From Practitioner to Posh Instructor

Get fit with Posh Fitness, a pole fitness studio for women based in OTR

Want to get fit, but tired of the “same old, same old” at the gym? That’s exactly why Sonya Wells and Dawn Harris opened Posh Fitness, a pole fitness boutique for women only.

“I was a Ballet dancer for 12 years and after I stopped I started doing pole fitness in other cities to keep fit – I’m not really a gym person,” says Wells. “One day, I thought ‘I’m pretty good at this’ and then Dawn and I decided to open our own studio.”

Harris has been in the healthcare field since 2001 and a registered nurse since 2007 and Wells has been a registered nurse for 11 years. In addition to being nurses, they’re both also certified group fitness instructors by the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA), which is a big deal in the fitness world.

The duo started out doing home parties for ladies’ night out get-togethers and bachelorette parties in April 2013. Later that year in November, they were able to acquire a studio space in the Over-the-Rhine area to hold their classes and parties. “We wanted to be in an up-and-coming area where there would be young, urban professional women like ourselves looking for alternatives to the gym,” explains Wells.

According to Wells, they have established a strong customer base since opening. “They return faithfully to do these sexy, but intense fitness classes,” she adds. “Posh offers a wide variety of 45 minutes classes in an intimate and posh setting.”

These classes include Pole Fitness, Lap dance, Pole Climbmax, Stilettocise, Bootique, Floorography, Posh Sexy Flexy and other classes for all different fitness levels. They also offer “Posh Parties,” so if you’re looking to host a bachelorette party, birthday party or a girl’s night out, they have you covered.

“We just try to stay relevant and continue to add new things to our fitness workouts,” says Wells. “We change the classes depending on the seasons and what classes people seem to like.”

(left to right) Sonya Wells, RN, BSN and Dawn Harris, RN, MSN

Wells says that she and Harris believe in building great relationships with the women who come in to take their classes. In fact, they keep their class sizes small at eight to 10 people so that they keep an intimate atmosphere and truly get to know the ladies who come through. Their goal is to provide ladies of any age, shape and size with a refreshing and sexy workout.

“There are some women who come in and are nervous because they see that we are young and fit and they don’t think they will be able to do anything,” says Harris. “I love to see their faces when they realize that they can do it.”

The pair hopes to continue to build up their clientele in the coming months and are also in the process of developing their own Posh Fitness activewear line.

“Some people think of the stigma that goes with pole dancing, but we set the tone that it’s about fitness. There is nothing wrong with tapping into your sexy side. You can be as naughty or as nice as you want to be or add as much sugar or spice that you want,” says Wells. “Our mission is to build self confidence, strength and sensuality. We are here for any woman who wants to be fit and healthy.”

To learn more, visit www.poshfitnessboutique.com.