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[title]The class Barre Bee Fit barre class on the Palomar Hotel’s roof deck (505 N State St, 312-755-9703)
The details The session at Palomar Hotel’s weekly 6:30am Barre Bee Fit rooftop class has barely begun, and I’m already working up a sweat. Just like cofounder Jillian Baumbick-Lorenz says as she coaches the class of about 20 women, “Burning means your body is changing.” Class (which features a combo of yoga, Pilates and cardio) starts off with a quick warm-up of kneeling hip thrusts and jumping jacks before swiftly moving into the first set of many isometric movements—small motions that pack a punch for your abs, arms, thighs and booty. We move through planks and Pilates-style crunches, on to arm work, ballet pliés and relevés, with 60-second blasts of cardio and downward-dog stretches peppered in between. The fast-paced class definitely wakes me up, and it’s fun working out surrounded by the city’s architecture. The best part of the workout? The well-earned shavasana yoga pose that follows some cool-down stretching while basking in the Chicago morning sunshine. By the end of class, my tummy feels tighter—plus, I think I even got a tan.
When to take it Wednesdays (through early September) at 6:30am, $15, free for Palomar guests.