REVIEW: Jordin's Paradise (Dupont)

Jordin’s Paradise, 1215 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.

Chesti:
In our past review we mentioned MetaBody Fitness pass: that's how we found Jordin’s.  Although Jordin’s no longer partners with Metabody, it was a great deal while they did and is a cool place with a lot of different offerings.  I took yoga, modern dance, and zumba there.  I stuck around a few times to check out their pole dancing class but didn't have the guts to do it.  (Pole dancing review coming soon!!!). 

First, the place.  Jordin’s couldn't be easier to get to for red/blue/orange liners.  If you are driving, you are screwed.  It’s a one-door shop hidden by Lucky Bar and next to a fro-yo shop (check out Chesti's Gripe of the Week).  The studio shares a space with palm readers who have key billing outside the door, so it’s easy to pass.  There is the world’s smallest and slowest elevator to take you up to the studio. (Note: even if you can find them, don't take the stairs.  Fudge and I did one night after class and ended up in Narnia.)  The studio has a waiting room with two clean bathrooms/changing rooms and one big exercise room.  The room has mirrors and on the left side a bunch of poles for the pole dancing class.  There are a few overhead windows, but nothing much to look at.  I don't like the cubby situation simply because the cubbies are on the right side of the room.  What this means is that in a crowded class you are likely to be next to a pole or next to a cubby (and therefore have to deal with people who come late or for some reason can't keep their water next to them but have to keep stepping over you to get to it in their cubby).  I like the fact that the studio asks everyone to wipe down their shoes before they go in.  I also like that they allow you to store your mat there.

The check in chick is great.  She's nice, knows all of the classes and can have an in depth, honest conversation about them, and knows about the pricing packages and can tell you which ones are best for what you are looking for.  I like the fact that you can buy a package and use a class pass towards any type of class.  Variety is the foundation of America.  Or something like that. 

I won't review the yoga class just because I don't remember much about it except for the fact that it was more meditation than yoga.  Cut me some slack people. This was months ago before we started blogging.  I took several zumba classes here and the modern dance class. 

The modern dance class was not modern dance at all, but more a "study of ballet movement." It was serious shiz people.  And it was taught by a guy who is now on leave because he is a new daddy.  This class was a ghost workout.  I could barely move the next day.  It was very similar to fluidity or a barre workout, but with no barre.  Ballerinas have the bodies they do because of such workouts.  My review for Modern Dance is that if they offer it again, take it, but for the love of god don't expect it to be modern or "dance".  It felt more like an e.e. cummings movement class. 

ZUMBA!  Zumba here started my love of zumba.  I was terrified to shake what my mother forgot to give me, but after the first class I was hooked.  Zumba is on Monday nights at 6:30 and Saturdays at 10.  I've taken both time slots.  Both are packed.  Destiny is the "main" instructor who is usually there.  The girl can move but she is very quiet and is hard to follow your first time.  But the beauty of zumba is its repetition, so even if you have no clue what you are doing the first time, you will figure it out.  Destiny does need to be louder or get a headset though.  The other instructor was Hamutal.  She was great.  Not vocal, but she pointed out where she was going with the moves.  She used more popular radio songs whereas Destiny had more Latino club beats.  I also took one class with George and it was awful.  He's a great dancer, but terrible instructor. No one could keep up or had any clue what was going on. I actually left 3/4 of the way through.

Bottom line: I really enjoyed Jordin’s, and I may go back if they run a good special after I finish reviewing as many places as possible.  I feel it is expensive.  Competition, especially in Dupont, is so high that to not offer more deals is a mistake in my mind.  The drop in is $25 or $30 for one week unlimited. You are insane if you don't buy the unlimited and try to go as many times as possible even if just for half a class to get the feel of it and more importantly to get a good deal.

Fudge:
My specifics:
I attended three classes in June using the MetaBody pass.  All three were Monday evenings.  Two were taught by Destiny and one by Hamutal.

The facility:
The studio is right on Connecticut, but easy to pass if you’re not paying attention.  Because it’s on the second floor, you have to keep an eye out for the sign and then head up the elevator.  True, it is a small and excruciatingly slow elevator, but Chesti is right – avoid the back stairs at all costs.  The exercise room itself is pretty spacious, but the way they have it set up isn’t great.  First, I do like that the cubbies are in the exercise room so I worry slightly less about my stuff going missing.  That said, they pack the classes so full that if you are near the cubbies you are going to get jostled by people trying to get to a cubby (because they came in late or want their water, or whatever).  Also, I think that the restrooms are on the far side of the exercise room, so people often walk through the room to get to the restrooms.  This would be fine if there were extra space, but there is not.  So, if you like to hang out in the back (like me) you’re going to inevitably be in someone’s way at some point.  Also, the far side of the exercise room is where they have the poles for the pole dancing classes.  My first zumba class, they had part curtained off.  In subsequent classes the whole room opened, but you had to maneuver around the poles.  That’s just one more thing to pay attention to when you are trying to following the instructor, watch your feet, and breathe at the same time.  My last class there was so packed that one woman was in the small hallway outside of the bathrooms had had to crane to see the instructor.

The classes:
I really liked both Destiny and Hamutal.  I’d taken a zumba class once before (elsewhere) and wasn’t really sold on it.  Destiny’s was the second zumba class I ever took and she got me hooked.  Her classes are just plain fun.  That said, she really does have a quiet voice and is next to impossible to hear during class.  That’s fine as long as you can see her.  And, the great thing about zumba is that even if you can’t follow along exactly, as long as you are moving, you are getting a workout.  Interestingly enough, zumba was one of the first exercise classes I took as part of my ankle recovery and it’s been great.  I don’t jump and bounce as much as everyone else, but it is so easy to adjust the moves to suit your needs.  Although I love yoga and it has been great in helping with the strength and flexibility in my ankle, there are moves I simply cannot do.  With zumba, all things are possible.  As for Hamutal, she just has an infectious energy.  She was a sub and I liked her so much that I emailed Jordin’s singing her praises.

The bottom line:
I like the space, the location, the instructors, and the (zumba) class.  I just wish it were a tad cheaper.

DEALS!!!
Jordin’s offers has a buy one get one free class for first timers.  Also, groupon has a current offer going, but it still comes out to ~$10 a class, which I think is a decent price (but not a deal) for zumba.