I’m going to start a little series on my blog where I review new things or places that I try. First up, Shape House. Shape House is known to be “an urban sweat lodge.” I first heard about Sweat Lodge on Vanderpump Rules. Yes, it’s true. On the show Stassi and Katie go to Shape House to shed some quick pounds before a photoshoot. As Stassi described it, “you just sweat and you’re magically skinny.” Sign. Me. Up. Shape House has also been seen on the Kardashians, E!, Ellen and many more places so obviously I was intrigued. When I saw a Gilt pass for a session at Shape House, I decided to bite the bullet. I paid $30 for one session, normally one sweat session cost $45.

I booked my session and was immediately intimidated. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. They told me to wear a long sleeve cotton shirt, sweat pants and socks. Now I’m going to be honest here, I don’t own any long sleeve cotton shirts (I should probably invest), so I borrowed one from my roommate. This getup looked atrocious, especially in the 80 degree weather we’ve been having here in LA. Once I got to Shape House, I learned that I could borrow clothes, which they recommended since I didn’t bring additional clothes to change into. “Trust me, you’re going to want to change” the girl told me. And boy was she right.

When I first arrived to Shape House (the Larchmont location), I was immediately relaxed. The vibe of Shape House was so relaxing, it was lightly dimmed and smelled very herbal. I sat down, signed a waiver, probably stating that if I pass out it’s not their fault, and was handed a tall glass of alkaline water. I got changed into an orange long sleeve shirt and baggy grey sweats with some socks, it resembled a prison suit to me but hey we’re here to sweat, not look good. After I was all ready, they brought me to my bed. Each bed was divided by curtains so everyone had their own personal room. In each tiny room was a TV, where you could watch Netflix, HBO, Hulu or whatever else your heart desires. The girl who was helping me tucked me into my bed and wrapped me up. It was basically like being on a hospital bed, wrapped in a hot sleeping bag. I was sitting up so that I could view the TV, and it was surprisingly kind of comfortable…well as comfortable as being wrapped in a hot bed could be.

Now onto the actual sweat. The time surprisingly went fast. Thank God for the TV because it helped keep my mind off of the fact that I was profusely sweating. I was told the first twenty minute would be the easiest: correct. It went by very fast. The second twenty minutes would be slightly more challenging, this is where your body starts to work more: also correct. In the second half of the session, the girl helping me came by with a cold compress that had lavender toner in it. This was honestly so amazing. It was much needed! The last fifteen minutes were supposed to be the hardest. This is when your body starts acting as if you’re doing a cardio workout. I felt my heart racing and pumping hard to keep me going. I was actually very surprised because it really did feel as if I was doing an intense workout at this point. Before I knew it, my session was over.

After your session, they take you to the “relaxation room”. It’s a small room with various chairs and they offer you tea, orange slices or more water. You can sit and relax while they play some mediating music. I rested for about 15 minutes before deciding it was time to go home. When you leave they recommend you don’t shower for at least two hours to keep your metabolism boosted for the next day and a half. Although disgusting, I decided to stick to their advice.

After my sweat, I felt a burst of energy. It was as if I had done a spin class or went for a run where I was now full of endorphins. I had a slight headache that lasted until the next morning, which I concluded was because I was dehydrated before my sweat. But after popping two Advils, the headache went away. I was told I would have a good nights sleep after my sweat but unfortunately I didn’t. I woke up numerous times during the night, but I’ve recently had some sleep issues so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. In the two days afterwards, I ended up losing about 3 pounds in water weight which was probably my favorite part. I felt lighter and healthier.

Overall, I really enjoyed my sweat at Shape House. I think this would be a great thing to do if you had an event to go to, or even just wanted to detox after a vacation or something. I would definitely go to Shape House again. If you live in the LA area, and want to check out Shape House visit their website here.