Though FitReserve made the news last summer as an alternative for some of ClassPass’ unhappy customers, until recently, the multi-studio membership program was only available in New York and Boston. Now that it’s launched in DC, Washingtonians might want to give it a closer look.
“DC has a rapidly growing boutique fitness scene as you know and they’ve been ranked the fittest city in America for the past three years in a row. We’ve received strong inbound interest both from studio partners as well as consumers,” says FitReserve CEO and co-founder Megan Smyth. “I went to Georgetown, my cofounder is from the DC area, so it also has a strong personal connection for us—we’re really excited to be here.”
The app, like ClassPass, takes the boutique fitness model—where you pay per class—and gives it a monthly membership price. Members of FitReserve can choose from packages that range from three to 20 classes each month. This is one of the first differences between FitReserve and ClassPass: in DC, ClassPass only offers five or ten-class packages, whereas FitReserve offers three, five, ten, and 20-class memberships. The other biggest difference? There’s no blacked out classes on FitReserve, unlike at ClassPass, where some classes at certain studios can’t be booked through the membership.
“Since we provide access to an entire studio schedule, we’re really appealing to that consumer who wants what they want when they want it,” says FitReserve CEO and co-founder Megan Smyth.
Additionally, FitReserve allows members to visit any studio up to four times a month, as opposed to ClassPass’s three-visit limit for a ten-class membership. But while FitReserve may have some additional perks that ClassPass doesn’t offer, it’s also more expensive: a five pack at FitReserve costs $75, compared to $55 at ClassPass—and a ten-class pack is $135 at FitReserve, while it’s $105 at ClassPass. But if some of the added incentives at FitReserve are worth it to you—booking any class you want and taking the same class up to four times a month—you may want to give it a trial run soon: FitReserve is currently offering 20 percent off your first three months with the code DCFIT20.
To sign up for FitReserve and check out a list studio partners, visit FitReserve’s website.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
