Casey Fullum 
Bergen County has no shortage of Pilates studios, but heated options are harder to come by. The Hot Room by CoreHouse at 688 Westwood Avenue in River Vale opened this summer and offers just that. Founded by two local sisters, Jennifer Vallejo and Victoria Ryan, The Hot Room is one of the newest studios on the scene, offering various hot sculpt classes for all different levels. Casey from Team BG stopped in for a class and sat down with Jennifer and Victoria to chat about the new space and the inspiration behind it. Read on for a closer look at The Hot Room, the new heated fitness concept making waves in River Vale.
The Founders
With self-proclaimed “ants in their pants”, Jennifer and Victoria have been moving their whole lives. Inspired by their dad, who was always into fitness, they started doing Lagree classes together in college. After recovering from an injury, low-impact movement became even more important, and they both became certified in XFormer training.
As they were teaching at other studios and taking classes themselves, they felt like the classes they loved to take were missing from our area. Jennifer is a buyer in the beauty industry, and Victoria is an account executive in healthcare, and they are taking their backgrounds in these fields and building a brand and community space.
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The Studio
They had been looking for a space to open for almost 10 months, touring lots of different venues when one day, on her way home from daycare drop-off, Victoria saw a “for rent” sign being put up outside where the studio is now. She learned the space was already under contract but had a gut feeling and kept persistently in touch with the realtor. The other tenant ended up falling through, and they were able to take over.
While they love that it’s a convenient location right in downtown River Vale, they also felt one of the most important things was having plenty of parking, so that there is no stress arriving to class. With tall ceilings and huge front windows, the lobby feels extra welcoming and airy, with a small retail space.
The studio itself is all about fitness with a huge wall of mirrors and a fun neon sign proclaiming, “Sculpt. Sweat. Shake.” No detail goes unnoticed, with designated baskets and cubbies for props as well as anything you could possibly need for a refresh post-workout in the bathroom. They are also hosting tons of various pop-ups with other businesses, including a matcha station, a DIY bedazzle bar, as well as a charm bracelet event.
The Classes
There are four different types of classes offered: Slow Burn, Pilates Burn, Strength & Burn, and Power Burn, giving you the option of whatever level of workout you’re looking for. All classes are 45 minutes long, which is just long enough to get a really good workout in, but not too long that it derails your whole day.
Conveniently, mats, weights, etc. are all provided, so no need to lug anything with you. Since the studio uses infrared heat, your body is gently warmed directly rather than warming the air around you. This helps with deeper movement and circulation, providing all the benefits of heat without an uncomfortable experience. After taking a class, Casey from Team BG can confirm – it was a challenge and really makes you sweat! However, the instructor provided tons of modifications throughout class, making it easy for anyone from a first-timer to a seasoned pro to have a great workout.
At CoreHouse, the mantra is “Movement is Medicine” and according to Jennifer and Victoria, “as long as you’re moving, that’s all that matters”. They are “building a home for movement,” and with future plans to bring more Pilates modalities to the brand, we can expect to see more from this newest studio.
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