We’ve had our Peloton bike since 2016, added a Peloton Row to our Kennebunk home in 2022 and have been happy working out at home. Then a funny thing happened when I was able to take an in-person yoga class at the Peloton Studios New York this past winter: I realized how much I missed practicing in person with other people. Soon thereafter I signed up for ClassPass. Sure, I still use the Peloton app daily — I have a more than 300-week streak going. However, I’m taking in-person classes via ClassPass two to three times a week, too.
What is ClassPass?
In case you don’t know, ClassPass is a monthly service you pay for and, in exchange, you get credits that you can use at participating fitness centers, yoga studios, gyms and more. How many credits a class costs often depends on how popular the time is — a 5:00 a.m. class are typically “cheaper” than 5:00 p.m.
You can use the ClassPass app to search for studios near where you’re located by entering a zip code. Then, you can see what kinds of classes they have and how many credits those classes cost. One of the nice things about living in Southern Maine is that classes tend to require fewer credits than in big cities.
While planning another trip to New York City, I searched ClassPass to see what kinds of classes I might try there. I was shocked to discover that one, primetime class in Manhattan would use up my entire monthly allotment of credits.
ClassPass cost
There are different levels of ClassPass membership that give you different numbers of credits. For my first six months of membership, I had a 28-credit membership that cost $59 a month. So, a little more than $2 per credit. Most classes I took “cost” between four and six credits, or $8 and $12 per class. That’s a deal.
Recently, though, I upgraded my membership to the $79 monthly membership, which gives me 38 credits per month. Why did I upgrade? Because I wanted to start taking in-person classes more often and the 28 credits per month wouldn’t allow me to do that.
My membership is definitely in the midrange. There are some ClassPass memberships costing way more. Yes, you get more credits — and any unused credits roll over from one month to another. But they don’t make sense for me. Here are some of those other levels:
- $159: 80 credits
- $199: 100 credits
- $249: 125 credits
There are ways you could spend more on a ClassPass subscription. And that would be if you’re careless with canceling a reservation or are a no show. Basically, you have 12 hours before a class to cancel. If you do cancel within that time frame, you get all of your credits back. Now, if you don’t cancel in time, not only do you lose your credits but also you get charged a late cancellation fee. In the places where I’ve been, this cancellation fee ranges from $9 to $15.
Start with a free membership
My daughter Annie shared a free ClassPass membership trial with me before I legit signed up. I got 30 days to try it out. At the end of 30 days, I was hooked.
ClassPass changes up free trial offers throughout the year. For instance, right now if you were to use my ClassPass referral link, you’ll get 20 credits to use as you would like to try classes. Some gyms in Southern Maine will even give you half off for the first class you try, using ClassPass. For instance, this week you can try a spin class at Jibe Cycling Studio in Portland for only two credits. Normally, class is four credits. At that “price,” you can try lots of different classes with those 20 credits you’ll get gifted to you.
Where I’ve used ClassPass in Southern Maine
I have found two places in Southern Maine where I’ve practiced yoga. They are The Daily Sweat in Kennebunk and Yoga on York in York, Maine. And, because I live near the border with New Hampshire, I’ve attended classes at two different fitness studios in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The drive to Portsmouth is actually faster than driving to Portland, Maine.
However, these are hardly the only places that accept ClassPass in lieu of a traditional gym membership. It’s just that I’m only interested in yoga and Pilates at this time. You can definitely find gyms that are more Cross Fit-ish as well as spinning studios. Some of the towns where you’ll find them include Biddeford, Scarborough, Portland (naturally, there is a greater concentration of places in this city), Westbrook and Brunswick.
Again, if you use my ClassPass referral link, you’ll get 20 credits to use as you would like to try classes. Let me know what you think.