fitness

Houston-Grown Spin Studio Soars with Prime New Heights Location

Houston-Grown Spin Studio Soars with Prime New Heights Location

Rendering courtesy of RYDE

EXACTLY EIGHT YEARS ago, friends and business partners Ashley Gooch and Andrew Pappas were putting the finishing touches on their brand-new cycling studio, RYDE, in the River Oaks Shopping Center on West Gray. Back then, Houston's boutique-fitness scene was just heating up, but the duo was certain they were on to something.

Fast forward to 2023, and the RYDE co-founders are once again finalizing a build-out — but this time, things look a little different. The brand's stunning flagship studio will open in April on West 11th Street in the heart of the Heights. The elevated, freestanding building, designed by Boucher Design Group and constructed by O'Donnell Snider Construction, boasts ample on-site parking underneath, along with dedicated bike racks — a nod to its location just a couple blocks off the Heights Hike and Bike Trail.

Renderings show a grown-up take on industrial-chic interiors, with walls of glass, cement floors and exposed support beams, and an eye-catching graffiti-style mural. The RYDE team commissioned Los Angeles-based artist Amber Goldhammer — represented by Houston's own Christopher Martin Gallery — to create a vibrant, layered, wall-size painting that can be seen from 11th Street.

RYDE Heights will offer the brand's signature 45-minute, rhythm-based spin classes in a new studio space outfitted with a custom, immersive sound and lighting system, and nearly 50 high-end Stages SC2 indoor cycling bikes. Clients can expect amenity-laden locker rooms with top-of-the-line products a la Aesop hair, body and skincare goods, and coveted Dyson blow-dryers.

Plans for the Heights studio have been in the works for more than three years — a long chapter filled with "hard work, passion and meticulous attention to detail," says Pappas in a statement. “The RYDE team is dedicated to pushing the limits of what a fitness experience can be. Our new Heights studio is a testament to that commitment, offering an unparalleled, high-energy indoor cycling experience in a stunning, expertly designed space. We are excited to welcome the Heights community to our new home and elevate their fitness journey.”

Gooch and Pappas

RYDE instructors CJ Martin, Caroline Wagner and Chris Younger

A rendering of RYDE Heights

A rendering of the locker rooms at RYDE Heights

RYDE River Oaks

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
promoted

Meet Brian Boyter, New High-End Residential Broker with an Unique Background

Meet Brian Boyter, New High-End Residential Broker with an Unique Background

BRIAN BOYTER IS a Houston native with an interesting background in real estate. After an impressive 16-year tenure managing commercial transactions in a Fortune 500 Real Estate Investment Trust, he recently made the shift to high-end residential brokerage. The experience left him uniquely suited to thrive in the sometimes-emotional world of buying or selling a home.

Keep Reading Show less
promoted

Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less
promoted

Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less