Step inside Pure Barre in Park Ridge, and you’ll get a healthy dose of spirit and energy—before you even set your grippy-socked foot onto the studio floor. The excitement is contagious as people congregate and chat before and after their workouts.
Co-owned by Kim Seelig of Park Ridge, Pure Barre offers a full-body, low-impact (yet high-intensity) workout that strengthens and tones muscles while boosting your cardio output in 50 minutes or less.
Kim has been there since the studio’s inception in 2016. “I was the first instructor hired by the original owner, so I’ve been here since the beginning,” she says. “Pure Barre originated with a classic barre class which was enhanced with light weights and resistance bands to increase and lengthen the muscles, but it’s come a long way since then.”
Now, Pure Barre offers several different formats including Define™ fusing classic barre with weight-based strength training, Reform™ which incorporates various tools to mimic the benefits of Pilates, Align™ which emphasizes flexibility and balance, and Empower™, a class that adds cardio and interval training to a classic barre workout to elevate the heart rate, build strength, and increase metabolism.
“These are all low impact, high intensity, safe and effective ways to work out,” says Kim. Her expertise and experience go far beyond the original job she held at the studio when it first opened its doors in 2016. Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Kim earned a BA in dance at San Diego State. After graduation, she moved to New York where she met her husband and began teaching yoga. Eventually, they moved to Colorado where Kim was introduced to barre workouts, but ultimately, they left Colorado and decided to make the Garden State their home.
“We always liked this area of New Jersey,” Kim says. “It’s very special, so when we decided to move back, we set out sites on Bergen County and ended up in Park Ridge, and I began working at the studio.” This is a wonderful community—I’ve made so many friends. Quite a few of them grew up here and decided to come back to raise their families. It speaks volumes.”
The community feel is evident within the Pure Barre studio. Classes range from 10-15 people and there are various membership and “drop-in” options for attending class, for which participants can sign up in advance through Pure Barre’s app.
Kim offers Engage™ a free introductory class several times a week so that prospective members can try it out without commitment. The studio presents motivational challenges for members to inspire them to attend more classes—usually topped off by a social get-together in the studio. They also participate in various fundraisers and food drives throughout the year.
“We celebrate our members when they hit milestones of class attendance,” says Kim. We have an actual barre that they sign in recognition of their 100th, 250th, 500th, or 1000th class. Many times family members come to acknowledge the achievement—complete with flowers and Champagne!”
I love the group of people who have found themselves drawn to our community,” Kim says. “It’s really special. The community is what we are all about. People come to work out but they also come to find a connection. And they stay. “
Try Pure Barre during May and enjoy 50% off of one single class with promo code PVLIFESTYLE.
purebarre.com
@purebarreparkridgenj
"People come to work out but they also come to find a connection. And they stay."
