a gym? Now’s the time to switch up your routine and try something new.

Kaia Fit The boutique core-strengthening program for women by women recently opened at 7595 W. Washington Ave. Popular in California and Northern Nevada, Kaia Fit was hosting Vegas group classes at City Athletic Club until franchise owners Amy Gearin and Kirstin Gifford opted for the brick and mortar space. The driving philosophy behind Kaia is its positive environment—and it’s not competitive.

“It’s all about this idea that you can have people of different ages and different fitness levels doing the same workout together, but all getting a great workout," Gifford says. "Kaia Fit is about loving yourself for who you are today, even if that means that you’re not who you want to be in terms of all of your fitness goals.” Classes include a cardio component, body weight movements, gymnastics, light weights and more. A yoga and pilates-inspired flow and stretch class is also offered.

The vibe of the studio—black, pink and grey with zero mirrors—is conducive to a fun, inspired workout. “You don’t have to get ready to go to the gym,” Gearin says. “We understand the hormone changes and the weight changes from having a baby, and we understand even the psychology of what it takes for a woman to get out of the house and come work out when she’s not feeling her best. It’s about making yourself better.” kaiafitlasvegas.com.

Rock Your Body Wellness Do your down dog among artists and creatives in an eclectic hub of art galleries, shops and studios. The latest tenant at Downtown Spaces (1800 Industrial Road) is Rock Your Body Wellness, a modest, 400-square-foot room that can comfortably fit 10 or so yogis in an intimate setting.

“My training style requires a lot of hands-on assistance,” owner Katricia Kelly says. “I need to be able to keep the class size small so I can help people.” Kelly did yoga on and off for 10 years until she finally decided to enroll in yoga teacher training. She received her certification on June 14 and hit the ground running, opening her studio on August 24. “I offer intermediate and beginner [classes] and a meditation once a week, as well, on Saturdays. Fridays I have a funky-flow vinyasa class and I play hip, funky music in the background. Everything’s always candle-lit in there, as well, to keep it nice and soft—give it a nice boutique feel.” facebook.com/RockYourBodyWellness.

Sin City Yoga Originally on Rose Street behind the University Medical Center, the popular yoga studio recently moved to 1231 S. Main St., in the Arts District near Velveteen Rabbit and Buffalo Exchange. “Our studio was about 500 square feet,” Sin City Yoga owner Angelica Govaert says. “We had grown to where people had to be literally outside the studio in the driveway doing yoga.”

Govaert and volunteers worked around the clock to install a new floor, paint the walls and give the space a balanced makeover suitable for students on their yoga journeys. And the floor has a great story, too. “Under the boards we’ve written sayings from famous yoga teachers, yoga philosophy, and we’ve dedicated them to family members so there’s a lot of spirituality emanating from the floor,” Govaert says.

Still a relatively small space when compared to other studios in the Valley, Sin City Yoga offers a harmonious, boutique feel, or “the more bhakti side,” Govaert says, which means devotion. “Our classes are really driven toward, ‘How can you decide what it is you want to do with your life, and how do you manifest that?’ Everybody else in town is really about doing the fitness side of [yoga], throwing in kettle bell and zumba. We’re doing a mind-body-connection-based yoga.” sincityyoga.com.

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