Solana Beach Spotlight: Row House, with Owner Orly Rieselman
Sisters Sharone McGovern and Orly Rieselman co-own Solana Beach’s newest fitness boutique studio: Row House.
Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Solana Beach local business owner, Orly Rieselman. Orly and her sister, Sharone McGovern, own one of Solana Beach’s newest fitness boutique studios, Row House. Located conveniently off of the 101, Row House offers unique workout classes that cultivate a team-like atmosphere, incorporating intervals of rowing sprints, core stability, and strength training. Utilizing aquatic themes like their signature “wave wall” and rowing terminology, Row House stays true to the sport of rowing – a fitting concept for a studio located a stone throw’s away from the beach.
Sipping on a freshly brewed cuppa from Barefoot Coffee Roasters, we started our conversation with how she first became involved with the franchise:
“My background is actually in marketing, both traditional and digital. My sister and I knew we wanted to do business with each other, it was a matter of finding what was exactly the right fit. We have always been active, so it was natural for us to be drawn to a fitness venture. Ultimately, we wanted something that gives a full body workout, something that was a bit different, but also something that could be friendly to the whole family – kids, too.”
Rather than following a specific fitness program or creating an entirely new exercise regimen, Row House takes the familiar concept of rowing and brings the traditional cardio machine back to its roots. “People looking to improve their bodies can get intimidated by, unknown to them, big weights, squat racks, and unfamiliar machines. Most people have seen an erg before, but everyone is familiar with aquatic themes. Staying true to the sport of rowing, our team really pushes the idea that everyone is in here together, and everyone belongs.”
Aquatic themes can be found in all of Row House’s digital and physical branding - staying true to the sport of rowing.
Row House offers several different categories of classes. Body, Full Row, House, Restore - each class has a different goal and involves a different tempo. Row House makes it very easy to plan your classes - by clicking the this link, you have the ability to see each class’s description, you can filter by category, and see which coach is teaching. Want to know more about each class? Check this link. New comers are encouraged to check in 15 minutes before their first classes to be familiarized with the Row House system, check in on their rowing form, and to go inform the staff of any existing injuries or reasons for exercise modifications.
Classes typically have a 45 minute run time and consist of rowing intervals plus core and body weight exercises, with mobility/stretching routines as a cool down. Each class is a bit different, and each coach puts their own spin on them - all of this info can be found in the link above. The average class size hovers around 12-16 members, but the morning and evening class are typically busier due to the working population. They offer their variety of classes 7 days per week.
Row House does require their coaches to know their stuff. Coaches must have a nationally accredited fitness certification such as a NASM-CPT, CrossFit Level 1, or a Bachelors of Science degree in an associated field such as Kinesiology. Once hired on, new coaches must attend a 3 day Row House U training course before conducting their onsite training.
“We’ve partnered with some local physical therapists, chiropractors, and other medical providers to really show off what we have to offer. Our classes provide a low-impact, mobility and core supplemental, and weight-bearing workout - all set at your own pace. Our coaches are trained to modify any part of their routines if a client has difficulty holding a plank position or performing a side lunge.”
Core exercises like side-planks, birddogs, and crunches, are sprinkled throughout rowing intervals to switch up class tempo.
Row House is a one of the newest boutique studios to call Solana Beach home (7 months strong!), but their presence is already being well received and well loved since before their doors even opened. “Solana Beach is kind of a Mecca for boutique studios, but there’s been no feelings of competition or territory or anything like that. There’s an understanding that we’re all in it for the same reason - to help people be their best selves and to stay healthy. Because we offer something unique, we’ve actually found other fitness providers are referring clients to us who may not be benefitting from their respective routines. Rowing is a complex movement, but it’s the most complex movement our members are going to perform. We’re not asking them to do any cleans or to hit a punching bag - our coaches hone in on rowing as the crux of the workout and they’re really good at what they do. We have a former world-class competitive rower on staff and he took clients and staff members out on the water to experience the true sport of rowing. Where else are you gonna get something like that?”
Touching back on the inclusiveness of Row House, it’s important to spend some time on the atmosphere and aesthetic of the studio. Before you even walk through their doors, you’re met with a spotless, glass-fronted building. Peering in side, the studio’s crisp, white foundations are highlighted with bold yellow and black accents that draw your eyes to rowing references and community building quotes. Row House offers almost a polar opposite to your conventional, dark and crowded commercial gyms. Everything has its place and purpose, and the studio floor itself is sunning. Rows of ergs line the main floor, with the coach’s erg centralized on a slight platform. Each erg is numbered and assigned to members as they check in - this allows Row House to track and send data to their members post-workout.
On top of health and fitness benefits, members are awarded different prizes for hitting rowing milestones. Exclusive gear is earned by members by achieving performance goals, encouraging more time spent being active.
Click this link to really dive in on what Row House’s message is and learn more about their values.
Orly pictured with one of their record breaking members after rowing his millionth meter - a testament to the community that Row House has been able to foster.
Dr. Raines’s recent statistics from Row House’s Restore class.
Personally, I have taken 2 classes at Row House - their House and Restore classes. The image to the right include my stats from my Restore class taken just last week. Rather than tracking body weight or BMI (click the link for why BMI can be a misleading stat to track), Row House encourages members to focus on performance goals in Total Meters Rowed, Average Split Time, and Best Split Times. On top of that, Total Lifetime Meters and Best Split All-Time are also tracked and sent to members.
Professionally, I love the idea of a low-impact and pulling/posterior-chain dominant workout. The majority of the population work at a desk and spend too much time sitting in their cars. Compounding on this, a many workouts are too push/anterior-chain dominant. This lifestyle can lead to poor core control, weakened shoulder blade muscles, and limited mobility/flexibility. Exercises like low rows, bird-dogs, planks, and dead-bugs are commonly prescribed to my patients - Row House not only has these exercises incorporated in their typical classes, but they offer a safe and encouraging space for them to take place.
When asked about any final comments, Orly had this to say, “Being not even a year open to the community, we’ve been blown away by the warm response from members and fellow businesses. We love seeing the relationships develop in and out of the studio! Seeing members exchange phone numbers, connect with our staff, and just getting to know each other - that’s the coolest thing. Also, other local business have been quick to reach out and partner on different events and collaborations - we’re more than happy to connect our members with other business of integrity that share similar values and goals. If you have any questions or want to know more about what we can do together, please reach out!”