At Tone House, clients are considered athletes, with sports conditioning that will really put you to the test physically and mentally.
To that end, the NoMad studio is launching new programs geared toward recovery that are more typically found in Division I or professional sports locker rooms.
“One thing I had noticed clients do is they will take a class and they’d just leave,” said Tone House founder Alonzo Wilson. “They’re not recovering the way that an athlete should recover.”
Wilson built his studio around the athlete experience, with elite training often touted as the toughest in NYC. Introducing techniques for recovery is the latest piece of the puzzle.
“If there’s something to do about recovery, I’m going to find out about it,” Wilson said. “We try to think of everything an athlete would do — my goal is to make sure they get an opportunity to have it as well.”
Here’s what’s on tap.
RECOVERY CLASS
Two words: foam rollers. Before or after pushing sleds, doing tug of war or running sprints during Tone House’s workout, you can take a class designed to increase flexibility and prevent muscle soreness through foam rollers and recovery movements. Slated to start next week, Tone House will offer 30-minute foam rolling classes several times a day ($15/each) for groups of about 10 to take before a sweat session, for those who are already tight and want to loosen up their muscles, or after. “You’re essentially really, really pushing through muscle — making sure you’re not tight and more flexible, which can help prevent injury,” Wilson said.
NORMATEC BOOTS
NormaTec boots are relatively new to the sports medicine field. Resembling ski pants, the system is designed to speed up recovery after training by applying pressure up and down your legs — improving circulation, reducing lactic acid buildup and preventing soreness. Tone House has several pairs on hand for 30-minute sessions ($20/ each), set to start next week. Unlike the intense pressure of foam rollers, this can be more relaxing. “A lot of clients fall asleep when they put them on,” Wilson said.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Tone House is partnering with Bespoke to offer on-site physical therapy sessions to address any injury concerns of clients, starting Feb. 4. “If they need to see a physical therapist, we’ll have one that is easily accessible to them,” Wilson said. “This is the whole recovery aspect of what athletes do behind the scenes — they’re rolling out, and seeing the physical therapist.”
COLD TUB THERAPY
Wilson himself played college football, so he has stepped foot in his fair share of cold tubs to help reduce lactic acid buildup and speed up recovery after a workout. Tone House’s original location near Union Square was too small to have any on-site, but when it relocated to NoMad last year it built cold tubs, set to a frosty 25 degrees Fahrenheit, in both the men’s and women’s locker rooms. “Every athletic facility, from college to the pros, have them,” Wilson said. “We have clients that use it every time they take a class.”
Recovery classes
Beyond Tone House, here are other places to find recovery treatments and classes in NYC.
Modrn Sanctuary: Among its alternative treatments like hypnotherapy and acupuncture, this new wellness center in NoMad offers cupping, that suction therapy made famous by Michael Phelps’s purple dots at the Olympics, which is used to reduce muscle soreness. 12 W. 27th St., 9th floor, modrnsanctuary.com
New York Health & Racquet Club: The club’s Bodywork series features techniques meant to reduce muscle tension and lead to body restoration, from hand and foot treatments to the use of foam rollers and small balls. Multiple locations, nyhrc.com
Studio Maya: The Brooklyn studio offers several recovery classes, from stretching with cables and balls to slow flow and restorative yoga. 603 Bergen St., Prospect Heights, 917-837-3705, studiomaya.com
