Since opening its first location in North Loop last March, fitness studio Alchemy has quickly built a cult following. That fervor has led the fledgling business to open a second facility across the river in a renovated historic building in Northeast.
Alchemy’s unique blend of yoga, high-intensity training, and strength training borrows elements of ascetic Hindu discipline as well as CrossFit in a unique combination. (Its founders include a former CorePower Yoga studio manager, and the founders of a Twin Cities CrossFit studio, natch.)
Its popularity also has more than a little to do with an attention to aesthetics. Its members religiously don Alchemy-branded workout apparel. “People who work out here love showing their pride inside and outside” the studio, says Alchemy co-founder Molly Hanten. It’s also one of the few gyms in the Midwest to carry stylish workout wear from Cory Vines (a trendier take on Lululemon, at a much lower price-point), Lorna Jane (Australia’s answer to Lululemon), and Rhone Men’s, which easily go from the gym to the street.
Alchemy is also shaping up to be a retail destination in its own right. In addition to stocking cold-pressed juice by Minneapolis’s own Juice So Good and WholeMe Clusters’s delicious gluten-free snacks, the fitness studio has also launched a series of collaborations with local businesses. They include knits from Wool & Whiskey, fitness journals by Woodchuck USA, sweatshirts from Sota Clothing, a custom scent by Margo Roberts, and a limited-edition gym bag by the Blue Claw Co., which comes with an inner pouch to store sweaty clothing.
The studio has even elevated the showering-at-the-gym experience. After her hair suffered from frequent gym showers with cheap shampoo, Hanten decided to stock their showers with shampoo by high-end haircare brand Number 4. After all, your body should be getting the no-pain-no-gain treatment—not your hair.
Alchemy, 300 Second St. S.E., Minneapolis, 612-444-6287, alchemy365.com
