Pole Princess Pole Fitness & Dance Academy

This is a cute little pole fitness studio. They have about 5 poles and a suspended hoop (I don’t know what it’s for but I’m very curious to find out) plus a matted area for floor work. It’s hidden away upstairs on the third floor above a Chinese restaurant and when I first visited I had a bit of trouble finding it.
Once there though, it’s pretty great. The instructors are very careful, making sure you’re healthy enough to exercise and that you understand the safety procedures before agreeing to let you into the class. They always use mats. Classes are one hour long and include a warm up at the start and a stretching session midway through.
Everyone works at their own pace to improve but there’s plenty of structure, with the instructors always making sure that you have at least four different things to be working on. I think four is a good number; it’s enough to stop you from getting bored but it’s not so many that you forget what moves you’re supposed to be learning or improving.
Instructors move between each person, giving pointers and suggestions. They really push you to go outside your current comfort zone without ever making you feel unsafe. At the end of the class you’ll be asked to perform your favourite move and your least favourite move. Following that you’ll be given a small sequence to link together a few moves that are approximately at your level. It’s a nice way to round off the class.
On Thursday’s they also now run a «pole areofit class» that’s super intensive — I always ache like crazy afterwards for the next couple of days. It’s great though — pole is fantastic for strength and flexibility but it’s easy to forget to include much cardio in your workout. Pole areofit definitely fixes this problem. Those classes tend to run over by about 10 minutes though, so don’t arrange to do anything immediately afterwards.
I really like Pole Princess. I kind of wish their classes were a bit longer — I go to a different school which does 90 minute classes for a similar price — but I think you get plenty out of them. If I had a bit more money I’d be tempted by their unlimited offer, which allows you to attend as many sessions as you like for a fixed price per month. For now I’ll have to stick to the blocks of four, but I reckon if you have the money it would definitely be worth it.