NEWPORT NEWS — After Crystal Wojciechowski moved to Washington, D.C. and walking anywhere from 10 miles a day to the metro, she started having pain when she walked. She had an MRI and was diagnosed with scoliosis, a degenerative spine and a slipped disc in her neck.
“It was so bad I could barely stand for a few minutes,” Wojciechowski said, adding she sought a physical therapist which exacerbated the pain and got cortisone shots every three months from a spinal doctor. “I really wanted to find a solution outside of surgery.”
The cure? Pure Barre.
The Newport News native and CNU grad went from implementing affordable housing policies in D.C. to being part of a franchise with her own studio.
Wojciechowski saw blogs about the Pure Barre, which focuses on low impact exercises and did some research. She joined her local studio in Vienna and the day after her first class, she had no pain.
“Pure Barre changed my life,” Wojciechowski said. ” All of my pain is gone.”
She loved it so much she became an instructor and decided to open her own studio with her husband, James.
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t miss,” she said.
They applied for the franchise in November 2017 and had a soft opening less than two years later in May. James Wojciechowski splits his time in Fredericksburg and Newport News focusing on the business side of the studio — Crystal runs the day to day operations.
While she still advocating for low income housing as a consultant, a majority of her time is spent at the studio with clients. Wojciechowski works with each client and recommends different memberships based on the client’s lifestyle and goals.
Pure Barre offers individual classes, membership to complement other workout, with classes ranging from $49 to $159 a month. Her studio is celebrating their one month anniversary with free classes and a grand opening is June 27-30.
“People come her for the workout but stay for the friendships and the relationships they’ve made,” Wojciechowski said, adding there are wine nights, book clubs and social events outside the studio. “You can come here and really make friends.”
Pure Barre, 12368 Warwick Blvd. Suite 114, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to noon and Sunday 8 a.m. to noon. The studio also takes walk-ins.
For more information, visit the Pure Barre website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
