Row House – Fitness Center Review

Read this fitness studio review for Row House by FitnessFoodieSTL

Overview 

Strap your feet in and get ready for an immersive, full body rowing workout at Row House.  The dark fitness space is lined with several rows of urns (aka rowing machines), and an elevated stage for the instructor.  You will row in-sync with the rest of the “crew” in time to the music, which varies by instructor.  The accent lighting changes during the class and may leave you feeling more like you were at a nightclub than at a gym, which I love!  Your rowing machine will keep track of your performance including strokes per minute (speed), meters rowed (distance), and the all-important split time (how long it would take you to row 500 meters).  The lower your split time, the higher the intensity! After class, you will receive an email recapping your statistics to keep you motivated and working towards milestones.   

What Makes Row House Unique 

The classes at Row House give you a full body, low impact workout, while being easy on the joints and bad feet (like mine!).  I love welcoming boutique-gym feel it has with a community of regulars. 

Classes Offered

Row House offers several class formats, 7 days a week, that vary in length of time on & off the rower and infuse strength or stretching into your workout.  The majority of classes are 45 mins, but they do offer a 30 minute Express Row as well.  My favorites are the Intervals class which combines shorter stints on the rower with floor exercises using hand weights & calisthenics.  I also like Strength which includes 20 minutes of weights, 25 mins on the rower.   

PRO TIP:

Take a class from Lindsey Douglas – she is such an inspirational teacher with fun, upbeat music!

Membership Options

The first class is always free, sign up on their website.  Several membership levels are available depending on how often you plan to visit – 4 classes per month for $69, 8 for $199 and unlimited classes for $149.  They also offer single drop-in classes ($22), packs of 5 ($95), 10 ($175) or 20 ($305) with various expiration dates.  And you can also book their classes thru Classpass.

Locations

Row House has 2 locations in the St Louis area – Chesterfield and Sunset Hills.  Both studios are part of a national franchise & operated by different owners.  I haven’t yet visited Sunset Hills location but I often catch a class at Chesterfield.   

Fun Facts 

Most people think rowing is all about the arms – WRONG – its actually 60% legs, 30% core, & only 10% arms.  To lower your “split time”, drive more power through your legs – essentially jumping off the base of the urn. 

Amenities

Lockers with built-in locks. Hand towels.  Bathroom.  Merchandise available for purchase

Final Thoughts

On my first visit, I was humbled to learn the proper way to use a rowing machine and surprised that my bum, legs & core were more sore than my arms. It’s a workout that all levels can enjoy, including newbies or for those who have injuries or joint pain.   Personally, I find the Row House classes to be a nice “medium” intensity workout – I like them when I want to get my heart rate up, but I’m not in the mood to get my ass-kicked.  I always break-a-sweat but I’m not dripping.  

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