A new podcast is promising to expose the outrageous secrets behind the legendary boutique fitness chain SoulCycle.
The seven-part audio series, titled the Cult of Body & Soul, will track the spectacular rise of the high-octane indoor cycling class that became a sensation in New York City throughout the 2000s.
At its peak, SoulCycle was adored by the wealthy and elite and boasted a celebrity clientele that included Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham, Nicole Kidman, Chelsea Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Vanessa Hudgens, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, and more.
‘It was club culture meets fitness meets guru meets self-help,’ explains narrator and creator Jess Rothschild in the trailer.
Throughout the series, listeners will hear from notable long-term instructors, anonymous studio managers, front desk staff, corporate employees, and devoted clients who made SoulCycle the fastest-growing fitness studio in the country.
As one instructor described it, ‘SoulCycle was the Soho House of fitness. It’s where exclusivity met self-help guru. There was nothing like it.’
Another said, ‘A lot of the instructors partied hard – I mean, partied hard.’
A new podcast will reveal the secrets behind the legendary boutique fitness chain SoulCycle
The seven-part audio series, titled the Cult of Body & Soul, will track the spectacular rise of the high-octane indoor cycling class that became a sensation in New York throughout the 2000s
‘So the young ones would stay out all night doing God knows what – a lot of drugs – and then coming in, popping an Adderall and then, like, getting on the bike spinning a million miles an hour.’
Others discuss the celebrity status that some of SoulCycle’s more famous instructors were able to achieve.
‘I am so adored by this community, I can say whatever the f**k I want, I can do whatever the f**k I want,’ boasted one.
‘We were all hot and wild, and some of us homewreckers,’ she added.
In addition to the wild lives of the instructors, the series will also dive into the scandalous story behind the birth of SoulCycle and how original co-founder Ruth Zukerman was pushed out of the deal.
The first episode of the Cult of Body & Soul drops on Tuesday, May 27.
Back in 2020, four top instructors were accused of bad behaviour, with the allegations ranging from fat-shaming to making offensive comments.
Stars like Alec and Hilaria Baldwin were fans of SoulCycle at its peak
The allegations came to light in a report from Business Insider.
A SoulCycle spokesperson told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement at the time: ‘At SoulCycle, our priority has always been to build a community centered on our core values of diversity, inclusion, acceptance and love.
‘When we receive complaints or allegations related to behavior within our community that does not align to our values, we take those very seriously and both investigate and address them.
‘We are committed to continuing to make improvements and ensuring that we live up to the values that our teams and riders expect of us.’