'Switch Playground' Is Expanding to SoHo

SOHO, NY — A trendy new South African workout brand called Switch Playground just launched stateside in November — but expansion plans are already in the works all over Manhattan, including within SoHo's ultra-modern new One Vandam development at Vandam Street and 6th Ave., according to its founder, Steve Uria. The SoHo location will open Jan. 20, he said.

Uria said he's also scoping out new locations in the Flatiron District, Chelsea and the Financial District.

Switch Playground, first introduced in the South African cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, opened its first U. S. location in November at 130 E. 12th St., near Union Square. The "playground" offers a unique workout experience, complete with a total-body workout, a live DJ, lighting and special effects — an effort to keep things fresh for participants.

The company's website says its classes are "rewritten and reproduced each and every day, ensuring you never repeat the same class twice."

After the first class, which is free, one-hour classes go for $35. A five-class pack costs $170, a 10-class pack costs $330, and a 20-class pack costs $640.

It might be different, but something is working.

"The early reception has been incredibly well," Uria said Thursday. "It's been awesome. They really are enjoying it."

It's no simple task for a new athletic brand to make a name for itself in a crowded field like New York City, where you can find a gym on just about every other block. Uria's secret? He told Patch he doesn't even believe he's directly competing with anyone, and that Switch Playground offers a different experience than any other workout space.

More than anything, he said, Switch Playground stands out because of its strong emphasis on "personal attention," which could make a difference in a city where the gyms can be as crowded as the sidewalks.

"The main thing that makes us different is that we have up to 10 instructors at a time," which is important ensure proper training technique, he said.

Switch's locations also feature "exclusive" and "very high end" locker rooms, Uria said — including six showers per locker room at the current location near Union Square.

Interested? Check out the gym's promo video below.

Photo: Public Domain