Rowing Studio Near Me in Kampong Glam: The Row Space, Aliwal Street

The Row Space describes itself as Singapore's only indoor rowing gym, and it fits in the Chenn Leonn Building at 1A Aliwal St, Singapore 199894, a seven-minute walk from Nicoll Highway MRT. A single drop-in costs S$36, classes run 60 minutes, and the room takes no more than 12 people, so if your search for a rowing studio near me ends in Kampong Glam, this is the specialist.

The studio is run by the rowers behind Pulse Lab, a Singapore personal-training gym that the Row Space website names as its parent brand. It was already open on Aliwal Street by June 2021, when SportPlus profiled it during Phase 2 Heightened Alert and described its beginner Freestyle Row and Braveheart+ classes. The class list has since grown, but Braveheart survives as one of its legacy programmes.

Co-founder Jeremy Tan is the head coach, with a decade of indoor rowing coaching behind him and a competitive record of his own. Fidelis Goh coaches and manages the studio, Cindy Chan and Alastair Lee coach rowing, Nur Izzah and Li Xue are trainers, and Joe Ooi handles kettlebell strength. Expect to meet most of them within a fortnight of regular classes.

Rowing 101 is the beginner class and teaches stroke sequence, pacing and posture from scratch. Cardio Row is the steady option, a music-led session built on low-impact endurance work, and it is the gentlest way into the timetable if you missed a Rowing 101 slot. Back To Basics (Cardio), which Arron coached on Sunday 18 October at 11:45am, serves the same purpose at the weekend.

Once the stroke is comfortable, Row Fit mixes rowing with functional exercises and changes structure from class to class. Row Perform is the serious one, a structured programme led by Jeremy and Cindy for people chasing faster splits. Ride Ski Row combines the Assault Bike, SkiErg and rower and is billed by the studio as one of its most demanding classes, so skip it for your first visit.

In the week of 19 October, Monday opened with Nur Izzah's 8:15am Cardio Row, followed by Andy Low's 1pm Row Fit, Jeremy Tan's 6pm Row Perform and Alastair Lee's 8:30pm Row Fit. Tuesday was heavy on Strength 101 with Fidelis, plus an 11:30am Ride Ski Row and an 8:30pm Cardio Row. Wednesday ran three Ride Ski Row sessions, at 1pm, 6pm and 7:15pm.

Thursday ends with Row Fit at 7:15pm and Cardio Row at 8:30pm under Alastair Lee. Friday morning brings back-to-back Row Fit at 9am and 10:15am with Peps, Saturday pairs Cindy Chan's 10:30am Row Fit with her 11:45am Cardio Row, and Sunday starts with a 9am self-training block where members can use the machines without a coach.

A drop-in is S$36 and stays valid for 30 days from the first class. Newcomers do better with a trial: four classes for S$88 within four weeks, or six for S$120 within six weeks, both covering every class on the schedule. At two classes a week, the six-class pack is the one that lasts three full weeks.

Regulars move onto buddy packs, which can be split between friends at purchase. Fifteen classes cost S$345, thirty S$645, fifty S$975 and eighty S$1,480, with one week of validity per credit, so a 15-pack shared by three people gives each five classes over five weeks. Small group personal training for two starts at S$1,400 for ten sessions with a personal trainer.

Everything is booked through the Row Space app or its Vibefam booking page, which shows live spots. Evening classes fill first: on the week of 19 October the 6pm Row Perform, the 7:15pm Monday Strength 101, Tuesday's 7:15pm Braveheart Plus and Wednesday's 7:15pm Ride Ski Row were all full, with only waitlists open. Book midday or late slots if your schedule allows.

The 12-person cap means coaches can actually watch your stroke, so arrive early on your first visit and tell them it is new to you. Privilee members get one complimentary class a week, booked through the same schedule as everyone else. Because the room is small, a full class really is full, and waitlisting is the only way in.

Privilee describes the space as dark and intimate, lit with cool, low lighting, and spread over the second and third floors of the building. Rows of rowing machines sit beside kettlebells, strength racks and conditioning kit, which is why Strength 101 and Kettlebell Strength share the timetable with the rowing classes. Many regulars book two classes back to back, a rower session and then a strength class.

The studio's own small group training page mentions clients preparing for HYROX, ski trips and long hikes, and that crossover shows on the timetable. The honest view: skip Braveheart Plus if your goal is better rowing technique, since its AMRAP and EMOM format is about conditioning rather than the stroke. Book Rowing 101 or Cardio Row for that.

When your preferred evening slot is full, the easiest swap is the next morning: Cardio Row at 8:15am on Mondays and Wednesdays rarely clashes with work, and Friday's 9am and 10:15am Row Fit classes suit shift workers. Weekend Row Fit at 10:30am on Saturdays and Sundays had open spots when the following week's schedule was posted.

If you want a different rowing experience altogether, STRONG Pilates Orchard at 6 Handy Road combines a rower and a reformer in its 45-minute classes. It is a hybrid workout rather than pure rowing, but useful for anyone based near Dhoby Ghaut who cannot reach Kampong Glam during the week.

Aliwal Street sits at the edge of Kampong Glam, and the Aliwal Arts Centre at 28 Aliwal Street, home to theatre and dance groups, is on the same road. From there, a five-minute walk brings you to Haji Lane, with its narrow row of murals, small bars and independent shops, which is worth seeing before the shops open if you want photos without crowds.

Continue to Arab Street and the golden dome of Sultan Mosque at 3 Muscat Street for the area's best-known view. The mosque welcomes visitors outside prayer times, provided they dress modestly. Bussorah Street, the pedestrian lane leading to the mosque, is lined with cafés and Middle Eastern restaurants, a natural spot for a post-row drink.

Address: The Row Space, Chenn Leonn Building, 1A Aliwal St, Singapore 199894, on the second and third floors. Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway on the Circle Line, about seven minutes on foot, or Bugis on the East-West and Downtown lines, about 14 minutes.

Download the Row Space app on iOS or Android to book, pay and save card details. Bring indoor training shoes, a water bottle and a towel. Classes run 60 minutes on the live schedule, so allow at least 75 minutes including the walk from the station. Drop-ins, trial packs and buddy packs can all be bought on the Vibefam booking page.