What do you get when trampolines and techie gear get together in Tribeca and have a love child? bari Studio, of course. This buzzed-about, NYC-based cardio-sculpting sensation has developed quite the following since it opened its downtown doors back in 2011: while boutique fitness studios are cropping up on adjacent blocks faster than you can say tap-back, bari keeps its members coming back with a fine cocktail of cultivated community and mastery of the scientific sweat. Not only do bari classes involve multiple forms of anaerobic and aerobic movement, from dance and yoga to sports training and martial arts, they utilize a slew of the latest fitness technology and trackers to keep you accountable and train smarter. The result? Change you can not only see, but truly feel from the inside out.
Alexandra Bonetti is the mastermind behind bari, which just went bicoastal with its Newport Beach location earlier this year (can we get an a-men, SoCal?!). We like (ok – really, really like) Alexandra for her insanely awesome workout concept, sure…but we love her for her courage: although leading a successful career in financial and management consulting, she realized her heart was in the fitness industry, not the fine print. Her vision for a lifestyle brand that was all-inclusive, in all ways possible (bari lacks that elitist cult vibe that permeates many trendy studios; it also offers personal training and conjures up recipes on the regular), was clear enough and strong enough to leave behind what was safe and turn to what she knew was right. We’re so glad she did.
Name:
Alexandra Bonetti.
Favorite workout:
To state the obvious: bari. I think, as bari’s owner, I’m not supposed to have a favorite class, but I do. (It’s barihybrid.)
Moment I fell in love with fitness:
Doing Cindy Crawford fitness DVDs with my mom in our living room when I was eight years old.
Favorite workout shoes:
Newtons. I love the lighter weight models for our bounce and toning classes and the stability models for sensory dance cardio. It doesn’t hurt that pretty much everything they come out with is neon.
Best fitnesswear staples:
Shashi bracelets, which are definitely not branded as fitnesswear, but they’re part of my fitness uniform. It’s always hard to find pieces you don’t have to take on and off every time you work out, and I never take my Shashi bracelets off.
I stay inspired by…
Reading other people’s entrepreneurship journeys, dreaming big and always staying connected to why I started bari.
Favorite hair accessories:
Braids.
Must-have gadgets:
I love fitness wearables and think our industry will grow in a big way in that direction, so I’m always trying new ones out. The one I consistently use is a Suunto heart rate monitor.
On my workout playlist…
Anything ’90s. And Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, obviously.
Most unexpected item in my gym bag:
Lack of keys. It still surprises me how often I get locked out of my apartment.
Favorite way to hydrate:
Water with lemon, cayenne pepper and cinnamon.
Favorite post-workout fuel:
Fave quickie workout:
Walking around New York City.
Personal fitness tip:
Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep.
Current mantra:
“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” Lao Tzu
