This past Tuesday night, the ground floor of Westfield Century City was the surprising spot for L.A.’s latest fitness revolution launch. Kate Beckinsale, Tyler Cameron, Rachel Zoe, Claire Holt, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Estee Stanley, Jennifer Meyer, and Amanda Kloots all attended MIRROR’s grand opening.
Founder Brynn Putnam is a Harvard grad and former ballerina who also created the Refine Method, named “New York’s Smartest Workout.” Putnam was joined at the launch by co-hosts Erin and Sara Foster to celebrate the opening of the new storefront – complete with modern concrete walls and industrial finishes. The store acts as a gathering place for potential users to see the product and try a demo before ordering a white-glove service at home installation. MIRROR is the first interactive at-home fitness experience of its kind.
“Health and wellness were always part of my life as a dancer,” Putnam told the Courier. After college, it was really a side-hustle but I noticed that people were paying a premium for really good classes, instructors and new equipment.” Putman took this opportunity to open her own gym. After getting married and having a baby, the studio model was no longer working for her and her friends.
“Traveling 30 minutes to the studio, trying to make reservations, working out while pregnant with a room full of people it just wasn’t working.” Putnam also found that using an app on a phone or device was also not ideal and she didn’t have space in her apartment for exercise equipment. “It wasn’t immersive or interactive,” she added. What followed was adding mirrors to her gym, which her customers loved for checking out their form, and the idea was hatched for MIRROR.
MIRROR is literally a sleek, full-length mirror that you hang on your wall for an interactive home fitness experience that allows you to train with experts, work out with friends and monitor your progress as you compete to beat your personal best. You not only see your own form but a miniature version of an instructor guiding you through the class. Mirror is creating a new category of in-home fitness with cutting-edge hardware, responsive software, to provide a uniquely immersive, and personalized workout experience. Users can stream a variety of workouts on-demand, or join a class in real-time, with an instructor who can see your form and offer pointers.
There are 70 new classes per week from cardio, weight training, boxing, bar, and yoga – that are uploaded to an app on your phone that steams through the mirror. The classes are filmed live and put into an on-demand library. For $40 a session, you can upgrade to a personal trainer who will further coach and challenge you. And, even if you are not paying full attention, there is a calorie-burning tracker on the mirror that you can’t ignore during a set of lunges.
While trying to balance your iPhone during a boxing or spin class tutorial is not easy, how is MIRROR different from watching a workout video on television? “That is usually stale prerecorded content but this is personalized to you in real-time,” confirmed Putnam. “We offer full-screen visuals and the technology keeps track of how you are progressing and your heart rate.”
So, it appears that for the first time, the essential components of a great studio workout variety, personalization, and community are brought directly to your home. MIRROR was actually launched in September 2018 in New York and quickly gained a loyal following from Ellen DeGeneres, Alicia Keys, and Reese Witherspoon. And, fitness gear gurus Lululemon recently joined forces with $34 million dollars in funding for a strategic partnership raising the total to $72 million worth of investments to date.
The price is $1,495 plus $30 per month for a subscription that can train up to six household members per day unlimited. This is a bargain when you consider how costly a personal trainer can be or a gym membership that you will never use. Something for the whole family to consider pre-holiday splurging.
