Miami is known for its lively workout culture and it’s considered one of the best cities in the U.S. to live a healthy life, according to NBC Miami.
Students at the University of Miami are often seen carrying a yoga mat back from the metro or with headphones on their way to the gym. However, many students feel like the workout culture in Miami is unaffordable.
Miami is 20th on the list of healthiest cities according to MindBody that includes a variety of factors like water intake, alcohol intake, time spent outdoors, hours of sleep and amount of exercise per week.
Carlee Beck, a senior who has tried classes at many workout businesses, said “In general, I don’t feel like workout classes are affordable in Miami.”
The cheapest single-class prices are Fuze House, SoulCycle, Core Power and PureBarre start at $35. From there, prices go up to $38 at JETSET and $39 at [solidcore].
In comparison, Florida’s minimum wage is $14 per hour, meaning it would take over two hours of work to afford a single class.
Many of these workout spots are located within a 1 to 2 mile radius of the center of campus meaning students have to commute, adding to the cost of the experience. The average rideshare price to these locations is around $13 depending on the time of day.
Beck said that she has gotten her money’s worth.
“I’ve purchased many class packs from SoulCycle, and I signed up for the free week at CorePower,” she said. “Both options, I thought, were very much worth it.”
Beck said that while discounts are helpful, class costs add up, leaving her looking for ways to spend less.
There are a variety of options to save money, like student discounts, class packs, intro class rates and even a free week of classes for first-timers.
Beck said, “I generally use ClassPass to book my classes … I find myself gravitating towards studios with a student discount.”
Classpass is a site that allows users to pay a monthly fee which in turn gives them a certain amount of credits to use at local fitness studios and wellness and beauty centers.
Users can select as little as eight credits for $19 per month or as many as 150 credits for $299 per month. Students can try out different studios or workouts to see what works best. Almost all of the popular workout spots are available on Classpass.
Many of these workout businesses also offer student discounts and promotions for new customers.
SoulCycle is one location that offers student discounts. Students can take one class for $26 or purchase a five class pack for $125.
At Fuze House, five class packs for students are priced at $160.
Places like [solidcore], Purebarre and Core Power offer discounts or even free classes for first timers.
The Herbert Wellness Center also offers a variety of classes like yoga classes, including sunrise and flow, cardio and strength classes, like HIIT, cycling, and both reformer and mat pilates.
Full time undergraduate, graduate and law students are required to pay a $171 Herbert Wellness Center fee per semester. This membership includes all standard group fitness classes, the use of one small towel, sauna and steamroom privilege and more.
Sophomore Zoe Campos, who has tried all of the classes at the wellness center. From cycling to HIIT to pilates, she thinks they are convenient to fit in between classes since they are covered by the gym fee.
“I’d rather take a class here since it’s more easily accessible. Most studios off campus are so expensive that it doesn’t seem worth it to drive or get an uber to another workout class,” said Campos.
Students like Beck are required to pay the Wellness Center fee, even if they do not take classes there or use the gym.
This leaves students making a decision between what’s best for their emotional and physical health and what’s best for their financial needs.