Beauty

The 5 best high-end gyms in Copenhagen

By Vogue Scandinavia

Photo: Barry's

Looking for your next favourite workout in the Danish capital? Consider this your ultimate guide to Copenhagen’s most stylish places to sweat, featuring five of our favourite high-end gyms in the city

Copenhagen is celebrated for its great fashion and cutting-edge design, but the renowned Scandinavian style extends far beyond trendy cafes and shops. Scattered across the city, you’ll find an impressive selection of luxurious wellness spots featuring the latest workouts, top trainers, and state-of-the-art equipment in sleek settings. Ahead, Vogue Scandinavia has rounded up five of the best high-end gyms for breaking a sweat in the Danish capital.

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Photo: Vera Beckmann

Studio 41 Pilates

Studio 41 Pilates might be located on a busy street in Vesterbro but within you’ll discover a calming boutique space. As Copenhagen’s latest purely classical Pilates studio, classes are taught as originally designed by Joseph Pilates with emphasis on correct form and technique. Group sizes are kept small, giving the studio an intimate and luxurious feel to it.

In here you’ll not only find beautiful state-of-the-art Reformers but also all the other peculiar-looking Pilates equipment such as the Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel and Spine Corrector. Although they might seem slightly intimidating at first glimpse, rest assured this is where the true Pilates magic happens. As a neighbour of the well-known Coco Hotel, its guests enjoy a generous discount on classes to sort out their posture and relish the thoughtful design of the studio from the moment they walk in. The aesthetically pleasing showers are stocked with Aesop products, towel service and the Dyson Supersonic cult hairdryer making it easy to travel light.

Vesterbrogade 41E, 1620 Copenhagen

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Photo: Dorotka Zat’ková

Rive Gauche

In the heart of Copenhagen lies a new concept that brings a breath of fresh air into the Danish wellness scene. Rive Gauche, referring to an active and artistic area in Paris, draws an international crowd to its gender-neutral, New York-esque space. Here music and movement are bound together for an introspective, multi-sensory and sweaty yoga practice. Classes are held in a dark space surrounded by deep blue light, which not only soothes the mind but allows for a deeper connection within while introducing a new challenge level to the balancing poses.

The result is a one-of-a-kind, zone-out experience making immersive yoga the next big thing, in our opinion. You might want to reserve some extra time to browse through the carefully curated retail area and enjoy a post-class tea and fresh fruit in the cosy lounge before heading out again into the real world.

Ahlefeldtsgade 16, kld. Th. 1359 Copenhagen

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Photo: Barry's

Barry's

If you’ve never been to Barry’s, have you even lived? The legendary boutique fitness studio, deservedly known as the “Best Workout in the World” takes exercising into a whole new heart-pumping, sweat soaking level. A hybrid of cardio intervals on the treadmill and strength training on the floor using dumbbells and other various equipment will push you to and beyond your limits. The latest trending playlists in the famous “Red Room”, which could be mistaken for a nightclub, set the mood for this high energy and highly addictive endorphin rush.

Recoup in the full-service spa-like locker rooms equipped with rain head showers and Malin + Goetz products. They’ve also got you covered with all of the complimentary necessities one could possibly need to feel reborn after what you thought was going to kill you (in the best possible way, of course). Grab that pre-ordered smoothie named Green Latifah and head out into the streets of Copenhagen. The hype around Barry’s is real and it is no mystery why fitness enthusiasts and celebrities in 81 locations around the world, including Stockholm and Oslo, swear by this efficient, effective, and fun training method. Perhaps the next night out could be swapped for a workout instead.

Christian IX's Gade 3, 1111 Copenhagen

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Photo: Taia Jørgensen

Butcher's Lab

Butcher’s Lab is the only appropriate name for Copenhagen’s first and coolest CrossFit centre located in the Meatpacking District. Renovated in an old butchery hall, the unique space has kept its original surroundings with white tiles and other little details making this box (CrossFit lingo for the training facility) a very special one within the worldwide CrossFit nation. The distinctive gym is known for its burpee loving, barbell lifting and strong community, as well as the warm atmosphere which welcomes everyone from beginner to elite athlete, as well as the international visitor to join.

Another distinctive feature is the lounge area where buzzing conversations about the upcoming CrossFit Games can be heard while enjoying a cup of coffee. Since it was founded in 2007, the Butcher’s Lab has increasingly grown, opening a second location in Vanløse, just outside of the Danish capital. If you have never tried CrossFit before, book yourself into a free intro class or a personal training session with one of their dedicated coaches. Local or not, you’ll soon find yourself connecting with the CrossFit family discussing the Workout Of the Day.

Staldgade 22, 1699 Copenhagen

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Photo: @beatridersstudios

Beatriders

A party where all-time bangers are played, leaving you energised instead of hungover? Sign us up. At the Islands Brygge-located Beatriders, Denmark’s first spinning and fitness studio to offer rhythm-based cycling classes, you’ll experience the best of both worlds: a heart-pumping, intensive workout executed under night club-inspired dim neon lights in the most enjoyable way possible.

Visitors can choose between two classes: ‘Ride,’ a high-energy cardio workout that gets you riding to the rhythm of infectious beats – serious sweat guaranteed. The other option is ‘Lift,’ a strength-focused workout that builds muscle through controlled, weight-based movements, also set to catchy music. Classes can be purchased individually or in bundles, while the studio’s aptly named ‘Ride Hard’ membership offers unlimited classes per month. Trust us, you’ll keep coming back not just for the effective workouts, but also for the empowering community that keeps you motivated every step of the way.

Njalsgade 181, 2300 Copenhagen