Boutique fitness studios have been popping up all over the place in the past few years: Barre, yoga, spinning, TRX, pilates, CrossFit… you name it, there’s a studio or gym for it. And while I do really like barre (I’m working on a post now about what to expect at your first barre class), it can get pretty expensive if you want to do more than one type of workout.

But it turns out, there’s an app for that.

Fitmob is one of a few new services that allows you to go to classes at lots of different studios and gyms for one price. And unlike some of the other services I’ve looked into, you can go to one particular studio or gym as much as you’d like — so, if you want to go to pilates several times a week, then throw in a boot camp on the beach on Saturday morning, you’re covered.

Fitmob is relatively new to San Diego and there aren’t a ton of gyms/studios in North County, where I live, but there were certainly enough to make it worth their offer of $1 for the first month! And even though I was in and out of town several times during the month, I managed to squeeze in several workouts.

Beach Bootcamp (San Diego Premier Training)
My first fitmob workout was a bootcamp on the beach… and they weren’t kidding when they said that sand makes everything harder. One of the other participants was wearing a shirt that said, “Burpees don’t like you either,” and it was perfect, because burpees on the beach are even worse than regular Burpees! Also challenging: Running up and down a hill of soft sand, step-ups on a planter, and using a rubberband wrapped around a bike wrap for arm exercises. But hard is kind of the point, right? It was a great way to start the weekend.

If you go: You don’t need shoes, but you should bring a towel.

Dance Mixx (Jazzercise San Marcos)
I had been wanting to try Jazzercise since reading that the first-ever Jazzercise is in Carlsbad (and the founder still lives here). I wasn’t totally sure what to expect, since my mom did Jazzercise in the 80s but my BFF Melissa went to Jazzercise all the time a few years ago. This was the closest studio covered by fitmob, so I drove out to San Marcos one Saturday morning, and was immediately welcomed and introduced. Seriously, the ladies at this studio are awesome, and they did everything possible to make sure I had a good experience. Besides the great people, the workout itself was very fun — similar to other high-impact aerobics classes, with lots of dance-type steps and current music (sadly, no “It’s Raining Men” or “Let’s Get Physical”!), but a little less intense than Zumba. And yes, many of the other women in the class were older than me, but there were also several who appeared to be in my age range or younger, and I didn’t feel weird or out of place. I would definitely go back.

If you go: There aren’t any mirrors, but the instructor stands on a platform so you should be able to see her. Still, I’d recommend standing near the front and/or center. Tell the instructor ahead of time if you have any injuries, so she can give you any modifications you might need.

FIIT Happy Hour (San Diego Premier Training)
The idea of this “happy hour” is that instead of heading straight to the bar after work on Monday, you can hit the gym for group interval training and get the week off on the right foot. This was the same gym that did the beach bootcamp, though it was a different trainer. I really enjoyed this one — so much so that I went two weeks in a row, and I probably would have gone to more, if I had been around.

If you go: Bring a bottle of water, and give yourself some extra time to get there. I passed the driveway the first time, and it took me almost 10 minutes to turn around and get to the gym!

Reformer Pilates (Club Pilates Carlsbad)
Though I think pilates is incorporated into barre classes, I had never done a straight pilates class, and certainly never used the reformer machine, which looks like some kind of torture device. Luckily, the instructor at this studio was very friendly and helpful, explaining exactly what we were supposed to be doing and checking everyone’s form to make sure we were performing the motions correctly. It was kind of weird and very different than any other workout I’ve tried, but I enjoyed it and definitely got a good workout (and I think doing it regularly would get you in killer shape). This kind of class is generally pretty expensive, so I probably wouldn’t go if I didn’t have some kind of fitmob pass, but I am definitely open to trying more classes.

If you go: Make sure you wear your hair in a style that won’t make it uncomfortable to lay your head down on a cushion. You don’t need socks or shoes, but you should be prepared to be sore the next day!

Anti-gravity decompression yoga (Baja Body)
I had been wanting to try a class at this gym — which has a studio with a sand floor — since I heard about it, so I was really excited to see that it was one of the gyms on the fitmob list. Unfortunately, though, the times of most of their classes didn’t fit into my schedule terribly well, and one of the classes I signed up for ended up being canceled at the last minute (it was on Easter morning), so this is the only one I was able to go to.

The class involves a lot of hanging upside down on those fabric things, which is kind of cool but also very painful, depending on how sensitive you are and where the fabric is putting pressure on your body. I was lucky in that all of the people in my class were new, and the instructor was very good about explaining how to do everything. But I am a pretty fast learner and there was one girl who was a very, very slow learner and didn’t seem to be listening, which was frustrating. In the end, I had to remove myself from some of the poses because the pressure from the fabric on my hips and lower back was too painful. But, I was never really scared that I was going to faceplant into the sand, and hanging upside down does seem pretty good for your back. It’s definitely the kind of class I’d recommend trying at least once, if you can, but it’s not for everyone.

If you go: You don’t need shoes or socks, but keep in mind when you’re getting dressed that you’ll be hanging upside down for a significant portion of the class (so, something like an oversized shirt may not be the best option). Also, be sure to tell the instructor if you are new, so he or she can explain exactly how to get into each of the poses.

Interested? Fitmob started in the San Francisco Bay area and now also offers passes in Portland, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, San Diego, Orange County and Philadelphia. If you live in one of those areas and want to check it out, click here to try your first month for $1!

**Note: This post was NOT sponsored. I signed up for fitmob using an offer I received in my email, and after I had done several workouts, I asked for a link to allow my readers to get the same offer.**