Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Forest.
Lauren, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started pole fitness in 2010 as a student. I went for a bachelorette party and I really didn’t think I was going to like it. I was very wrong. After the party, I started taking classes and met some people I really enjoyed. I had been really sick for a while before and was pretty weak. The supportive environment and the skills I was building gave me a sense of confidence I hadn’t had in a really long time and I felt like I was part of group. Many of those people I met then are now some of my best friends and have been there through a lot of hard times for me. In 2012, I became an instructor at the studio.
I absolutely loved teaching from the start. I loved watching people grow, realize they were doing things they never thought they could, gain more confidence and make new friends. In 2013, I decided I wanted to start my own studio. I loved my students, but not the studio and felt I could provide a higher level of quality and caring than they were currently experiencing. Pole was still a very new industry then, but I had worked in regular gyms before and knew what I wanted to offer. So, in August of 2013 Sky High Studios became a real fitness studio of its own.
Between then and now I have had the chance to work with a lot of different people and watched my students grow. I am lucky enough to have students here still that came with me when I opened. Our community has grown so much and we have gone from simply a fitness studio to the pole and aerial version of ‘Cheers’. In addition to our classes we are developing performers and competitors, have regular performance events, social nights out, an annual BBQ, an annual charity fundraiser, a book club, and are creating more social opportunities for our students all the time.
I have to admit, it is really hard to chronicle the whole story in so few words. My experience going from someone with almost no self-confidence and no physical strength to the person I am today has been almost fully influenced by pole fitness and the people I have met in my journey. If it weren’t for the confidence they inspired in me and their refusal to let me quit, to their support when I talked about going out on my own, not to mention the personal struggles they helped me through, I wouldn’t be here at all. I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Being able to provide that experience for people who are just like me – men and women, gay, straight, or anything in between, teens or seniors, is an honor and a gift. I was a person who was looking for a place to belong and feel accomplished, and the fact that I am now able to offer a place where other people are finding a home is the best feeling there is. To me Sky High Studios is more than just a fitness studio – it really is a community. I’m sure that is a “par for the course” response that many business owners give, but I really mean that. [Aside: If you want more information about my passion for the studio, I highly suggest speaking with some of the students and seeing what they have to say.]
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
HA! No. Not at all.
First, we had an issue with the building permit. We didn’t have the right permit and after only being open 2 months we were temporarily displaced and had to go through city hall to get a special permit. A process that took 5 months and almost cost me the business right out of the gate. Luckily my students were loyal enough that they were ok coming to classes in a less than ideal space for a few months until we could get it worked out with the city. About a year later the studio also suffered water damage from the horrible winter and we had to struggle against the insurance companies to get the floor replaced and the studio repainted while still trying to run classes at the same time.
In between I lost my other primary income and until recently was working 2 other jobs to support myself while continuing to build the business.
After that, it just became the slow uphill battle of getting the word out and gaining clients and members. The biggest hurdle we face is the stigma that normally surrounds pole fitness. While we also offer aerial classes, the pole aspect can be a deterrent for a lot of people because they aren’t sure what they are getting into (since pole is usually associating with strip clubs) or have had a bad experience somewhere else. In its infancy, the pole industry didn’t always offer a high standard of facility. So many people had bad experiences beforehand. In the last 5 years, as it has become more mainstream, the quality and instruction has increased exponentially.
What we emphasize in our instruction is the fitness aspect, as well as body awareness, flexibility, mobility, and acceptance. This isn’t an activity for everyone, but we want people to experience it as they would a Zumba class, dance class, aerial yoga, or small group personal training session. We work from the ground up (literally), and give people a place that they can feel like they are accomplishing something while having fun and feeling supported and accepted.
However, getting that word out is hard. People either have the idea that they will be taking stripper classes, which while we do have some sexy specific classes it is not the overall objective of all our classes, they are too overweight, too weak, too old, etc…. These are the preconceptions that we struggle to fight at every event we attend and any time we market. In the past year especially, we have overcome a lot and the studio has grown immensely.
The real struggle now is to find more space and more instructors, so we can start to do more things! Which, all things considered, is a good struggle to have.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sky High Studios story. Tell us more about the business.
Our focus is bringing specialty fitness to the average person. The mission statement on our website reads – “It is our mission to not only provide a fabulous workout for teens and adults regardless of ability, gender, or age, but also offer an experience that will help build strength, both physical and mental, challenge you to perform in ways you never thought you could, and get you out of your comfort zone. We believe that fitness is vital to all around well-being and strive to provide a community that will foster personal accomplishment and greater joy of self.”
Most businesses have an empty mission statement, in my opinion. However, I think this one really does describe us. We don’t really care who you are, what you do, what your abilities are, or your self-image. Fitness is important, but for most people running sucks and the gym is boring. We have activities that take the focus off weight and image, and instead on individual accomplishment and skill building. All the rest follows – you get stronger, you lose weight, you feel better. And on top if it you really do have a good time with people that want to see you succeed. Wins all around.
As a company, I think I am most proud of the students and how involved they become. They take not only personal responsibility for their own accomplishments and do their best to get better. But they take a personal interest in each other and how well others in their classes are succeeding. It’s not really a good class unless every single person has had a “win” and all of us make sure it happens every single time. The students build each other up and truly make teaching an amazing experience.
On top of that, everyone becomes involved in studio activities and do things together. We usually have a monthly studio outing, which this year so far has consisted of Circus 1903, Sky Zone, and Sh*tfaced Shakespeare (which if you are over 21 you should totally go to. Amazing and hilarious every single time.) Our students have also started a studio book club, and are volunteering their time to plan our studio BBQ and our annual fundraiser for the Worcester chapter of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to support one of our instructors who does their benefit walk every year.
For me, what sets us apart is really size our studio and what we are able to offer. From simple a facility standpoint, we have higher ceilings and the ability to offer multiple classes at the same time, which can be a struggle for smaller studios. Higher ceilings work great for the aerials and allow for taller poles, which equals more time and space to do more awesome things higher in the air. That, with the combination of pole and aerials in the same place, makes us a convenient place to be. There are aerial studios that have higher ceilings and great facilities as well as pole studios that offer both but don’t have the same height capability that we do.
Another perk is our location is central to a lot of areas in Massachusetts. If people don’t want to drive into Boston or aren’t close to Worcester, we offer a nice spot in the middle.
Other than that, I think that our social community combined with the quality and convenience of what we offer really gives us an edge. There are a lot of great places to go in Massachusetts, I just like ours the best (It would be weird if I didn’t). *We do however have an age limit of 15 years. If you have younger children – I highly recommend Esh Aerial Arts or Simply Circus. Awesome people and great kids programming.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I guess that really depends on your definition of luck. If you are talking about coincidence, I don’t really believe in that. I believe that if you work hard, conduct yourself with integrity, and have passion for what you are doing the Universe and/or God (take your pick – whatever you believe in) will help you out. I don’t really consider that luck. I knew that opening the studio for myself was the right thing to do, and I believed in what I was doing. When I couldn’t get a bank loan, I met someone who had enough faith in me that they personally invested 100% of the funds that I needed to get the studio running.
Not long after I lost my primary income after the studio opened an old boss of mine got a job at a new fitness club and was able to give me a part time job that let me do a lot of work remotely so I could support myself while I was building the studio. When the studio needed help marketing and I needed assistance figuring out what to do, a friend from junior high whom I kept in touch with (thanks social media!) open a business solutions company and was willing to help me (I have them to thank them for my website. RedFishViral.com all the way if plugging my girl is allowed here). There have been a lot of little blessings like that since I opened. But I don’t think either of those things were really luck. I had passion, I worked hard, and I treated people fairly. How the Universe has helped me out when I needed it. Karma – if you believe in that sort of thing. You get out what you put in.
However, I do consider myself extremely lucky to have these people in my life. Without each and every one of them, for better or for worse, I wouldn’t be who I am. Each person challenges me to grow in some way. And I’m lucky enough that they allow me into their lives to do the same for them. That’s the real luck right there. At least in my opinion. Maybe that’s really cheesy. But I’m ok with it.
Pricing:
- Class Packages $135 – $360
- All-Inclusive Memberships $125-$175/mo
Contact Info:
- Address: 289 Elm Street
Unit 114 - Website: www.skyhighstudios.net
- Phone: 5082511302
- Email: lforest@skyhighstudios.net
- Instagram: @skyhighstudios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyhighstudiosinc/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
