SoulCycle opens the doors to the home of its West Coast headquarters in Culver City.
The latest studio to be opened by juggernaut SoulCycle is in LA’s buzzed-about up-and-coming destination called Platform, an urban complex housed in Culver City’s Hayden Tract neighborhood. Platform is also the home of SoulCycle’s West Coast headquarters.
I visited the indoor cycling studio on a chilly morning in January. Driving along Washington Boulevard, east of the vibrant restaurant strip and historic Culver City Hotel, I approached Platform, whose four acres were still waiting to be filled with eateries, boutiques, and people. By April 2016, operating tenants will include Blue Bottle Coffee, Van Leeuwan Ice Cream, and Aesop, plus Sweetgreens’ HQ. A short trip via the (only) elevator to level two immediately thrust me into the SoulCycle world I’ve come to know and love: bright white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows splashed with the brand’s signature yellow bike-spoke decals, and neon-lit signs beaming positive affirmations. The lobby was buzzing with a mix of first timers and newly minted regulars. We filled up the class, and the session was as intense as any other, with choreographed moves on resistance bikes set to clubby music, except my instructor’s playlist also included Lincoln Park, U2, and Missy Elliot.
If you don’t live in the neighborhood, it will be easy to visit via the Expo Line light rail from Santa Monica to Culver City. The service is expected to start service in late May, and, yes, there’s a stop right by the Platform. With all the good things soon to be unveiled around it, SoulCycle’s latest studio is poised to become the city’s most bustling location soon.
8840 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-322-7685, soul-cycle.com
Marina Chetner is a Los Angeles-based Australian freelance writer.