Owned by Kristie Lyon, Evolution Spin opened in April 2021 after a former spin gym, Urban Spin, closed because of Covid.

“Prior to this, I was a partner at Urban Spin,” Lyon said. “After it closed because of Covid I decided to branch out on my own with the blessing of my former partner. Spin has been an important part of my life for a long time and I wanted to be able to bring it back to the community.”

Lyon is a retired police officer — serving 20 years on the job — who was also a fitness competitor. Years ago she suffered a severe back injury, and a friend recommended trying spin classes, as spin had also helped Lyon’s friend with a similar situation. Lyon began participating in a spin class that day at Urban Spin, where she would eventually become an instructor and then a partner later on, after retiring from the force.

The idea of opening Evolution Spin was also encouraged by multiple members of the community who asked Lyon to bring spin classes back to the local area. So, Lyon found a building in Lakewood and renovated it, and then got her certifications. She is a Stages certified Spin instructor and Certified TRX instructor. Overall, Evolution Spin focuses on health, wellness, and group exercise.

Kristie Lyon, owner of Evolution Spin in Lakewood. Submitted photo

Located at 5 Fairdale Avenue, Suite 5B in Lakewood, Evolution Spin offers every day spin classes beginning at 5:15 a.m. They also offer yoga classes four days a week and an Infrared Sauna which is closed on Sundays.

The spin classes are Lyon’s pride and joy, and she said the gym offers them in a way that differs from other gyms.

“Our lighting system is like you might find in Vegas,” Lyon said. “We turn off the overhead lights and make it so it is dimmer in the room. We try to make it a fun atmosphere.”

Lyon has also upgraded the spin bikes and yoga is a new addition as of last year with the renovation of a new, larger fitness space. Evolution Spin also offers Total Body Resistance exercises which is a form of strength training.

“We want to have that well-rounded gym feel,” Lyon said. “We offer those classes three days a week. We have the Infrared Sauna open six days a week, which heats up the body and helps get rid of sore muscles. It has many good medical benefits but if you sign up to use it for a medical reason we have to have a doctor’s approval first. Or you can just use it for relaxation.”

Evolution Spin is a gym that is open to everyone of all ages.

“We have clients who are high school students and we have clients who are in their 70s,” Lyon said. “Sometimes we have people who are runners because they have joint pain, and spin classes can take away their joint pain. We have our strength classes for strength training and yoga — which is not about flexibility, but about working on mobility and stability in the body.

We want to help people work on their core strength.”

Lyon continued, saying that the focus of the gym is to help keep everyone active through all ages. Sometimes they will also have varsity soccer teams come in, along with some other youth athletes to help prevent injuries on sports teams.

Currently, Evolution Spin is offering two specials. One is offering a first spin class for free for those who are new to the gym, and that is currently running through the end of October but may continue to the end of November. The other is offering a first free yoga class for new members.

Lyon said that all new members are welcome, and she encouraged them to come out and try new things, especially because there are often misconceptions when it comes to spin classes and yoga.

“People are afraid to try spin and yoga because of the misconceptions about what they actually are or they think they can’t do it,” Lyon said. “When you come in you will be greeted by all of us and our clients, and we will show you how to use all of the equipment. All our clients love our classes. The hard part is getting people to try something new.”

Additionally, Lyon said people are afraid to try spin because they have not done it before and are afraid of getting sore, though she said the soreness does come with it but fades over time. She added that for yoga people are afraid to try it because they do not think they are flexible enough.

“Yoga is not about flexibility, it’s about creating core strength,” Lyon said. “For our Total Body Resistance classes, people don’t understand what that is. It helps to create strength build up in clients who might not have any. We program all of the workouts and training for our clients.”

Evolution Spin can be found on the Vagaro app or website to sign up for classes. Monthly and yearly memberships are available, along with single, five or ten class passes. Private spin and yoga classes are also available for parties such as work or bachelorette parties. Evolution Spin can be found on Facebook or Instagram, or by contacting Lyon at evolutionspinlakewood@gmail.com, or at 716-235-3321.