CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A bungee fitness studio in downtown Winchester is marking five years of helping people feel weightless — no broomstick required.
The Fly Witches, located on Main Street in a historic former hardware store, offers bungee fitness alongside aerial yoga, dance fitness, step cardio, and strength training.
The building itself has a storied past. The space features a former equipment elevator that once carried carriages — and later tractors — to the second and third floors.
"Right over there is an old equipment elevator — they took it out — but that used to take tractors, and then before tractors, it took carriages up to the second and third floor. So if you don't think the ceiling can't hold you, it can hold a tractor," owner Danielle White said.
For White and her team, being a "witch" carries a specific meaning.
"In our mind, it's a woman who's very headstrong, challenges the norm, and kind of breaks the norm, which is what bungee fitness is," White said.
White first fell in love with bungee fitness as a student before buying the business last year. She also maintains her career as a bank examiner.
"Hannah Montana is the idol of our generation, when she said 'best of both worlds' she really meant it," White said.
In a typical class, participants clip into a harness hanging from steel beams overhead, then move through dancing, squatting, bouncing, and burpees. More advanced students can work up to handstands — or even lift off and fly.
White said no one has to feel intimidated walking through the door.
"If you're intimidated here at The Fly Witches, you're never alone. You're always supported. Kind of, group fitness right? Even if you're signed up alone you have the instructor with you. If you're intimidated after that, it's okay, we work out in the dark. You're — the only person judging you is yourself because everyone else is trying to catch their breath," White said.
Safety and customization are central to the studio's approach.
"Every routine is ours, we've customized things to our liking and our priority has always been safety," White said.
White said the studio has welcomed people at every fitness level, including those working toward a long-term goal.
"There's people I've met in the community before I was in charge of The Fly Witches where they started at 500 pounds, came into the studio with their goal of being to get down to our weight limit to be in the harness. They did our non-bungee class and finally made it there. And that's like, so amazing to watch. And we are really here to just help you grow and feel more confident about your self," White said.
With group fitness trending and "third spaces" becoming increasingly essential to community life, White hopes more people find a home at The Fly Witches.
"You just want to find a place where you feel at home, you feel supported, and I just find that here at The Fly Witches," White said.
If you'd like to book a class or learn more, click here: Home | Bungee Fitness Studio | The Fly Witches
