Boutique Gyms Provide Personalized Fitness in Santa Barbara

Say “boutique” and what usually comes to mind is a hipster hotel or a shop filled with pricey clothes. But in the same small-batch, non-corporate spirit as craft beer, artisanal bread, and handmade gifts, there is also the boutique gym. I checked out a couple of Santa Barbara’s newer boutique gyms to find out what these small facilities have to offer.

RSTR (pronounced “restore”) and Off the Grid both followed surprisingly similar paths to their current incarnations, starting out in tiny, hard-to-find spaces. Jade Wilson launched Off the Grid on her 10′x10′ patio; Fil and Kelsee Curiel started RSTR out of their garage, then moved to a spot hidden away above an optical shop. Even their present locations in downtown Santa Barbara are similar: RSTR is behind Cantwell’s Market; Off the Grid is behind an extravagantly gabled yellow Victorian house with fish-scale shingles.

Each facility is well-stocked with equipment and weights, and both of them offer personal training sessions and small semi-private circuit-training classes. As you would expect, students receive considerable personal attention in the semi-private classes at these gyms. The trainers circulate constantly to correct form, offer encouragement, and suggest modifications. Fil Curiel of RSTR noted that some of their clients also have large-gym memberships but tell him they get lost in the shuffle at the other facilities. At Off the Grid, one of my workout partners told me her wife — also a member — felt a sense of community at Off the Grid that she hadn’t experienced at other gyms.

Each gym is a very personal reflection of the owners. The Curiels are bodybuilders; competition photos of them adorn the walls. Kelsee designed the logo and built many of the fixtures in the studio herself. At Off the Grid, you’re likely to be greeted by Wilson’s friendly German shepherd mix, Draven, and may get to coo over her infant son, Jett.

RSTR combines tech tools with its personal touch. A monitor on the wall displays the names and photos of the exercises to help you remember the day’s circuit, and an electronic timer cues you when to start and stop. By contrast, Off the Grid is more high-touch than high-tech. Wilson writes the day’s circuit on a whiteboard, and you keep track of your own reps. Wilson typically pairs up exercisers by height, so you and your partner can help each other remember what you’re supposed to be doing.

At both these gyms, I was urged to use far more weight than I’ve been accustomed to. At RSTR, after I’d done a couple of warmup sets on the leg press machine at 160 pounds, Fil loaded a pair of 45-pound weights onto the machine. For the last few reps of the final set, he snuck on another pair of 45-pound weights. His rationale: “People have more strength in their legs than they realize. I wouldn’t put the weight on there if I didn’t think you could do it.”

It would be easy to chalk that up to the Curiels’ background as bodybuilders, except that Wilson — a functional strength trainer who’s certified in corrective exercise — takes a similar approach. She enthusiastically loaded up my bar with 95 pounds for the hip thrust and the same amount for the dead lift, and handed me a 15-pound dumbbell for renegade rows. Even so, I felt like a literal lightweight when I saw the size of the plates the longtime members (all of whom were women in the classes I took) were putting on their bars.

One of my favorite things about the boutique gym experience was the one-on-one assessment that Wilson conducts for all new members. She asked me about my exercise history and wanted to know more about the foot surgery I had a few years ago. She observed that one of my shoulders is lower than the other (scoliosis) and one of my feet pronates. She had me take off my shoes and socks and asked me to stand, walk back and forth across the room, and demonstrate a deadlift, then corrected my form. She endorsed my choice to use a wide stance when I do squats. I asked her why I tend to feel abdominal work in my hip flexors. “Let’s fix that right now,” Wilson said, and showed me how to make sure I’m contracting the abs and keeping my back on the ground. That session was far more rewarding than any doctor’s visit I’ve had.

A common feature of these two gyms is their emphasis on post-workout recovery. They both offer percussion massagers and the Normatec compression therapy system that filters out lactic acid. The Curiels have partnered with physical therapist Heidi Whitney, who has a treatment room in the studio where she can treat RSTR members and coordinate their exercise programs.

Off the Grid also features two saunas. At the other end of the temperature spectrum, Wilson coached me through my first-ever cold plunge (47 degrees). She played Elle King’s “Ex’s & Oh’s” for me while reminding me to breathe and to wiggle my fingers and toes, and keeping time (three minutes, 20 seconds). I tried the cold plunge after my workout one day and found that it prevented muscle soreness, as advertised. On another day, I tried the cold plunge beforehand, which is supposed to boost your metabolic rate. I don’t know if that really happened, but I ate a big dinner afterward in case it was true.

RSTR Fitness (11 W. Arrellaga St.) offers Full Body, Upper Body, and Lower Body classes; register with mobile app. Towel service; cubbies for storing personal items. Combined bathroom/changing room with a single shower. Lot and street parking. Physical therapy available on-site (not included in membership). See rstrfitness.com.

Off the Grid Fitness (815 De la Vina St.), key club capped at 250 members, who receive individual door codes. Initial consultation and pre-registration required, with mobile app. Towel service; cubbies for storing personal items. There is a bathroom but no shower; cold plunge room doubles as a changing room. Lot and street parking. Cold plunge uses an ozone sanitation system (no chlorine or chemicals) and is constantly filtered. See otgfitnesssb.com.