Welcome to Class Action, FLEETSTREET’s new workout review series. We get sweaty at gyms and studios across Toronto and give you the low-down on what they’re really like.
The Studio
Typically when you go to a fitness studio or gym, you want to be in and out. But at Sweat and Tonic, you’ll want to stay. It’s three floors, 16,000-square feet of art deco gymspiration.
The Space
The main floor that you enter from Yonge Street features a reception desk and an athletic wear retail space like most fitness spots in Toronto. But it also has a HIIT room/boxing gym with weight, treadmill and punching bag stations, a smoothie bar hosted by Nut Bar, a large table/workspace, spiral stairs, floor-to-ceiling lockers (only a player from the Raptors could even reach the top row) and a living wall. Downstairs is where you’ll find the spin studio clad with 55 Technogym bikes (the smoothest ride I’ve tried), the fanciest women’s change room ever (decked out with Dyson hairdryers and Consonant skincare at every vanity), an infared sauna and a bench (perfect spots to recover post ride). The yoga studio is on the top floor, as well as the spa for facials and massages, a meditation pod and the Tonic House – a large lounge overlooking Yonge and Shuter streets, with velvet chairs and sofas, marble tables, and even a booth for private phone calls. You won’t want to leave – I didn’t.
The Workout
Triple Sweat is essentially a flight of their workout classes. The 90 minute workout has you doing three 25-minute workouts in each studio, starting in the Ride studio for indoor cycling class, the HIIT studio for a boxing/treadmill/strength circuit. It’s three out of three drops of sweat according to Sweat and Tonic’s rating system, calling it “a full-body, well-balanced and limit-pushing workout.”
We Tried It
I took Odeta’s Sunday morning class at 8:45. She packed what felt like a 45-minute ride into half the time. The bikes were easy to adjust and each one had a display so that you could see what your resistance actually was (none of that half-turn, full-turn guessing game that most bikes make you play). I was red, out of breath, and I loved Odeta’s teaching style. She had a good sense of humour and really knew how to push us. With five minutes to get to the HIIT room, Odeta took us through a interval workout on the bags with different punching routines, a treadmill workout and a weight routine. It’s all pretty much what you would expect, especially if you’ve taken a Barry’s Bootcamp or Studio KO class. The best part, though, is that you only have to do the circuit once. Then we had another five minutes to climb the spiral stairs (part of the workout, right?) up to the yoga studio. Here we went into shavasana, a couple of flows and then an ab workout, also led by Odeta. TBH, I would have rather that it in reverse. But my açai bowl and ginger tea gave me the chill I needed after doing abs.
The Verdict
This workout is perfect for someone who needs to fall in love with fitness via their studio. This was a real treat, and but I don’t know that I could do it three to four times a week for my regular workouts. The intensity level was high, but the short sessions and the mix of training styles made it easy to keep up. I would definitely do it again.
Sweat and Tonic, 225 Yonge Street, Toronto, 647.372.0225, .sweatandtonic.com. 90-minute workout; $27 for one drop-in class (introductory offer: 3 classes for $45); package pricing available; bookable online.
