A new fitness studio opens to the public on Saturday: ETHĒA has taken the former Y7 space on Leonard and renovated it as a single-studio center for heated sculpt, Pilates and strength classes. (Thanks to K. for the heads up.)

It’s a brand-new brand, founded by Matt Solomont, 28, who, until he quit his day job in January to focus on this project, was working in finance. (He graduated from Vanderbilt in 2021.)

“I played tons of sports growing up, but it was a long learning curve to find a routine that was sustainable,” Matt said when I met him this week — they were putting the finishing touches on the space. “I did a lot of looking towards short-term goals and eventually realized that moving with intention was better than intensity.”

He will offer three types of classes: mat Pilates for body positioning and alignment; a strength class with weights for bone density and joint stability; and sculpt, for stamina — or as he put it, time under tension. He has hired six instructors so far, and the intial plan is to offer six classes a day Monday to Thursday; five on Fridays and three on weekends. The cost is $40 per class, though there are class packs that reduce the cost and a couple intro offerings. There are also privates available.

The studio is heated with infrared lights in a range from 80 to 95. And while there are not typical loccer rooms, there are changing and shower stalls. (Y7 closed during the pandemic, along with four other local studios.)

The studio can fit 33, but he plans to start with smaller classes and in general cap them around 25. One perk: all the equipment is provided, including towels, and when class is over, you leave everything in place for staff to clean up.

Matt said he picked Tribeca because it’s his guess that folks here want to understand *why* a workout benefits them — they want to be educated — and have the time to do that workout properly. “What better place to start a concept like this?” he said.

The name is the plural of ethos, which in the ancient Greek means habits and rituals. Makes sense.

ETHĒA
57 Leonard | Church & West Broadway
info@etheastudios.com