Kettlebell Club Trials for $55: The Garage Beauty World

The Garage, at 17 Lorong Kilat #01-11, Singapore 598139, is a small strength and functional training studio a short walk from Beauty World MRT, and its kettlebell class is called Ignite. First-time members can buy three trial classes for $55 in The Garage app and use them on any class type, Ignite included. Regular class packs start at $410 for ten sessions, and there is no monthly contract to sign.

The studio's own class page describes Ignite as a holistic class that combines strength and endurance training, focusing on kettlebell exercises. The method is to break complex lifts into manageable parts and then rebuild them through multi-joint, compound movements, so a session might move from a deadlift to a clean, from a clean to a press, and finally into a full complex that strings all three together.

The Garage rates every class against four pillars, and Ignite is weighted 40% muscular strength, 30% muscular endurance, 20% stability and 10% stamina. That makes it heavier on load and control than the studio's GarageCircuit interval classes. The class page is direct about who should join: it suits people who already know basic kettlebell moves such as the clean, jerk and snatch, and novices are strongly encouraged to take the kettlebell workshop first.

If you have never swung a bell, that warning is not a closed door. The trial page is written for complete beginners, and it explains that a coach welcomes you, checks you in and walks you through every component before the class starts. Each exercise has an easier and a harder version, and coaches show you a modification mid-class without singling you out. Classes are built around stations, so you work at your own pace rather than racing the person next to you.

For older beginners, The Garage also runs the Age Strong Workshop for adults aged 55 and over. It spreads across four Wednesdays and is pitched as a gentle introduction rather than a workout: you learn how kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells and resistance bands work, how to set up safely, and how your body should move with little or no weight. It is a sensible bridge into Ignite if joint health is on your mind.

The full price list sits on the classes page and the FAQ. The three-class trial is $55 for first-time members. After that, a 10-class pack is $410 with three months' validity, 20 classes cost $760 for five months, 30 classes cost $980 for seven months and 50 classes cost $1,520 for nine months. A branch-specific 50-class pack for one studio is $1,360, and a 100-class pack at $2,725 can be shared once among up to five people.

New members who finish the trial can use the promo code TRIAL20 for 20% off the 10, 20, 30 and 50-class packs, which brings ten classes down to $328. Validity only starts on the day of your first booked class, and frequent travellers can get free extensions for trips longer than two weeks if they send travel documents.

Every booking goes through The Garage app, from seven days ahead to as late as 60 minutes before class. You can cancel up to four hours before without losing the credit; inside that window the credit is gone. First-timers fill in a PAR-Q health form and a client agreement, and the studio asks you to arrive ten minutes early. Latecomers who miss the warm-up and briefing, about ten minutes, are not allowed to join, which is a strict but fair rule for a class built on technique.

Bring sneakers, a water bottle and your own towel. The studio provides lockers, showers and shampoo and shower gel. If you are carrying an injury, the FAQ asks you to tell the coach at the start, and in some cases the team may ask for a note from a doctor or physio before you train.

The business is registered as Garage Fitness Pte Ltd, and its UEN, 201704416K, dates the company to 2017. It has since grown to four studios, at Beauty World, Upper Thomson, Alexandra and Frankel Avenue, with Beauty World as the registered office. The homepage lists ClassPass Top Studio and ClassPass Best Instructor 2024 recognition for coach Dominic Eng, and its stated philosophy is ego-free, judgement-free and gender-free training, where nobody is put in a heavier or lighter lane by default.

The honest verdict: Ignite is a technical class in a small, friendly studio, not a giant gym with a kettlebell corner. If you want unlimited access to machines and a pool, look elsewhere. If you want a coach to fix your hip hinge and you like knowing everyone in the room, it is one of the better kettlebell options in the west of Singapore.

Beauty World MRT on the Downtown line is the nearest station, and drivers can use the open-air car parks on Lorong Kilat and Jalan Seh Chuan. The neighbourhood is old Bukit Timah: low-rise shophouses, family-run eateries and the Beauty World Centre, whose top-floor hawker centre is a long-standing spot for a cheap post-workout plate of noodles.

One Downtown line stop away at King Albert Park, the former Bukit Timah Railway Station, built in 1932, sits on the Rail Corridor, a green walking and cycling path along the old railway line. For a tougher cool-down, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, home to Singapore's highest natural hill, is a short bus ride north of the studio, and its summit trail makes a good Sunday add-on for anyone who still has legs left.

Address: The Garage, 17 Lorong Kilat #01-11, Singapore 598139, with group classes also held in a second unit on the same street. Email: contact@garagecircuit.com. Kettlebell class: Ignite, booked in The Garage app; the weekly timetable is published only in the app, from seven days ahead. Prices: three trial classes for $55, then packs from $410 for ten classes. Nearest MRT: Beauty World on the Downtown line. Bring a towel; showers and lockers are on site.