Barrecore opens in central London

Bootcamp, Tobata, a full day walking around the January sales at Bluewater – we at Get the Gloss have had some heavy workouts in our time, but nothing compares to Barrecore. This boutique fitness studio, which opened on the Kings Road two years ago, uses dance-based moves to tone the muscles other methods can’t reach, the USP being that you get stronger, fitter and thinner without bulking up.

So we went straight round to check out Barrecore’s first Central London studio, on Cavendish Square in Mayfair – just north of Oxford Circus - which opened on Friday. The new venue, which has two studios and a PT room, puts the “barre butt” within reach for a whole new group of Londoners, particularly those who work in W1.

With that in mind, founder Niki Rein has created a 30-minute BarreExpress class, packing the same high-intensity training into half the time. Which is good, because quite frankly we can’t take the pain for too long: barre fitness movements are much smaller than in traditional workouts, focusing on the bite point where your muscles are working hardest – and creating a fair amount of lactic acid in the process.

“The class was created not only for those with limited time for exercise but also for people wanting to target tummy flab,” says Niki, who will be shuttling back and forth between the two studios with her tiny dog, Bruno. “Research shows that the shortest and most intense workouts are the best for reducing the main stress hormone, cortisol, in turn significantly reducing abdominal fat.”

Trainers like Niki, who developed the Barrecore concept after arriving in London from the US and realising that there was nothing like the Tracy Anderson classes she’d been teaching at home, exemplify the results: the barre shape is perfectly defined and feminine (think Gwyneth in Iron Man).

Classes don’t come cheap – at £18 for half an hour or £28 for an hour, with various packages running up to unlimited usage for £250 a month. But Barrecore Mayfair is offering some amazing introductory deals, with buy-one-get-one-free single sessions, and a month of unlimited visits for just £135. Perfect if you want to get in shape for Christmas.

Barrecore  Mayfair is at 6 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PD