Vivafit

I have lived in this area for 13 years and been a member of 3 different gyms but tried classes at all of the local gyms (10+). Vivafit classes are the best for ZUMBA in the area, hands down. The teachers, especially Melissa (the owner) and Cookie (and Emily before she left) are high energy with fun and challenging choreography which they change up often to keep us on our toes. I absolutely love working out here. Although my knees can’t handle the Boxing personally, Martin is great and he has a loyal following. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Carlos who teaches Yoga, so much so that I joined a second gym just to take Yoga with him 4 times a week. Bottom line, if you want to have fun, sweat, burn a lot of calories with like minded good people, go to Vivafit, its a healthy family atmosphere and you can’t go wrong! A+++

One of the downfalls of where I live is the fact that I don’t have a full-​service gym within a reasonable walking distance (particularly not in the arctic temperature situation that this January has brought us). There’s East Coast Muscle and Fitness up the block, but they don’t have group fitness classes… and while I hear great things about the trainers there, this dancer needs some booty-​shaking in her workout. The next closest gym that offers classes is the OTHER East Coast joint, down on River Road. To be frank, parking where I live suuuucks… therefore moving my car to go work out isn’t super-​high on my list of things I want to do.
Vivafit is, for lack of a better term, my go-​to. Melissa, the owner, offers a good variety of Zumba classes including regular, Toning, Sentao, In the Circuit, Atomic for the kiddies and Gold for beginners & seniors, as well as Martial Arts, Aeroboxing, Boot Camp, Yoga, Belly Dance, Abs/​Core classes, and nutrition sessions. On the calendar in the past, I know they’ve had Hot Hula fitness as well as Salsa Classes and Masala Bhangra workouts, so just because something isn’t on the schedule right now doesn’t mean it won’t come back. They moved upstairs into a new space last year, and I believe they’re now even prepping a Spin room to further diversify options.
Things I think rock about Vivafit include:
— The Instructors: They’re upbeat, high-​energy, and have fun choreography. I can’t speak to the non-​dance related classes, but if those instructors are on par with the Zumba instructors, then you’ll have a good experience, fo sho.
— Location: It’s super-​convenient. If you’re local, you can walk… if you’re doing the public transport thing, it’s just 2 blocks up from Boulevard East (just get off at the Galaxy).
— Schedule: They have a good evening schedule that varies from day to day. Being that I work from home, I would be an even bigger fan if they had more morning/​daytime options, but I understand that the bulk of their clientele favor the later stuff. Vivafit also runs a couple of classes on other locations (Sundays at Hudson Dance Studio in Edgewater, and some other day — sorry I’m not remembering which — at St. Mary’s Church in West New York), which is cool.
— Special Events: They often have guest instructors, Master Classes, Zumba Jam sessions, and even events off-​site (like Zumba in the Club, which was held at a local bar/​club venue). It’s a nice change of pace to have that offered.
Their pricing is reasonable/​on par with other studios that offer Zumba. You can pay as you go, buy 5 or 10 class packages, or get a monthly unlimited package. There’s no commitment (aside from the 2 month shelf life on packages), so that’s a plus for people with erratic work schedules like myself.
All in all, if you’re looking for a place to get your sweat on, Vivafit is worth checking out!