Soulcycle salary instructor: SoulCycle cutting top instructor pay, classes

SoulCycle cutting top instructor pay, classes

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October 11, 2022 |
11:20am

SoulCycle is putting the brakes on the amount of money their top earners make.Getty Images

Is the formerly furiously fashionable SoulCycle spinning out of control?

The cult fitness brand — which made its name by making superstars out of instructors, and counting celebs such as Beyoncé, David Beckham and Madonna as fans — is putting the brakes on some of its top earners.  

In August, the company, which struggled during the pandemic, announced it would be closing 20 of its 82 studio locations nationwide and laying off 75 employees.

Now, we hear, some beloved instructors are taking pay cuts and having their classes slashed.

“Someone making $300 per class is now at a base of $100. And gets paid an additional few dollars for each rider who shows up,” says a source. “Others have had their classes cut from 12 classes to 3 [per week].”

The amount of classes top instructors were teaching is being cut back. Dave Benett/Getty Images for Sou

A 2020 article by Vox reported that, at one point, star instructor Stacey Griffith could make $800 per class and had 15 classes a week. Instructors were also given bonuses for selling out classes, and received tips and pricey gifts from riders.

Popular master instructor Janet Fitzgerald, who also taught aspiring instructors the ropes, posted on Instagram this month that her director of training position has been dissolved. She has been left with just three classes on the schedule, to the dismay of her followers.

“Complete shock. What kind of f–kery is this,” said one. “This is absolute madness,” said another.

The allure of the super instructor was a driving force in the brand’s early days. Billionaires, fashionistas and the city’s most powerful types would duke it out on waitlists to get into their favorite class.

A 2013 New York magazine article said, “the strength of the brand lies in the personality and charisma of the person on the podium, and on carefully pairing that person with his or her audience. ” 

The brand formerly put instructor’s personalities front and center. SARAH_KEHOE

One Soul devotee explains to us, “With Soul and how the business model was built, the teachers feel very separate from the corporation … It’s really teachers creating the vibe for the students.”

Another source says, “These instructors were supposed to be like the next reality stars.” The spinner also joked, “It was like you had to know Michelle Obama’s cell number to get a spot in Vicky’s 6:15 a.m. [class] or whatever.”

A spokesperson for Soul tells us, “Our instructor compensation policy is based on performance metrics that will result in some seeing an increase, particularly our newer talent. We are moving towards a more equitable and sustainable pay scale model where we will continue to offer a premium versus our competitive set while protecting the long-term health of our business.”

The brand says that it is “rebalancing” its pay scales. SARAH_KEHOE

In a lengthier interview with Yahoo, CEO Evelyn Webster explained, “We have to scrutinize our operating costs. Reset our instructor compensation … We had somewhat of an unbalance across the pay spectrum. There were some instructors who we were paying a significant premium … and others who were not quite at market minimum.”

The exec added, “We have rock star instructors, the best in the world and we will continue to pay a premium to the market. What we are seeking to do is rebalance that plan to some extent. Reducing the premium amongst our more senior instructors and bringing others up.”

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10/11/22

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SoulCycle Changed Instructor Salary and Closed 20 Studios in August

Finance

SoulCycle made big changes in August, shifting its strategy due to the pandemic. With the fitness industry in flux, the company is looking to balance its business by scrutinizing operating costs and anticipating consumer needs.

In August, SoulCycle announced that it would shutter about 20 of its 83 studios: six in the New York City area, five in California, and others in Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Georgia. Its Toronto location will also close, meaning it will no longer have a presence in Canada. CEO Evelyn Webster referred to these markets as “oversaturated” in an all-hands meeting with staffers.

In addition, SoulCycle will reset its instructor compensation, which arose from a significant PwC benchmarking project around instructor salary. PwC found a lack of balance across the pay structure, with some instructors being paid far above premium versus the market, while others were not at market rate. The new change will reduce the premium among the more senior instructors, and bring a number of others up. When asked about the reaction to the SoulCycle instructor salary changes during an interview with Yahoo! Finance, Webster said, “What I will tell you, is that I don’t think I’ve ever worked at any company where people do cartwheels when you say your compensation is at risk of being reduced, somewhat. But, of course, those that are receiving a compensation increase are thrilled.” 

The company has been vocal that the instructors will continue to be paid at premium, and the change will merely rebalance the pay structure. As one of the most sought-after cycling brands for instructors, SoulCycle has not been impacted significantly by the labor storage. Last recruitment cycle, they were oversubscribed with applicants for instructor positions. Webster continued, with Yahoo! Finance, “SoulCycle is a phenomenal brand. For many fitness enthusiasts, for much of our instructor talent, it’s the pinnacle of their career in terms of the boutique fitness destinations you want to work in. So, we have not struggled.”

Online, there has been a movement to raise money for some of the reportedly 75 laid off SoulCycle employees. Katherine Lutkowski, a Chicago-based instructor who was part of the recent cuts, raised money for other employees who lost their job after two Chicago studios were shuttered. Riders took to SoulCycle Reddit forums to express their frustration about the layoffs. One user said, “We have instructors with 10+ years of history getting laid off, and they were definitely filling classes pre-Covid. I know because I took their classes in jam-packed studios.” 

See Also

SoulCycle has both a significant in-studio and at-home presence in its business. The post-pandemic “return to normal” demonstrated a shift in consumer behavior. Webster stated to Yahoo! Finance, “Slightly more mature, more affluent consumers have the opportunity to ride both at home and on their at-home bike, as well as in studio. Younger riders, perhaps with a smaller living space, they don’t have the luxury of having a bike in their apartments—they’re back in full force.” The company remained confident that the connected ecosystem was robust, and not going anywhere. As a partner with Equinox, SoulCycle classes are accessible through the Equinox+ app. With no near-term plans to go public, SoulCycle has been owned by the Equinox Group since 2011.  

SoulCycle is betting on its brand. In a publicity stunt earlier this year, SoulCycle had a “F—k it, Let’s Ride Together” marketing campaign, where they offered free classes to anyone who gave up their Pelotons. SoulCycle is pushing its mission to create strong human connection and community, both in-studio and in at-home classes. As the industry continuing to change every day, SoulCycle’s business will no doubt continue to evolve.

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Elizabeth Ostertag
September 21, 2022

How a former synchronized swimmer created the first cycle studio in the Urals

IMC AND TOCHKA REPRESENT: IT’S NOT ABOUT MONEY

How a former synchronized swimmer created the first cycle studio in the Urals

“Come on, Irina, don’t sleep! – Coach Maxim encourages me. “Come on, come on, faster!” I am pedaling the exercise bike, to the left and to the right of me are the other participants in the race. In neon light, they look like superheroes from another planet to me. I’ve been trying to catch up with them for half an hour now. Looking for my avatar on the big screen. My 3D counterpart is cyclist number six. I pick up speed so that he reappears in the “green” zone – a section of the cycle track in which my rivals are pedaling. While I’m there, I work at the right pace. The trainer asks to rise above the saddle and increase the resistance by half a turn. I barely have time to wipe the seventh sweat from my forehead with a towel, my hands slip off the steering wheel. We are going uphill to a peppy track and a joyful “Yuhhhuuuu!” Maxim. His enthusiasm is transferred to me. I start pedaling twice as fast. Maxim displays the pulse of cyclists on the monitor. Mine is close to red. The road slowly goes down, I take in more air into my lungs and reach for a bottle of water . .. It’s time to confess. I don’t know how to ride a bike and this is my first cycling workout at Vykrutasy.

Cycling slowly but surely gets to Russia. In the fall of 2015, three studios opened almost simultaneously in the country. The first was Asya Shpilman and her Velobeat in the Moscow City, which was only a few days ahead of Elena Bondareva’s Vykrutasy from Yekaterinburg. The third studio was launched by the daughter of the famous Russian fashion designer Galina Yudashkina. It is called LifeCycle and is located in Moscow on Patriarch’s. But if in the capital the market is gradually starting to fill up (Cycle Pro is already operating in Sokolniki, where former athletes undergo rehabilitation), then in the Urals, Vykrutas still has no competitors.

Olympic start

It all started in the spring of 2014, when Elena Bondareva made a difficult decision – to quit the largest international personnel company Adecco Group, where she had worked as COO for Russia for four years. Elena had been thinking about her own business for a long time, but the matter did not go beyond discussions. High salaries, official Mercedes, medical insurance, free cellular communication – it was difficult to refuse a stable life and preferences that foreign companies offer their employees. Perhaps Elena would still be working at Adecco if not for the Olympics.

In January 2013, Adecco became the official partner of the Sochi Olympic Games. The company had to fulfill an ambitious task – to find and hire 5,000 people in a short time, who would ensure the uninterrupted operation of the Olympic facilities during the Games. Elena joined the project in October to speed up the process and close the gaps that had emerged up to that point. She created a new team, a new system of accountability and control. Managers had to work 12 hours a day. In just three months, the team managed to achieve a result that even the CEO did not believe in.

First of all, Elena decided to get in shape and enrolled in the World Class fitness center. A few months later, she took part in the inter-club competition, swimming 50 meters freestyle and taking first place in her age group. The next stage was the 10 km race. This time, she did not claim a medal. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could run the distance without stopping.

“After the competition, I suddenly had a crazy idea to try myself in Ironman,” says Elena. – And although my last bike was called Lyovushka and I didn’t know how to ride an adult bike at all, I decided! To begin with, I tried to overcome the Olympic distance – a shortened version of the Ironman (1.5 km swimming, 40 km cycling and 10 km running. – Approx. IMC)”.

In the summer of 2014, Elena began to prepare for the Olympics. The first step was to learn how to ride a bike again. Classes were held in the Mayakovsky park. There, at the box office, Elena took her first adult bike.

Elena managed to ride a professional bike that had to be ordered in Spain for only a month. Snow fell in Yekaterinburg, and it became impossible to practice on the street. Then there were two options. The first is to buy a special machine on which to put the bike and pedal at home. The second is to go to the cycle zone of the fitness club. Elena chose the latter.

The formula for success

Cycle lessons were one and a half to two hours a day. Elena wanted to load not only her muscles, but also her head, and began to look for new information about preparing for a triathlon and training. So she stumbled upon the success story of the American project SoulCycle. At that time, there were no analogues of the mega-popular cycle studios in the USA in Russia, and Elena decided that something similar must definitely appear in Yekaterinburg.

“Three things seemed attractive to me in this formula. The first is cardio training, which is very useful, but unloved by people, lists the hostess of VyKRUTAsov. – The second is energy and emotions. This is what makes boring cardio workouts fun and fast. The third is the studio format, when there is nothing superfluous. A person gets the necessary load in just an hour of classes, takes a shower and runs about his business.

Sports childhood

The Vykrutasov business plan was completed in December 2014. Elena had no doubts about the success of the project and showed the “economy” to her husband. Counting is something that Elena has always done well. Prior to Adecco, she worked for eight years at Uralvestcom, the first mobile communications company in the Urals, where she rose from assistant to commercial director. And another six years in the American personnel company Kelly Services – first as a business development manager, then as a regional director. It was no coincidence that she also decided to engage in a “sports” project. Before building a successful career in mega-corporations, Elena was a professional synchronized swimmer.

When the girl was eight years old, her mother took her to the Kalininets swimming pool. Elena made progress in synchronized swimming and a few years later she became a master of sports. Joined the team. The team consistently won prizes at the championships of the USSR.

Elena spent her childhood at the training camp. Every day – two workouts. But professional sports did not prevent the girl from graduating from school with a silver medal. Elena did not continue her career as an athlete. She knew that she had already reached her ceiling in synchronized swimming. The prospect of becoming a coach did not attract the girl. Therefore, at 19In 1991, when her friends from Kalininets entered the Faculty of Physical Education in the Pedagogical Department, she went to the SINH. She never regretted her decision.

Help from the USA

The first person who supported Elena when she decided to start a studio was her husband. In fact, Dmitry is a very conservative person and is not prone to adventures, especially in a crisis. But, firstly, the numbers said that the business could bring real money (Elena expected to break even in six months). Secondly, he knew well the character of a wife who always achieves her goal.

Elena started looking for a space for a cycle studio in December 2014, but she managed to find a suitable one only in the spring of 2015. She almost despaired when she accidentally saw the sign “Rent” on Gorky, 53. The main problem was the basement – with a concrete floor, with concrete walls, littered with building materials and old furniture. I had to redo the room from scratch.

The author of the interior of Vykrutasov was Konstantin Smirnov, who in a short time made a design project for the hall and the cycle hall. Together with Elena, they came up with the idea to decorate part of the walls in the style of the German avant-garde artist Gerhard Richter. It remains to find a master. And here, as it has happened more than once in the history of “VyKRUTAS”, a case helped.

Virtual race

While the renovation was going on, Elena continued to think about the concept. The main question is how her studio will differ from ordinary cycle zones in fitness clubs. The owner of Vykrutasov decided that she should have a unique team of coaches, a perfectly calculated training methodology and the only computer program in Russia that not only immerses cyclists in virtual reality, but also displays the avatars of the race participants on the screen, reads the physical indicators of clients and allows see results in real time.

Elena contacted Spivi, an American software developer for cycle studios. The system works like this: each simulator has a transmitter that sends information about the cadence to the server. A computer cycling race appears on a huge screen, in which everyone who pedals in the hall participates.

Now there are two main types of cycling training in the studio – Sport and Disco. Sport is a 45-minute race without a break. Cyclists ride sitting, standing, accelerating across the plains, hard into the hills and even harder into the mountains.

The purpose of Disco is to show that on the exercise bike you can not only pedal, but also dance. There are no screens and heart rate sensors in this workout, but there are mirrors, crazy energy and work with dumbbells for the upper body.

For those who want to combine cycling with regular group training, stretching or, for example, yoga, there is a fitness room in Vykrutasy. Friends from the fitness industry convinced Elena that doing a mono studio, like in the USA, is risky. Since there were no analogues in Russia at that time, no one could say whether customers would go only for cycling.

Cycle Guru

Good trainers are the main problem of all fitness studios. Elena was lucky: even at the start, she enlisted the support of Evgeny Makarov, the holder of the title of “Best Cycle Instructor-2010”.

Eugene came to fitness from professional sports: for 20 years he was involved in athletics, three times he became the champion of the Sverdlovsk region. After the end of his career, he began to ride a bicycle – just like that, for himself. But over time, he fell in love with the bike so much that he returned to professional sports again – already as a cyclist.

– I started working with Elena even before the project was launched. The first time she, one might say, literally lived there. She was worried about “Vykrutasy” as for her child. Lena does not treat her offspring only as a business or as a toy that generates income. For her, the development of the studio is creativity. Here are her emotions, mood, the rhythm of her life. And, of course, she loves the bike and everything connected with it. Therefore, the main thing that unites those who work in “VyKRUTAS” is love for what they do. This is probably the main criterion by which Lena chose us all.

Evgeniy Makarov

VyKRUTasov Senior Instructor

Now Evgeny trains trainers for VyKRUTASov. The classes last two months. At the end of the course, the future instructor takes theoretical and practical exams and only after that is allowed to work with the group.

– The task of a fitness instructor is to convey positive emotions to people during training. People come to fitness not only to lose weight or gain muscle mass. Therefore, it is important for me that the trainer wants to share his energy and joy with clients, to cheer them up. Everyone who comes to class should feel that they are being treated individually. Even if there are 20 people in the group. I teach this to other coaches.

Evgeny Makarov

Star Clients

Maria Cherepanova was born into a sports family. Her mother is a master of sports of the USSR in cycling. Therefore, Maria jokes that she had a love for bicycles even before birth.

Maria failed to become a professional cyclist: when the girl was 13 years old, she became interested in basketball. Now Maria is the owner of the European Super Cup, twice the winner of the Russian championship, the European basketball champion, the silver medalist of the World Championship . .. Maria Cherepanova lives in Yekaterinburg, plays for the UMMC basketball team.

If Maria needs to recover from hard games, she goes to Vykrutasy for Sport training, and when she wants to work hard, she goes to Double Sport.

– Our team consists of the best players in the world. There are games where you don’t get enough playing time. But at the same time, you must always stay in shape. The usual fitness and iron is enough for me in my training, so I go to “VyKRUTAsy” to work on endurance. Running cross-country skis in winter is not always pleasant. Yes, and you can catch a cold … I remember how I came to Vykrutasy for the first time. Then I was pleasantly surprised by the homely atmosphere, polite staff and qualified coaches. As I walked in, I knew right away that this was exactly what I was looking for.

Maria Cherepanova

BC UMMC forward, client of the Vykrutasy cycle studio

Alexander Tyazhelnikov

client of the Vykrutasy cycle studio

– Cycle is one of my favorite types of training Therefore, it was decided to train in “VyKRUTAS” – a professional cycling studio (separate from the large fitness room, where it is just an option). Specialization in cycling is the best equipment (bicycles), the best organization of the training process (attention to detail), a professional team of trainers and a variety of cycling trainings.

Maria Zashlyapina

client of the Vykrutasy cycling studio

– For me, cycling means high energy consumption in a short time. In an hour on the Sport program, I drive 22 km. It is impossible to do this in Yekaterinburg, on our roads. In order to make my workouts more efficient, I created an account on the Spivi website and now I receive a report on each lesson by email. I like that during training I can follow my avatar, compete with other cyclists. The picture I see on the screen helps a lot.

Anna Ternovaya

client of the Vykrutasy cycling studio

– I started cycling this year. Before that, I had a subscription to a fitness club, but I only went to the pool. The main difference between a studio and a big club is, of course, an individual approach to the client. During training, they always tell me what I’m doing wrong. Once I had a lot of work, and I missed a few classes. The girls called and asked if I was all right. In big clubs, where everything is on stream, you will not find this.

One for all

“KRUTAS” began to work on September 28, 2015. Already in the first days after the launch, Elena felt one of the main disadvantages of a small business – she had to do a lot of things herself. Taking towels to the laundry, handing out studio business cards near the metro on the street and in offices … The owner of Vykrutasov still manages all social networks herself, spends every day in the studio and often answers questions from clients at the reception.

– So far there is no talk of hiring employees who would do all this for me. It’s not just about saving. A business in its infancy is very important to control yourself. Go through all the processes on your own experience, understand all the nuances and subtle points, so that you can manage them effectively later. And I’m not ready to give my brainchild into the wrong hands yet.

Elena Bondareva

VyKRUTAS now employs five cycle gym trainers, five fitness gym trainers, three administrators and a manager.

Unfulfilled expectations

Since December 2014, when Elena wrote her business plan, a lot has changed. The crisis made itself felt, and the payback forecasts that she made a year ago did not come true. I had to admit: it was not possible to break even in six months. The bar had to be lowered to 12 months. In practice, this meant that her husband, Dmitry, would have to continue to invest family money in the business.

– After my husband and I looked at the economy, he had a question – is it necessary to continue doing this? It was a very difficult moment in my life. I realized that I overestimated my abilities. I decided that I let my family down. I did not know how to get out of the situation and what to do next. And although no one reproached me, sometimes there was silence, which I, willy-nilly, took at my own expense. Often behind beautiful pictures there are sleepless nights, tears of regret. I am not ashamed to admit that there are periods when it is especially difficult … But you pull yourself together – and at 9morning to work.

Elena Bondareva

In 2015, Elena did not make major adjustments to her pricing policy. Changes occurred only once – in a smaller direction. So she hoped to attract new customers. Pricing policy is generally one of the most important components of the VyKRUTAsov business model. There is no system of annual club cards. And that’s why.

Let’s move on

Changes are coming soon. The studio website will become even more convenient, the Disco workout playlist will be updated every day, new programs will appear. But most importantly, training will give clients even more positive emotions.

– If we compare our trainers with the trainers of group programs in other fitness clubs in Yekaterinburg, they will probably already be head and shoulders above the majority. But the goal is to come to a situation typical for America and now for Moscow, when 30-50 seats in the gym for training with individual instructors are occupied for a week in advance. This happens only when the charisma and professionalism of the trainers are so high that the clients are literally in love with them. I understand how it should ideally be, I know how it can be done, but the process is taking longer than I expected.

Elena Bondareva

Now, if all the forecasts come true and even more clients come to the studio, it is possible that already in 2017 another Vykrutasy will appear in Yekaterinburg or in one of the Ural cities.

Text: Irina Varkentin
Photo: Anton Smetanin, Dmitry Zdomsky. Video: Anton Smetanin