Sculpt Fitness Studio, Philly Megaformer Pioneer

Sculpt Fitness Studio is the trailblazer of the Philly megaformer world. They are credited as being the first to bring the crazy contraption we all now take for granted to the city of brotherly love. Kudo’s Sculpt!

But how will they fare now that we have Solidcore and SLT is on the way? Experts say competition is healthy and drives innovation, just look at Biggie and Tupac. Their infamous rivalry in the 90’s catapulted sales and news articles while also staving off complacency.  Hopefully the megaformer market challengers will encourage Sculpt to be creative and original. 

My sculpt session led by Samantha Sessions, had continuous dialogue, guidance and demonstrations. Due to it’s it’s chill instructive vibe Sculpt felt more yoga-like than the sexy SoulCycle vibe at Solidcore. Sculpt has low music with bright natural light and lots of verbal instructive encouragement while Solidcore has dim lighting, bumpin’ music and cheerleader type coaching. The club-like feel of Solidcore is not for everyone so Sculpt offers a nice departure from the trend of workouts being more werk than work. 

The variety of moves themselves are similar although I was much sweatier and more sore after my Solidcore class. I’m not sure if that is due to my own input or the machines themselves which are a little different. Solidcore has a proprietary megaformer they refer to as Svetlana and claim is more challenging. I personally prefer the machines at Solidcore, they felt smoother and less clunky. 

The pricing at Sculpt is a little easier on the abs with a 5 class package going for $135.00, $27.00 a pop. The counterpart package at Solidcore lists for $150.00, $30.00 per class. Other than lockers, Sculpt does not offer any amenities, no towel service and water is extra.

Like Nike and Adidas, Lulu and Athleta, Whole Foods and Trader Joes, even Biggie and Tupac, there’s definitely room for Sculpt in this recent influx of megaformer stuido tug-of-war.