With LED lighting; eye-catching widescreen graphics; hip-hop, pop and electronic dance music bumping from the sound system; and big-screen TVs showing music videos, CycleBar can feel more like a nightclub than a gym. But this freshly minted, sleekly designed fitness hub in Scottsdale – one of 100 locations opening across the country this year – is all about motivation and self-discipline, not self-indulgence. Add in some aromatherapy, complimentary water and snacks, the required cycling shoes and a team of engaging instructors, and you’ve got a fun fitness party.

Pretty soon, it will be a fitness party network – five more CycleBar locations are planned for Phoenix. “More and more, we’re seeing people shun big gyms in favor of smaller, boutique-fitness opportunities – so much so that they are the single fastest-growing segment of the fitness industry,” CycleBar managing partner Jon Krumdieck says. “This is a vibrant, active area with such a strong lifestyle component that it seemed a no-brainer to open a CycleBar here on Scottsdale soil.” 

And just as casually as dancing with someone in a club, there’s no pressure to commit to a contract. “CycleBar differs considerably from big-box gyms, and one of the ways it does so is by offering a pay-per-class model,” Krumdieck says. “So there’s no need for monthly or annual membership contracts.” 

Classes include DJ Rides, Mashup Monday, Throwback Thursday, MOJO Rides, a Concert Series and more. Guest can track their fitness progress with CycleStats. One hundred classes can be purchased for $1,700. Smaller packages – as well as a free trial class – are also available. 

And if a flashy, high-energy atmosphere isn’t your thing, or you just want a change of taste and pace, Cycle Bar also offers CycleTheatre, meant to combine “the rigor of indoor cycling with the discipline of yoga,” according to its website.