It's been one year of my renewed dedication to intentional exercise. Last year I made a lot of changes and focused on my health in general - it was the hardest and best intention I could have made – but this year my goal is to hone in on that intention a bit more and focus on two core components of exercise: strength and flexibility.
Normally, without a gym membership (something I don't have) or a personal trainer the strength portion of those goals are very hard to achieve, but with a piece of workout equipment that has been in my life for a year now, it's actually been easy to work on.
In today's post I want to walk through the good, the bad, the pros and the cons of the Lululemon Studio Mirror (formerly The Mirror).
We'll talk through:
- The Cost of the Lululemon Studio Mirror (and monthly fee information)
- What Does It Do?
- What It Looks Like
- What It Comes With
- What I Love About It
- What I Dislike About It
- What Are My Favorite Classes
The Cost of the Lululemon Studio Mirror
Let's just get this out of the way first and foremost. While I don't think you can put a price on health and consistent exercise is certainly a core component of overall health and wellness, you can put a price on workout equipment. And while the Lululemon Studio Mirror is expensive, it's on par with other boutique workout equipment brands like Peloton. But – good news – it is much less expensive than the similar workout-style mirror brand Tonal or a more luxury item like the Ergatta water rower.
The Lululemon Studio Mirror is available within a price range of $1,495 – $2,395 but you can find them on sale for up to $500 off. You can also use the code ELEWDB7K and get an additional $50 off any promotion.
They offer 0% interest financing options through Affirm or you can buy it outright from the brand. My experience was that it came within about 3 weeks and the delivery process was very straightforward. Because Covid was still raging early last year, I opted for the non-white glove delivery and we found that the set up was actually incredibly easy and intuitive.
Now, I've seen a lot of people ask the question: can you use lululemon mirror without a subscription? And the answer is no. Just like the Peloton or basically every other at-home workout piece you have to pay the monthly fee for as long as you want to use it as a gym. This is a monthly fee of $39.99 - which in my opinion is a very inexpensive gym membership, but a very expensive service if you never use it.
What Does the Lululemon Studio Mirror Do?
If you're not familiar with this type of workout equipment, think of it as a very aesthetic home gym set up. Just like the name implies it is a floor-length mirror that, when prompted by the app, turns on and shows you over 500 different types of workout classes – both live and on demand.
You can choose your desired type of workout, instructor, length of workout, skill level, and workout by equipment needed.
Once you choose your workout ( i.e. a 30- minute beginner barre class) the Mirror transforms into the class with the instructor giving directions, music playing, etc. Just like a normal workout class you follow along and enjoy the workout.
But the genius thing is after your class the mirror shuts off and becomes a normal floor length mirror again.
What Does the Lululemon Studio Mirror Look Like?
What Comes With Your Lululemon Mirror?
Depending on the tier that you choose you can either buy the Mirror and an entire set of equipment or just the Mirror. When I bought mine, I opted for a few pieces of workout gear that came with the Mirror Plus package including a plush yoga mat, yoga blocks, resistance bands, heart rate monitor, and a foam roller.
But, no matter the tier you buy the Lululemon Mirror always comes with free shipping, a free 30 day trial, free returns, a limited warranty, a mounting bracket if you want to mount the Mirror to the wall, and a floor stand.
What I Love About the Lululemon Mirror
In typical fashion, I did my due diligence in research before pulling the trigger on this purchase. It's a big monetary commitment so I weighed the pros and cons and really evaluated my dedication to wellness. Ultimately, the Mirror won out over a more traditional piece of equipment like a bike or treadmill for a few reasons:
- it's very low profile - literally it's just a mirror that can prop up against the wall or mount to it
- it doesn't take up any room - like a treadmill or bike would
- it has a dizzying amount of classes and types of workouts - while cardio is amazing, my goals were/are strength and flexibility and I love that I can vary what I'm doing day to day
A few other amazing things about the Mirror:
- you can do workouts live with the built-in camera and the instructor's interaction or you can watch classes on demand
- you can choose your level of expertise and length of class (often I do a 10 minute stretch class and then a 30 minute pilates, barre, yoga, or cardio class)
- you can find new and exciting types of workouts that you wouldn't try otherwise ( I've done Latin Dance classes, Boxing classes, and Tai Chi classes)
- the instructors are experts in their fields and you start to find the ones that jive with your personality and preference
- the app where you choose classes is so in-depth and intuitive - it allows for syncing with your Apple fitness app and gives you so many options for customizing the classes to your own preferences
What I Dislike About the Mirror
Honestly, there isn't much I dislike about it. And since I've had it for a year I've really been able to weigh all the benefits to it. When Lululemon bought out the brand early last year there were a few glitches in the app and program that were annoying, but those were smoothed out very quickly. And I've been so happy with the new features Lululemon has rolled out over the past few months.
Obviously, would it be great to not pay the monthly fee? Yes, of course. But it actually keeps me motivated. Much like a gym membership where you start to feel guilty if you miss a lot of time (because you're paying for it) I feel the same way about doing classes on the mirror.
I will say if you're big into strength training and don't have a gym membership, this likely not the item for you. While they do have weight classes you still need a full set of weights and you're not going to get the same results as an actual gym.
My Favorite Lululemon Studio Mirror Classes
I've come to love some very unique types of workout classes thanks to experimenting on the Mirror. Like I mentioned I typically start out a workout with a warm-up of dynamic stretching for a few minutes and then rotate between Pilates, Barre, Boxing, Vinyasa Yoga, or Cardio.
Some days if I'm not feeling up to a more fiery class I'll opt for a Gentle Yoga to gently work my muscles and increase flexibility. These workouts are typically coupled with a 2 mile outdoor walk my husband are in the habit of going on before dinner and that combo is perfect for me. I've found I don't miss the gym setting nor do I miss the inconvenience and time it takes to actually get to the gym.
If I have a particularly busy day, I still feel like I can fit in a workout - even just a 15 minute class at 7:30pm before winding down for the day because of the convenience and proximity of all the workouts.
Honestly, if you're looking for ways to improve your fitness, lose weight, move more and the inconvenience of a gym is holding you back, may I suggest looking into a 30 day trial of the Lululemon Studio Mirror?
I personally think it's a wonderful way for someone who is committed to fitness but isn't a "gym person" to improve their health and add intentional movement into their day.
Don't forget you can use the code ELEWDB7K to get an additional $50 off your Lululemon Studio purchase.