Spin Fx gears up for success, filling fitness gap in Sherwood Park

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Spin has returned to Sherwood Park.

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Following the closure and departures of a few spin studios in recent years, spin lovers have a new place to call home: Spin Fx.

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With a glowing room and booming music, the business officially opened its doors with a full schedule of classes on Monday, Sept. 11.

Located at Unit 520 at 220 Lakeland Drive in Millennium Ridge, Spin Fx is a passion project co-owned by two women, Krysta Dorton and Melanie Wall, who refused to give up on the fitness industry after multiple challenges brought on by the pandemic.

“We have big shoes to fill. We’ve had so many people reach out, people love spin. It’s so great to see the community come together again,” Dorton explained. “Our goal is to be the most inclusive space, whether it’s your first ride and you’ve never been on a bike before or it’s your 500th class, we want you to be comfortable and have a good time.”

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Dorton started her fitness career by offering bootcamps on the side of being a dental assistant, and that lead into becoming one of three High Fitness ambassadors in Canada. But then COVID hit and gyms closed; however, she slowly relaunched with a studio in her basement and offered video classes. After Inferno closed, Dorton and Wall paired up in the summer of 2021 and discussed partnering on opening Pilates Fx, and just a year after that, they partnered again to open Spin Fx.

Leaning on the expertise of Dorton’s father, construction took about two months.

“It’s really exciting. I can’t believe it. Just the support that we’ve been getting from all of our Pilates Fx members, it’s just been unreal,” Wall said.

The studio, which employs 11 people, will offer a variety of classes from internal training, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and rhythm-based amped classes.

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“We’ve really given the instructors the reins, so they can read the room and plan their classes accordingly. There will be people who will be new and there will be more experienced people, but everyone will get what they need out of the class,” Wall said.

Every single class was at max capacity on opening day.

“Everyone who is leaving a class said they love the vibe and they feel welcomed,” Dorton. “It’s so exciting. The biggest feedback has been people saying ‘Thank you for taking a chance on spin’. It has filled such a void for people.”

At just 1,400 square feet, Dorton hopes the smaller, boutique feel will help foster closer cycling clientele and a community feel.

Hopes are high for the new venture.

“We hope that people will come in and just have the best time. We want everyone to enjoy the space as much as we do,” Wall added.

“We knew that there was something more needed in the fitness industry. We both don’t want anyone needs to fit within a certain mould, so whether you do spin, yoga, pilates, or HIIT, we want you to come and feel your best,” Dorton echoed.

To check out classes and memberships, search either Pilates Fx or Spin Fx to the GloFox app. You can also follow Pilates Fx on all social media platforms for updates on the new business, or go to pilatesfx.ca.

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