When it comes to exercise and workout spots in Cairo, the city has a lot to offer in different areas and for diverse budgets. WOW is a low-key yet warm and cosy workout studio in Zamalek that has relied on word of mouth from satisfied clients to gain popularity. WOW stands for workout women, but it's not as cheesy as the name sounds at all; instead it offers a comfortable and tranquil exercise environment. The studio is located on the second floor of a side-street building off 26th of July Street. The space itself has a changing room, a small but clean bathroom, a big workout room as well as a separate room that acts as a nursery for mothers bringing their children along. WOW caters to women only and offers a variety of classes for toning and shaping the body such as stretching, sculpting, pilates and yoga, in addition to belly dancing and Latin dance. The class hours start as early as 8 am for the early birds among you and evening classes can end as late as 10 pm. The trainers include young Egyptian and foreign instructors for classes like yoga and pilates. The studio has a very flexible class system: you can either attend their regular classes every day or make use of their individual or group private classes whenever you want to. Furthermore, WOW keeps you constantly up-to-date with any changes in class schedules via SMS and email; pretty impressive for such a small studio. The great thing about WOW is that all the trainers give you complete liberty to work out as comfortably as you feel — training shoes or barefoot, it all depends on the class and the trainer. You can pay for one class or for a week, a month or six months worth, which would work for those who are prone to getting lazy and skipping a whole period of their membership. A one-hour class at WOW costs LE 45, while a 90-minute class costs LE 60. A month's membership starts at LE 300 all the way up to LE 2,500 for a year's. WOW members will receive a 10 percent discount if they bring along a friend that subscribes to any of their membership offers. If you're a regular, you can also get your hands on some of their invitation cards for a friend to try out their classes free of charge. Best bit Offering a cosy and relaxed workout environment, WOW is also very flexible; you can pay per class instead of having to sign up for a full month's membership, as is the case in other centers. Worst bit The studio is located on a very narrow street, so parking is very difficult. If the music is not loud enough, the noise of traffic outside can be annoying. 360 Tip You can take your own music with you to class and play it on their stereo; most of the class instructors are open to that. WOW: 2 Al-Assal Street, off 26th July Street, Above Al Reda Exchange, Across from MM Shop, Zamalek, Cairo. Telephone: 0227352188, 0174598719 Open: 8 am-10 pm This article was contributed to Daily News Egypt by Cairo360 www.cairo360.com.
