ClassPass is an app and service that lets you purchase credits monthly that can be redeemed at fitness studios and gyms in your city, or most cities where you might travel.
For people who don’t like committing to a gym and want to mix up their fitness routine, ClassPass is a great way to find an amazing workout from great studios (and more expensive gyms).
Using the app well can let you build a full ClassPass schedule, maximize the use of your credits, and get in some of the best gyms in the city, even at high demand times.
In this article we’ll give a brief introduction to ClassPass, give some helpful tips on how to read the schedule and find classes, answer some frequently asked questions about class cancellation policies, pricing, premium spots and more, plus highlight some of the gyms that are really popular with ClassPass users across the country.
A Quick Introduction to ClassPass
ClassPass was founded in 2013 and in just six short years has expanded rapidly.
They say they’ve booked over 40 million fitness classes with the app.
Founded in New York City, the app first started as a search engine that would let people look for open spots in boutique fitness studios.
They quickly pivoted to the current model, where users pay a monthly fee that gives them credits they can use to take group fitness classes at partner gyms and studios.
In March 2018, ClassPass launched a new live service, which lets users stream workouts from top fitness instructors all over the country from their own home.
The service costs $15 a month.
While it started in Manhattan, ClassPass quickly spread across the country and is now available internationally as well.
How to Book With ClassPass
When using the ClassPass app and looking for a class, the first thing you’ll do is find the gym you want to book with.
You can search for gyms and studios by location, class type (pilates, strength training, yoga class, etc.), or by the studio’s name.
To do so, click on “Find a Class” at the bottom of your screen.
That will send you to the search page.
Once there, you can enter in a gym name (like: “Tone House”) or a studio type (like: “cycling classes”) that describes what kind of workout you want.
All the gyms listed include their distance from you, provided you have enabled your location.
(Another way to find classes is to get personalized recommendations, which are available on your home screen when you open the app along with a more general fitness city guide.)
Once you’ve found something you like, it’s time to book classes.
By clicking on a studio name, you can see a specific studio’s schedule, then find that instructor with amazing energy you’ve been dying to take another class with.
Reviewing the full schedule of the gym will allow you to see which classes are in high demand and which require premium spots.
(More on that in the FAQ section.)
A different class might require a different credit amount to book a spot, so keep an eye out to see what’s available under your current plan, and the number of classes you can book with your remaining credits.
If you want to make a ClassPass reservation ahead of time while reviewing a studio’s full schedule, you may notice that you can’t reserve a class too far ahead in the future.
It’s not that no classes are available, its that the booking window is not open yet.
In that case, you’ll find that the class is shaded in gray and you can’t book it.
Classes typically open up a week ahead of time, though it varies studio by studio and city by city.
If you know a gym has a class available but don’t see it on the site, it’s probably because that class is reserved just for gym members, something every ClassPass studio has the right to do.
Once you’ve booked a class, you’ll get a confirmation email with the time you’ve booked, the details of your class, and an address.
Some Popular ClassPass Searches
ClassPass classes run the gamut from martial arts to low impact barre classes and everything in between.
Two of the most popular workout studios that users search for with ClassPass are Orangetheory Fitness and Barry’s Boot Camp.
Orangetheory Fitness is an interval training studio on ClassPass that is a huge hit for people, no matter their fitness level.
The studio is available in locations all over the country, but only the Singapore locations are available on ClassPass.
Barry’s is a high intensity interval workout (HIIT) that stresses a different body part or set of body parts each day of the week.
Monday is arms and abs, Tuesday is full body with a focus on butt and legs, Wednesday is chest, back, and abs (get ready for a bunch of sit-ups), and on it goes until the weekend, when you get hit with a full body burn.
Barry’s is hugely popular in NYC, with locations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and near the Flatiron in Manhattan, but it’s also in California, Massachusetts, Florida, Chicago, and more, and growing rapidly.
FAQs
How does pricing work?
ClassPass offers flexible plans that let you buy a low, medium, or high level of credits each month.
Credits can typically be redeemed to book 3–5 classes per month, 6–8 classes per month, or 10–12 classes per month, respectively.
The prices vary city by city.
Unfortunately, ClassPass is no longer offering unlimited classes.
Can I save studios I like?
Yep! It’s easy to save your favorite studios by hitting the heart button when looking at a studio in the app.
To review your favorites and look at class availability, go to “profile” then “favorites” and they will be there waiting for you.
What are premium spots?
ClassPass can run out of inventory and spaces for popular gyms and popular workout times, so instead of just closing classes they have worked with gyms to offer premium spots, which lets people book during rush times for popular gyms by spending more of their credits.
Not for you?
No worries.
You can filter out premium spots within the app to avoid seeing them.
Can I attend class without a reservation?
No, not through ClassPass.
You can show up to a studio and enroll in a class, but you would need to pay their drop-in rate and couldn’t pay with credits from one of your ClassPass class packs.
What is the class cancellation policy?
ClassPass classes can be cancelled up to 12 hours in advance with no penalty or charge.
If you miss that cutoff, you can still cancel, but will be charged a late cancellation fee.
The fee is $15 in the U.S. and varies internationally.
If you miss class and don’t cancel at all, that fee goes up — it’s $20 in the U.S.
Get Started With ClassPass
ClassPass is a great app that can let you find an awesome class, and get in a fantastic workout with an excellent instructor, all without committing to one gym or workout type.
They are offering a free trial membership for first time users, so there’s little risk in seeing what you can challenge yourself to do in two weeks or a month (the trial membership length varies by city).
With popular studios like Barry’s Bootcamp, you can get in on the latest fitness obsessions and challenge yourself to be the best version of yourself, and keep things fresh by trying out lots of new things in the process.
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