Photography by Arthur Mola

Spinco’s New Toronto Location is Finally Open (And We Tested It Out!)

Gone are the days of trekking uptown for the sweat-inducing class.

Date January 30, 2018

It was only a matter of time before Spinco, Canada’s biggest purveyor of spin, finally opened up a second Toronto location—and in the downtown core no less. The Kelowna, B.C.-born company landed in the city back in 2016, cementing their first studio uptown at Yonge and Eglinton. Needless to say, many are pleased regarding the proximity of the new space.

“We had received a lot of feedback from riders who loved our classes but found the commute from downtown to be too time-consuming to remain consistent,” says founder Michelle August, of the impetus behind opening up a second Toronto outpost. “We also have many riders who live uptown and work downtown that are excited to take a class right after work,” she says. “It was important to have a presence in the downtown core.”

The new digs, which Spinco touts as its “Downtown” location, is located at 129 Spadina Ave., but isn’t much different from the “Uptown” location: It’s dotted with luxe Le Labo Santal 26 candles, replete with white walls and accented with marble and wooden furnishings. The one main difference, however, is its size. “The room is more intimate,” August says, adding that the new location features 42 bikes compared to uptown’s 46. “You can literally feel everyone moving together as one.”

The studio is also stocked with merch by Champion, S’well and Alo Yoga, to name a few, brandishing the company’s sleek logo.

But what makes Spinco stand out from the other studios in the city? August explains that it’s the team’s commitment to perfecting rider experience and creating a relaxing and safe environment. “You will always find a strong feeling of community between our instructors, team members and riders,” she says. “We make it a priority to establish a personal connection.”

And to that we can attest. We stopped by the newly-minted studio on a Tuesday evening for instructor Rebecca Moskob’s class. First thing’s first: The glorious and calming aroma enveloping the studio. (Shoutout to Le Labo for creating Santal 26.) The space is small, so there’s no way you’re getting lost in here. We checked in and filled out waivers on laminated forms using dry-erase markers (eco-friendly practices, ftw), grabbed our spin shoes from the ever so welcoming front desk staff and were on our way.

Upon entering the classroom through the large, logoed, doors, we were met by a handful of the studio’s employees ready to help the newbies get settled in and clicked-in to their pedals. No matter how many times I’ve been to a spin class, I can never seem to get my bike adjusted on my own!!! So this was something I could appreciate. Before we knew it we were pedalling our ways through the 50-minute session.

Less than 10 minutes in and I realized what August had meant when she described the space as being “intimate.” You know how people say you feed off of other people’s energy? Yuuuup. Sure, it could have been dozens of bodies packed in a small room, but the upbeat playlist coupled with Moskob’s encouragement and positive attitude made me feel invincible. Needless to say we were drenched by the end of class, and while that sounds horrible, one thing’s for sure: We will definitely be returning.