Elizabeth Cutler
Appearances
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
In a stroke of marketing genius, Jana created a scarcity mindset, letting all of her riders know that this particular Sunday morning class was gonna sell out. If they wanted a bike in class, they must sign up early.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Word of mouth started to spread and suddenly Janet Andrea and Debbie Rocker were headlining back to back sold out weekend classes at the studio.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
This, of course, was the seed that SoulCycle was able to iterate on, brand, and scale to perfection. The addictive feeling of riding to rhythm led by a motivational figurehead you could project anything onto. John Hill is a reality TV producer and co-hosts Andy Cohen's daily radio show on Sirius XM.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, John first moved to New York to star on Broadway in Hairspray and The Boy from Oz.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
John has experimented with nearly every form of boutique fitness class because he travels between New York and L.A. for work.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
While Todd Tramps became the hottest spin studio in West Hollywood, it was hardly glamorous.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Channeling addiction into a healing practice is perhaps the most common path to fitness instructor next to musical theater major. I'm lucky to have never dealt with drug or alcohol addiction personally, but I've often wondered why I'm always drawn to people in recovery. A therapist explained that I have the same compulsive addict energy and I'm drawn to those similarly on a healing path.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
John Hill first arrived in class because his inpatient rehab center had a partnership with SoulCycle where patients could ride for free.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
John spoke about the obsessive compulsive nature of addicts and how it can be easily channeled into fitness while in recovery.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
My name is Jessie Rothschild. I'm a writer and producer living in Manhattan. In 2023, I created a docuseries centered on the history, mystique, and lore of Fire Island, home of the oldest queer communities in the United States. Over the last 20 years, I have found connection and meaning in two places, on Fire Island and in the New York City fitness community, specifically at SoulCycle.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Janet and Andrea had become two of the most sought after fitness instructors in Los Angeles. By the year 2000, they both left Todd Tramps with investors throwing money at them to open and brand their own studios. Andrea's would become the rock and roll, rough around the edges, CBGB's vibe called Made in L.A.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
SoulCycle went on to recruit nearly every Los Angeles instructor with a following. But the one they could never convince was Andrea.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
As SoulCycle was taking off, many of their top instructors had been Andrea's students for years.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
While Andrea was running Made in LA, Janet was approached by the CFO of Disney, who offered $1 million to go into business with him. Janet's studio would reflect the spiritual nature her classes embodied. This would become body, And soul.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
It's true. No one had seen Studio Fitness like this, including a devoted body and soul writer of Janet's, a talent agent named Julie Rice.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
And while I've spent much of my adult life dedicated to fitness, my time at SoulCycle transcended far beyond that of boxing, yoga, or boot camp. I've spent years obsessed with soul, analyzing every single aspect of the phenomenon with friends. My first class was in 2011 and I went about four times a week until 2019. People I met at SoulCycle spoke at my wedding.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
While working in Hollywood, Julie worked as a talent agent and manager for Benny Medina. Benny Medina was a record exec and known for turning celebrities into brands. Think Jennifer Lopez, Tyra Banks, Mariah Carey, and yeah, even Sean P. Diddy Combs. It was this understanding of how to turn instructors into brand ambassadors that would become one of SoulCycle's secret weapons.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
2006, New York City. Julie Rice and her husband had left Hollywood to be closer to family in New York because they now had a five month old baby. They were now living on the Upper West Side and Julie was regularly taking classes at the most popular gym in the city, Reebok Sports Club. Julie became friends with her spin instructor at Reebok, a woman named Ruth Zuckerman.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Ruth was a former dancer, fresh from a divorce and a single mom to teenage girls. Ruth had been cobbling together a teaching schedule between the luxury Reebok Sports Club and Out in East Hampton. While Julie was the core of Ruth's following at Reebok, she found another dedicated rider out in East Hampton named Elizabeth Cutler.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Just like Julie, Elizabeth also had relocated to Manhattan with a young baby. Separately, both Elizabeth and Julie confessed to Ruth that they had dreams of opening their own spin studio. While Julie did not have any money, Elizabeth did. With her own success in real estate and running her own healing practice, her family had money to invest in a startup.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Naturally, Ruth set up a lunch to introduce Julie and Elizabeth. They would meet at the Soho house where Julie and Elizabeth bonded instantly. The recipe was simple. Elizabeth brought the capital. Julie brought the marketing and branding. Ruth brought her riders and would be the face of the business.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
SoulCycle opened its doors in April of 2006. Together, the three founders rented a space on the Upper West Side that they found on Craigslist. Per their lease, they were not allowed to use any outside signage, so you really had to find the place. It was very DIY.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Julie and Elizabeth were designing the studio out of IKEA furniture, they folded their own towels, and they passed out flyers on the street. The founders kicked around a few names before landing on SoulCycle, but I wonder if Julie's experience at Body and Soul had any lasting imprint.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Ruth was the one and only instructor while Julie and Elizabeth ran the business. They knew every single rider who came through their doors.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
They were also there for me when that relationship suddenly ended. We took destination spin rides in the Hamptons, Miami, and LA. Destination spin is basically an excuse to travel and then revolve your day around an instructor's schedule.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Aaron is an original rider from the 72nd Street era. He works in fashion and first discovered Seoul the way most savvy New Yorkers shared information in 2006, through blogs and email newsletters.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
In the early 2000s, subscribing to the Daily Candy email newsletter was your best bet for finding the best restaurants, clubs and bars in Manhattan.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Glennis is another original 72nd Street rider. She was a young Upper West Sider and had actually taken Ruth's class back at Reebok.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
The people who were taking spin classes at big box gyms did not use the rest of the gym. So they were paying a monthly membership for just this one class. Therefore, it made it easy for them to abandon their gym membership and pay for something that solely focused on the thing they cared about.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
I've had instructors to my home for Thanksgiving, and I was so intrigued by the secretive nature of the training program that I almost applied to be an instructor myself. Today, I find myself looking back, yearning for this time in my life. Like, what were the ingredients that made it so unique and special?
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
A New York Times article from 2010 reads, The remaining founders, Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, seem intent on expunging their former partner from their past. The company's story on SoulCycle's website doesn't even mention her. In a joint interview with Julie and Elizabeth, they simply said, "...Ruth worked for us for a time. We decided to part ways. We wish her the best."
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Yet they seemed visibly uncomfortable, hands tucked between their thighs as if bracing for impact.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
We'll never know exactly what the conversation was between the three women, but we can certainly piece the story together. While Julie and Elizabeth were experienced businesswomen, Ruth was naive and did not have any proper legal protection in place.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
In talking with Janet, I remembered how Ruth still maintains to this day that, quote, they don't know anything about SPIN.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Throughout this series, you'll hear from instructors, studio managers, and other riders like me. We'll even talk to folks who worked on the corporate level. While all instructors are named, other employees have chosen to remain anonymous.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
And what about the writers? Did they have any idea what was going on behind the scenes?
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Cult of Body and Soul is created, executive produced, and narrated by Jess Rothschild. Sound design by Caitlin White. Theme song and original music composed by Elizabeth Ziff. Naughty Nadia by the band Betty.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
For even more culty soul content, definitely follow me on Instagram at JessXNYC.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
From its inception, SoulCycle was the hottest, fastest-growing fitness studio in New York City, catering to the rich, obsessive, famous, and fame-adjacent.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
To fully understand the story of SoulCycle, we need to go to Los Angeles in the 90s.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
This is Janet Fitzgerald. Many fitness contemporaries cite Janet Fitzgerald as one of the original spiritual fitness instructors. Janet took the intention setting typically associated with yoga and applied it to high-intensity spin classes. Through her voice and specific music curation, she is able to take riders to a place of reflection and meditation.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Janet is playfully naughty and has commanding energy. Think Madonna in Truth or Dare. She was the director of instructor training at SoulCycle for a decade, producing over 200 instructors. And she still teaches at Soul six times a week. Soon after landing in Palm Springs, Janet began dating a drummer in a Christian rock band. She believed his straight edge lifestyle would wear off on her.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
The idea of a 12-step program didn't speak to Janet at this time, so she did it her own way.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
For Janet, overcoming the desire for drugs appeared to open up a whole new chapter of health and also a starter marriage.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Yearning to reconnect with her true calling for dance, Janet quickly got a job teaching aerobics. But while Janet was stuck in the Palm Springs desert, there was a mecca of studio fitness exploding just two hours west in Los Angeles.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Around this time, a new form of cardio was emerging, using a stationary bike, combining basic cycling, motivational coaching, and breath awareness. The result was a workout called spinning, originally developed by Johnny Goldberg, a.k.a. Johnny G, a South African cyclist.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Andrea Lewent is another fitness pioneer from Los Angeles. She was one of the first spin instructors to cultivate a hardcore following. Covered in tattoos, Andrea attracted lots of athletes and rock stars who would use the bike to rehabilitate their bodies after injuries.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Johnny G was a professional athlete and cyclist, having completed the Race Across America, the longest, most grueling cycling race in the world. Johnny G designed and built the very first spin bike by hand. He also trademarked the word spinning. Therefore, all future studios, including SoulCycle, could not use the word spinning to describe their services.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
They had to advertise it as, quote, indoor cycling. Indoor cycling, aka spinning, is low-impact, high-intensity cardio using a stationary bike. Up until the early 2000s, you would actually ride in your sneakers, just hoping your foot didn't slide out or lose any toenails. This evolved into the modern use of spin shoes, specifically designed to clip into the bike.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Instructors are the star of the show, but you control the resistance knob based on their cues. You can simulate a climb, run, jog, or sprint in and out of the saddle as you pour on the resistance. Think of running through piles of sand.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
another compelling aspect is its correlation to a dance class in any boutique spin class today there's a level of respect paid to the instructor you don't come late or leave early you follow the routine and you applaud at the end of class just as you would in a dance studio the walls are mirrored with the instructor on top of a podium demonstrating each of the moves
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
You'll perform choreography on the handlebars, which is mostly useless theatrics, but it's fun, like learning a dance routine. When a class is riding together as a pack, totally in the pocket of the music, it can feel absolutely euphoric. Janet was now officially in LA. Through the urging of a friend, she found a spiritual counselor who would change her life forever.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
It's now 1995, and the spin craze is grabbing a hold on Los Angeles. And a studio called Todd Tramps was the place to ride in West Hollywood. The headlining instructors at Todd Tramps were Andrea LeWen and the co-owner, Debbie Rocker. But Janet was yet to be sold on spin.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
We'll explore how this cultural phenomenon captured the zeitgeist in a way nothing has before or since.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Andrea LeWent first started teaching at Todd Trams and immediately brought her celebrity following.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
So what exactly was the difference between taking a spin class at a gym versus a dedicated studio like Todd Tramp's? Well, you go to a gym. What's happening? People are on their phones coming in and out. Plus, the class is free, included in their gym membership. And let's face it, you get what you pay for.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
Janet had a vision and longed to create an experience beyond just a fitness class.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
This was the end of the 90s. It would be another decade before Spotify and Apple made any music available at your fingertips.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
While all the gay boys teaching in West Hollywood were really playing club mixes of pop songs, Janet was finding ways to take the rider through a musical experience.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
However, there were still a few missing elements that her mentors excelled at. Janet was clearly told by the owner, you're doing a good job, but you need to develop your conversation and your motivational skills on the bike. You can't just be hot energy and good music. You have to learn to speak to the people. And she did.
Cult of Body & Soul
1. "Made in LA"
She figured it out by closely observing her mentors, the other instructors at the studio, Andrea and Debbie Rocker. Suddenly, an opportunity. She was handed a highly coveted Sunday morning class, and she set out to strategize. Janet needed hype and a captive audience.