In a World Run Amok With Hot Workouts, One Concept Bets on Cold

When you have the enviable task of keeping up with the latest and greatest fitness trends, there are a lot of “wait, what?” moments. Everyone’s looking for a way to stand out from the rest of the sweaty crowd: In New York you can take classes that combine high-intensity cycling with karaoke, as well as something called the “X-treme Firefighters Workout.” One high-end concept even allows you to exercise nude.

So it was with no small amount of skepticism that I fielded the pitch for Brrrn. The concept is core and cardio work, but with a goosebump-raising catch: Instead of the normal temperature, or fashionably hot, the studio is kept intentionally cold. Thus the “brrr.”