Health & Fitness in Connecticut

Innerlight and its crew of mind-body gurus whisk students away to a stress-free world, heralded as Best Place for Yoga by The Phoenix, with more than 50 yoga classes per week. Stretching students can join the Basics session to develop a flexible foundation of basic poses, and pupils in the heated Vinyasa class unite movement and breath while emptying pores of sweat, toxins, and vagabond dust bunnies. The Mindfulness Yoga class combines poses and meditation to hone concentration and body awareness, and the Therapeutics class targets specific corporal areas to relieve pain and stress. The studio's class calendar allows budding yogis to find a class that challenges their minds and bodies, but not their schedules.

The Boat Locker, founded in 1957, continues to furnish all manners of outdoor activities with boats and boating gear alongside an extensive stock of snowboards, standup paddleboards, and accessories. Careen across wintry slopes or down carpeted escalators atop a selection of Arbor snowboards ($299+) while outfitted in Burton boots, binding, and apparel ($20+). Standup paddleboards ($799+) surf down shores while sets of Anon goggles ($65+) shield eyes from chilly mountain breezes. The protective lenses of pairs of Kaenon, Maui Jim, Oakley and Gill sunglasses ($70+) safeguard wearers’ mugs against harsh elements when snowboarding or after accidentally falling face-first into the office koi pond.

Koko FitClub is a radically different kind of fitness center. Members come in, have their fitness levels checked on the Koko Smartrainer, and then receive a custom, computerized key fob that stores all fitness information. The key fob, programmed with data to help clients achieve individual fitness goals, stores the day’s prescribed 30-minute workout and guides clients expertly around the workout of the day. With this fitness technology on hand, members move seamlessly from exercise to exercise, burning fat and building lean muscle while minimizing gym time.

General dentists, certified lab technicians, and specialists in areas from root canals to orthodontia work together on Columbia Dental’s diverse team. They safeguard smiles with a comprehensive array of services, placing special emphasis on disease prevention with rigorous exams, cleanings, and digital x-rays. However, when disease strikes, the team can treat it in-house, tending to inflamed gums and eliminating chronic pain with root canals. The staff can also straighten crooked smiles with Invisalign treatments, which are more effective than constructing mouth guards from rulers. The office accommodates hectic schedules by staying open seven days a week, with evening appointments available.

This fort of fitness caters to workout-a-holics and common folks alike with a wide spectrum of physique-sculpting classes designed to calibrate cardiovascular systems and mold muscle. Develop strength and self-confidence in the cardio-kickboxing classes, or mindfully stretch sinew in Ishta yoga to prepare for a 24-hour charades marathon. Alternately, dance-infused Zumba allows students to cut calories while cutting a rug to Latin beats. For students seeking an athletic total-body workout, New Haven Strength & Fitness provides the popular Les Mills Bodyattack and Bodypump classes, which combine sport exercises with pumping music and dynamic instructors. Most classes are of the drop-in variety unless otherwise noted in the course description or on the online schedule.

Healthy Massage’s crew of experienced massage therapists helps customers recharge with a relentlessly relaxing lineup of nine massage modalities. They usher guests into robin-egg-blue rooms before inducing relaxation with a Swedish massage, reducing stress with a hot-stone massage, or targeting areas of pain and strained muscles with deep-tissue or sport massage. The staff also performs facials, waxing services, and reflexology massages that feel better than slipping on rain boots filled with warm olive oil.

At Art on Fire, a large selection of unfired pottery awaits. Customers—either there for a party or a walk-in—can browse a variety of pieces, ranging from ornaments, to jars, to mugs, before selecting one to make their own. Then, they'll adorn the piece with myriad colors, adding life with painted hues. In addition to birthday parties and events for children, the studio also offers adult-appropriate events such as ladies' night, with catering available and a BYOB policy.