19 Aug 2021
1Rebel pivots to open first local studio with new RIG workout concept
BY Tom Walker
1Rebel, which has been partly dependent on commuter business in its central London locations, has pivoted to launch its first local studio in Hammersmith, west London.
The 3,500sq ft club is part of 1Rebel’s strategy of launching local sites to cater to the new demographic of customers who are now working from home.
Co-founder, James Balfour, said: "This is our first venture away from central London, but we know the appetite is there, especially as we can see life returning to normality and people putting their health above anything else."
Balfour added that the open-plan design is "born out of trying to create a greater sense of team and community within the workout".
In keeping with 1Rebel’s signature look, the studio has a darkened room laced with coloured lights, indicating the eight team zones, as well as a sound system delivering a nightclub vibe.
This is the ninth studio in 1Rebel's growing portfolio.
The boutique operator has also used the opening to launch a new fitness concept called Rig – a combination of HIIT and functional fitness.
It features four zones – bike, row, bench and rig – and will test the users' endurance through a full-body exercise session.
Rig will be available in five class types; Strength, Intensity, Engine, Teams and Benchmark.
The teams' session will run every weekend and is a chance for members to come together and build a sense of community.
Balfour added: "As a brand, we're constantly looking at how to innovate and provide our customers with the very best in fitness, and we believe Rig is up there alongside Reshape, Ride and Rumble.
"This community-focused concept is designed to champion strength while challenging and pushing people's limits."
The Hammersmith location will also see the introduction of The Changing Room, a new design concept combining male and female changing rooms into one communal space and 'fusing exercise and recovery into one'.
Featuring individual shower cubicles with connected but private personal changing areas, The Changing Room will also include both male and female vanity stations offering 1Rebel’s amenities.
The new Hammersmith opening follows hard on the heels of 1Rebel's new Oxford Circus location, which opened recently.
The company says the new Oxford Circus flagship "pays homage to what goes on behind the famous window displays and glassy shop floors, reflecting the grittier storerooms, loading bays and warehouses – where all the real work takes place".
The studio, housed in a raw, warehouse-like space, offers two of 1Rebel's three core concepts; Reshape and Rumble. Each features bespoke playlists that have been curated by in-house DJs, while certain sessions feature live entertainment.
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