These Boutique Fitness Studios Now Offer At-Home Streaming Classes

NEOU is a one-of-a-kind workout platform that taps top fitness trainers, influencers, and brands—and makes them accessible anytime, anywhere. You can stream live or on-demand classes of every type: CrossFlowX with Heidi Kristoffer, strength training with Jen Widerstrom, and more yoga, bootcamp, boxing, dance cardio, and mobility classes than you could imagine. The production hub is located in midtown Manhattan, where you can go take classes IRL that will be live streamed and archived onto the NEOU streaming platform. Bonus: It's available on Apple TV, Roku, Fire Stick as well as on mobile, including Android and iOS (so you can use it at home or on the go).

Cost: Currently free (in beta mode). From March 15 to May 1, they'll have an introductory offer of $7.99/month with two-week free trial for all users. After May 1, the regular price will be $12.99/month with a two-week free trial at neoufitness.com.

Required equipment: It varies by the type of workout. You can sort in the platform depending on which equipment you have available, but many trainers also offer variations during class for equipment-free workouts. (That said, it's a good idea to stock up on this basic home gym equipment first.) 

Try it if: You want to do a little bit of everything.

If you love dance cardio but also want to mix things up with a treadmill or HIIT workout every now and then, this could be the best option for you. Celebrity trainer Anna Kaiser's on-demand platform offers full-length workouts as well as short 10- to 20-minute ones, and levels of difficulty range from beginner to advanced. Two new workouts are added per month, which mirror what's currently being taught in AKT studios, and you'll also have access to the library of past workouts, which includes dance, HIIT, and treadmill sessions. You'll also get a 15-minute trainer consult when you sign up to discuss your goals.

Cost: $34.99/month, with a free 7-day trial; aktinmotion.com

Required equipment: Two resistance bands (one with handles, one without), a soft Pilates ball, and a treadmill if you want to utilize treadmill classes. AKT offers a bundle of the essential equipment for $60.

Try it if: You love dance cardio but want to mix it up with some other types of workouts, too.

DanceBody, a dance cardio studio with locations in NYC, the Hamptons, and Miami, now has a streaming platform. One of the best things about DanceBody's offering is that it features more than 400 workout videos with a variety of instructors. Classes fall into either "cardio" or "sculpt" categories, and run the gamut in terms of level from "I haven't danced since I was 5" to "I'm a professional dancer."

Cost: $34.99/month; dancebody.com

Get a free two-week trial using promo code "DBSHAPE"

Required equipment: Workouts can be performed without equipment, but DanceBody recommends their bundle, which includes a hexagon-shaped mat, a resistance band, and DanceBody's hand weights, which you can purchase for $185.

Try it if: Dance is your primary method of exercise.

Peloton has offered on-demand spin class streaming (both pre-recorded and live) for a while now, but their expanded Peloton Digital iOS app allows you to stream everything from cycling and running (with their new Peloton Treadmill) to boot camp, stretching, yoga, and cardio at a variety of durations and levels of intensity. The app includes audio-only walking and running workouts, too, so you can head outside while still being guided by an instructor's cues.

Cost: The Peloton Bike retails for $1,995 and the subscription is $39/month. There's also a 0% APR option of $97/month for 39 months, which includes the price of the subscription. Peloton Digital access is only $20/month; onepeloton.com

Required equipment: Either download the app or get the bike, and you'll be set!

Try it if: You love cycling and want the option to participate in live classes, or dig the Peloton style but want to do a variety of workouts.

Exhale is a cross between a spa and fitness studio with locations around the country. The company now offers a streaming membership with new videos each week. Among the lineup are relaxing classes like gentle yoga, meditation for mind and body, and mindful barre. If only it were also possible to live-stream a massage...

Cost: $14/month or $99/year with a free 7-day trial; ondemand.exhalespa.com.

Required equipment: Some of the workouts call for light dumbbells, a resistance band, a yoga mat, or a chair, but many are bodyweight-only.

Try it if: You love using yoga and meditation as a way to de-stress, but also love the occassional cardio burst.

For barre die-hards, Physique 57 is the OG dance-inspired workout. Their streaming interface is super advanced compared to most, offering the ability to take shorter workout videos and link them together to create one longer workout that suits your needs. Their platform also offers several preset training programs, including a four-week HIIT-focused barre program and a two-week core-focused one.

Cost: $19.99/month, with first 2 weeks free; physique57.com

Required equipment: None required, but they recommend having a sturdy piece of furniture nearby, as well as an exercise ball they sell on their site for $15.95.

Try it if: You like barre and mat Pilates and want to be able to customize the moves in your workouts.

Okay, ClassPass isn't technically a studio, but members are used to visiting studios, and they stream classes from a studio in Brooklyn. That means you can do the classes live or access them later via the app. With a focus on utilizing NYC's best trainers, it's kind of like having a studio class right in your living room, with the advantage that you can experience a variety of different teaching styles anytime you want. The classes are all HIIT and heart-rate-based, meaning you'll being doing intervals and trying to hit a target heart-rate zone each time.

Cost: $10/month if you have a ClassPass membership, $15/month if you don't; classpass.com

Required equipment: The ClassPass starter kit, which includes a Chromecast and heart-rate monitor and costs $70.

Try it if: You want a high-intensity workout with minimal equipment required.

While there are several barre studios that offer streaming classes, PureBarre stands out for the variety of classes offered. Choose from workout durations of 10 minutes up to 60 minutes, as well as pre- and postnatal workouts.

Cost: $29.99/month; purebarre.com

Required equipment: You'll need different equipment for different classes including a mat, 2-pound dumbbells, and an inflatable ball, but you get a discount code for 25 percent off when you sign up (WELCOMETOPBOD).

Try it if: You love barre and/or are in search of specialized pre- and postnatal workouts.

(Don't think barre is tough enough? Try this intense barre workout that will make you sweat.)

Bulldog Yoga (with studio locations in Boulder, CO, and Villanova, PA) prides itself on making yoga more accessible and approachable—and that's only reinforced by the fact that you can now stream their classes in the comfort of your own home without handing over your first-born child. You can stream unlimited classes all month long for less than half of the price of a typical studio class—or buy a one-day unlimited streaming pass for just $5.

Cost: $16/month; bulldogonline.com

Required equipment: You don't need anything fancy to get your yoga on. Stream Bulldog classes on the website or app, which you can download from iTunes or Google Play. A mat and blocks are optional.

Try it if: You enjoy yoga but can't commit to studio prices or schedules

Flywheel's new FLY Anywhere bike is an investment, but the subscription gets you live and on-demand cycling classes, and access to FlyBarre classes, and specialized precision strength training classes for cyclists.

Cost: Bikes start at $1,699, plus a monthly subscription fee of $39; flywheelsports.com

Required equipment: Just the bike.

Try it if: You want the best of both worlds: cycling and strength training.

Dance-inspired workouts are having a moment, and LEKFit, created by trainer Lauren Kleban, is one of the buzziest. Like many of the other studios that offer streaming classes, two new workouts are added per week, and there are hundreds of past videos for subscribers to access. Workouts include trampoline cardio (of course, you'll need a trampoline for that one!), sculpting classes, and straightforward dance cardio.

Cost: $19.99/month; lekfit.vhx.tv

Required equipment: Ideally, a JumpSport 350 fitness trampoline, 3- and 5-pound free weights, a resistance band, gliders, 2-pound wrist and ankle weights, and a yoga mat—but modifications are offered for people who don't have the equipment.

Try it if: You're looking for a new twist on traditional dance cardio.

Created by former professional ballerina Mary Helen Bowers, Ballet Beautiful is a method and studio in NYC that is frequented by Victoria's Secret Angels. With a focus on ballet and Pilates-like movements, classes will definitely get your heart rate pumping with little impact. (BTW, here's how dance can make you a better athlete.)

Cost: Individual workouts from $5, or $39.99/month for unlimited access; balletbeautiful.com

Required equipment: None

Try it if: You want a mix of classical ballet and barre or are looking for an à la carte option.