Barre Social Club, which opened in Churchtown, south Dublin, this week, is owned by Chloe and Justin Middleton.
Barre, which combines elements of ballet, pilates and yoga, using a ballet barre structure for support, has seen a surge in popularity in the last few years.
Ms Middleton, who is originally from Cape Town, South Africa, has lived with her husband in Dublin since 2019, and discovered her beloved barre classes were not available here.
”When I was living in Cape Town, I used to do barre every single day and there were beautiful studios all around Cape Town,” she said.
“It was just a thing that was so part and parcel of my life.
“When I moved to Dublin in 2019, I went onto the Mindbody app and searched for a barre class. There was like one class offered at a studio in town.
“I couldn’t believe it was something that was so unheard of,” she said.
After noticing a gap in the market, Ms Middleton and her husband decided to go full steam ahead on the barre-only studio.
Chloe and Justin outside their new business in Churchtown
“ This year I just said to my husband, ‘listen, I think we should start this’,” she said.
“You don’t need to be at a certain fitness level. You’ll get stronger and be able to do more things.
“It gives a little bit of a different vibe to a pilates or yoga class. It’s more fun because there’s cool, upbeat music playing.
“You’re standing in your space holding the bar and taking those small movements from pilates and ballet to create this amazing form of exercise.
“ I really want to bring it to Ireland and make it more of a thing, so people can see it’s not just yoga, it’s not just pilates.”
Ms Middleton also believes the perception of barre and reformer pilates being solely for women is shifting.
“It really is a holistic practice that is inclusive of so many people. It’s not just for women either,” she said.
“There are rugby players now even doing reformer pilates. I do think there is a change where men see the benefits. It’s not just about picking up super heavy weights or running.”
Ms Middleton says barre is a beginner friendly fitness class with no prior ballet experience needed.
“We’ve gotten messages that are like ‘oh my gosh, like do I have to do ballet before in my previous life?’ And no, not at all,” she said.
Ms Middleton has said finding staff for her niche fitness industry has been difficult because of a lack of instructors in Dublin.
However, she hopes to provide barre training down the line.
”Getting a bar instructor is difficult at this point in Dublin. Just finding them, reaching out to them, going to their classes,” she said.
“But I do feel there is so much space for growth and to really introduce something new to the market.”