London’s average work out is a furious, sweat-inducing ‘drive-thru’ experience where the tangibles of the world dissipate beyond your flushed reflection. Destinations designed to improve our health, ironically – too many of London’s leading fitness and wellbeing establishments are far from welcoming places; especially for those who aren’t regular members of capital’s fierce fitness scene.
Redefining the modern-day fitness studio is The Fore. With a broader approach that caters to the daily life of modern Londoners, tucked behind Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross, here is a multi-functional place that combines a fitness studio, co-working space and café with access to a wellness treatment spa room. Tied tightly together by its loyal community of clients and trainers, founder Hannah Lanel champions an ethos that goes beyond fitness and is passionate in the smallest of details to ensure The Fore lives and breathes health and wellbeing with a truly holistic approach. Two standout details include environmentally responsible walls, sinks and taps that have been crafted with nontoxic Shikkui Japanese plaster that improves air quality and the handcrafted flooring that is woven with lava stone tiles sourced from Mount Etna in Sicily.
Unorthodox in everything they do, upstairs, The Fore’s two fitness spaces pioneer alternative equipment. Brightly lit work-out spaces saturated with natural light orbit TRX, rip trainers and skillmills to offer a refreshing fitness experience that is friendly, helpful and fun. A yoga class for those who don’t like yoga is ‘NOGA’ coined by founder Hannah who is a self-proclaimed anti-yogi, meanwhile, another of the studio’s signature and most popular classes is ‘Fortitude’: the studio’s interpretation of a HIIT workout. Combining the TRX and skillmill, ‘Skill RX’ is another interval programme on offer alongside ‘Forebody’ – a pure TRX class that harnesses bodyweight to develop balance, posture and core strength. These classes are offered alongside personal training sessions in the smaller of the two fitness spaces, catering to a handful of people at one time.
Fitness at The Fore is balanced with mindfulness and emotional tranquillity with treatments led by their resident therapist, Michelle Roques-O’Neil. Blending aromatherapies with spirituality to evoke the senses, Michelle offers a combination of two treatments that she tailors to the individual. ‘InTune Aromabalance’ fuses a bespoke blend of essential oils with her world-class aromatherapy techniques to restore balance in the body, mind and soul. This is offered alongside ‘Inner Light Energy Healing’ where she expertly blends Reiki, Chi energy balance and SRT, with an energy clearing technique that releases hidden blockages from the inherited patterns and belief systems that hold us back in our daily life. Michelle’s talent for aromatherapy can also be enjoyed in each of the changing rooms, where she has created a bespoke collection of products for clients to use – from body lotion to soap, shampoo and conditioner.
The core of this wellbeing destination has been designed to be a friendly and social space and is the catalyst of its community. The 2,900 square feet on the ground floor is a light and airy co-working space with café that is set amongst a homey design scheme that offers respite from busy city life. Deep sofas, comfortable working spaces and verdant indoor plants sit alongside bursts of colour from eye-catching neon light signage, encouraging those who visit a lifestyle space that supports everyday wellbeing and a warm sense of community.
Working with some of the most talented and exciting suppliers, craftsmen and designers from across the UK and Europe to create a unique and comprehensive fitness and wellness destination, The Fore features a combination of materials from metal, glass, fabrics and rich woods. This dynamic blend of hard and soft reflects the divide between the frantic London urban environment and the relaxing and welcoming atmosphere The Fore has created.
Next time you stumble off that treadmill having completed an uphill sprint like a rabbit caught in the headlights, instead consider The Fore. Setting itself apart from the intimidating London fitness scene to offer a place which looks after each person who steps through their doors. Fitness at The Fore is just one of the key elements which create a universal wellbeing destination that caters to modern city life, attracting digital nomads and corporate highflyers alike.
Factbox
Address: 14-18 Handyside Street, London, N1C 4DN
Phone: 02037461071
Website: www.the-fore.co.uk
