Jordin's Paradise

Just an FYI DON'T purchase any classes here. Their physical location is closing on 11/30/19. After December they'll have online classes starting 12/27.

This is something they fail to display on their website and communicate with anyone when purchasing class passes and they don't make it easy to receive a refund.

I received a text notification on 23 October stating that I could purchase a 50 class pass for a discount that expired 1 year from purchase.

I purchased the class, and on 8 November I received an email stating the studio was closing.

I was not notified the studio was closing prior to purchase, nor does it state it anywhere on their website as of 21 November (in picture).

I purchased the 50-pass class use their studio to take in-person dance classes as it states on their website. Without the studio, the pass is useless so I needed a refund.

The only contact information on their website is their phone number. No email. I replied to the email notification requesting a refund with no reply. I wrote them on Facebook with no reply. I called and the clueless guy on the phone told me the person I need to speak with was away and to call back after the 19th.

I called on the 20th and requested to speak with someone about a refund and the clueless guy on the phone with a little more attitude this time told me to refer to the website. I said there's nothing on the website, and he said "well." I hung up.

I called my credit card company and was able to get my money back thorough card services.

I hope anyone reading this does NOT purchase anything from Jordin's Paradise if they are looking to take in person dance classes. They will try to take your money and run.

If you have purchased classes prior to knowledge of the studio closure, call your credit card company NOW!

I had the opportunity to attend 'The Naked Project: Exhibition!' at: Jordin's Paradise Wellness Center. Jordin's Paradise Wellness Center is located on the fourth floor. You will need to take the elevator.
The owner: Howard promptly greeted me as I exited the elevator for the exhibit.
The walls are lined with mirrors, and there are several dancer poles located with the studio. The location is warm and inviting for future events.
Ownership of Jordin's Paradise Wellness Center was recently transferred to: Monster Mornings. Monster Mornings bills themselves as "a collective group of international Party Monsters who host some of the craziest, coolest, inclusive & exclusive at the same damn time, speakeasy-style after hours across the globe". www.MonsterMornings.com/
The owner: Howard was very personable, warm, and receptive. He explained the studio was utilized as a 'Speakeasy-Style After-After-Party' Saturday & Sundays: 3:00 am - 9:00 am.
This would be a great location to host future events, exhibits, dance classes.

I just recently visited this venue but not for yoga or any classes. There was an R&B sip and paint event which was absolutely amazing! I will say a few of the young ladies did utilize the poles and it was a blast! Will I come back for a class? Possibly, now that I know the studio exists...great location; however the sign is fairly small which made it a bit difficult to find.

It's located across the street from Shake Shack and directly next door to &pizza which are both two places I never get tired of...

The owner wrote on facebook that she wishes people couldn't review her business on yelp. lol This studio offers a wide variety of fantastic classes, however what people complain about is the unprofessional manner the studio is run. The owner should listen to the constructive feedback and use it to improve her business. .

My complaint is with the venue which makes taking classes here unpleasant. It's in a horrible space that you have to take a tiny elevator to get to, which I hope never malfunctions. The floor is not flat, is has a large bump in the middle. The back area with the changing stalls and bathroom smell. It's very distracting having people walk behind you during class to get to the changing area. In the middle of winter the studio feels like a sauna, hot and humid. In the summer, with the a/c on it's still hot.

Once I was asked to wipe my shoes down, what an odd request. It's not raining or muddy outside. No other dance studio requests this. How about cleaning your floors regularly? There always seems to be some issue with the sign in sheet that the front desk attendant routinely has to figure attendance out after class and even by running into the changing rooms to find someone - how uncomfortable. How about just taking better care when people walk in? Get out from behind the high desk and don't let people slip in because you are taking way too long assisting one person during peak times between classes. I've also seen the front desk attendant taking videos of class without asking people's permission if they're ok with being filmed.

Aichida teaches an awesome zumba class! Great songs, lots of energy, its a fun workout. Jeannie's Doonya class is the best and you get a real cardio workout! She's the only dance instructor who actually comes prepared. The other teachers have us standing around between each song as they fiddle with their song list deciding what they want to play next, ever hear of setting up a playlist before you come?

I was excited to try a pole class here, so a girlfriend and I bought the 5 class pass, which was reasonably priced. The experience was mixed.

Pros-

Fantastic doonya class- I absolutely loved it. A must-try for anyone who like Zumba classes, and wants to shake it up.

Took a great pole level 1 class that was a fantastic workout, but really hard!

Cons-

Not a great experience in the required pole intro class. Our instructor (stage name was April Rain or something?) seemed like teaching was a burden, and pretty uninterested. The class somehow had more people in it than poles, even though there were lots of poles NOT set up, so a bunch of us had to share a pole with another person, basically cutting our practice time in half. For a class that is already like 45 min, this was really annoying, and not worth even the discounted price with the 5 class pack.

If you reserve a spot in a class online, you have to cancel within 24 hours or they charge you/use your class. This is ridiculous. I haven't been to a single other studio in DC with such a long cancel requirement.

Finally, customer service is terrible. My friend had one class left on her 5 class pass, and for some reason their system didn't read that correctly, so she was told that if she stayed for the class she has signed up for, she would have to pay 30 bucks for a drop in. Both she and I swore that she had one class left, and tried to make the case, but the person checking people in refused to give her the benefit of the doubt, as one would expect from a business. She lost both of our business that day, and my friend lost a class she had paid money for, just because their system screwed up.

2 stars only because the doonya was fantastic, and the pole level 1 class was great too. Would not recommend.

Dropped in for a beginners Pole class, staff was friendly and music selection was great so 2 stars for that but be prepared to share a pole which should be included included in the overview beforehand.

There is also no phone service so is you have any specific questions or concerns you'll have to text, which is sketchy but fine if they were responsive. Their website had an error and I had to text multiple times for a response, another mix up occurred and they decided to not reply at all after I already payed.

Overall, I would suggest investing in more poles so the class can be experienced in full and be sure to stay in contact with clients. I feel scammed.

Before you read this review, there are a few things you need to know about me. Well, actually, just one thing.

I hate to exercise. HATE. With every fiber of my being.

Since moving to DC 2.5 years ago, my husband has successfully gotten me to go running a grand total of one time. Yes, I played sports growing up and went to the gym in college, and am generally in-shape and healthy, but exercising for the sake of exercising has never appealed to me. Until......I discovered Jordin's Paradise.

I actually came to the Yelp "socasize" event here last year and LOVED the class. Yet it took me several more months to get up the guts to sign up for a year membership. (And I don't have an excuse - the studio is TWO blocks from my house) But ladies, let me tell you how glad I am that I joined Jordin's!

I haven't taken all of the classes at Jordin's (still working up the courage to try pole dancing one day), but I come every week and love the classes I've taken (for $59/month I get 8 classes, which is perfect). My stand-out faves are:

* Belly Dancing with Rania, the owner (this is a must...and let me tell you, my husband has been more than supportive of this endeavor!)
* Zumba Toning with Candace -- non-stop work out and fun!
* Flirty Chair Dance and Yoga with Daphna

Yes, the studio is small, but so are most of the classes. The instructors are all warm and are intent on people not just getting a good workout, but having fun in the process. The hour long sessions always fly by and I am still amazed at how much I actually ENJOY working out now. Five stars all the way.

I have to be honest, I don't understand the new "stripper" fitness craze. Dude, strippers don't work out, take it from the girl who got always got assigned to the undergrad stripper roommates in college. The only time I saw my Spearmint Rhino dancing roomie work out was when she was running from a dealer she owed money to. Oh Isla Vista.

Despite my skepticism, I tried a pole dancing aerobics dance class (level 1) with Jacqueline because I had the Jordin's Paradise groupon. These classes require an enormously confident person who enjoys the presence of mirrors all around to watch themselves make an arse out of themselves. I am not that person. I can't say what I learned will help me make it rain in the club, but I had fun learning in the small class. At some point in the class, I took a break on the pole and rested. Some lady said I looked cute, here's a photo of me on the pole:

http://media3.px.yelpcdn.com/photo/z0bX_pAk8CaGxUOW2ZfPuw/l

I also took a belly dancing with Raina (the owner), out of all the instructors, she might be the one who really emphasizes the one on one instruction. She also has a body to die for, and is very sweet. The class had more of emphasis on "sensual bellydance" and we did repeated moves with making serpentine movements with our hands and running them all over our bodies, and less focus on the undulations of the hips and chest. At some point Raina teaches you the technique, then sits down and asks the class to show her what they just learned. Of course no one knows what they're doing and start they start making stuff up and this usually guarantees a good laugh.

Jordin's Paradise does offer a variety of classes, you will find no where else, that I want to try in the future. There was one hip hop dance class with Omar that has true devotees that swear by it. There's an interesting class called "Hot Mamacita" that involves a pole and you dancing around it with your baby in a soft carrier. It sounds like a low budget strip club, where the employees can't afford day care, but it might be fun, who knows? They have classes with pom poms, hula hoops, flash mob training and zumba. Basically their offerings sound like a junior high slumber party gone wild. This small studio is directly across from the metro, so the location is very convenient. The only downside, is the price. Outside of the groupon, I am not sure if I would want to shell out an average of $20-30 a class.

Amazing dance studio! The instructors are so kind, fun, and welcoming. Really considering getting the monthly pass because my experience has been great so far, and it's such a good deal with the wide variety of classes they offer.

Jordin's Paradise is by far the smallest studio I've ever visited. The interior is dimly lit and the entire place consists of one room. Upon walking in, one of the staff members informed me that street shoes are not allowed in the studio and she asked me to spray the bottoms of my sneakers with lysol before proceeding further into the room. I thought this was an odd rule, but I obliged.

The check-in process consisted of writing my name on a piece of paper. Since preregistering for classes is optional, there doesn't seem to be a good way for the staff to determine how large each class will be beforehand.

After checking in, I changed into my workout clothes and tucked my bag into one of the cubby holes by the door. I wasn't too pleased with having to leave my bag so close to the entrance door, but I decided to just go with the flow.

The zumba class that I took was a high energy workout that was both challenging and fun. The instructor made a point of memorizing the names of everyone in the class so that she could give us individualized pointers throughout the dance routine.

A few weeks after my class, I discovered that a video of the session is now on the Internet. I had no idea that the class was being recorded. If Jordin's Paradise was going to film the class, the least they could have done was inform the participants so that we had the option of opting out of the class.

I am not a fan of this place at all!