Pole Fitness Near Me in Shoto: TRANSFORM's Five-Pole Studio Above Shinsen

TRANSFORM is a small pole studio on the third floor of the Ichioku Building at 1-26-2 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, five minutes from the north exit of Shinsen Station on the Keio Inokashira Line and ten minutes from Shibuya's Hachiko exit. A beginner trial costs ¥2,000, and the studio takes only cash or PayPay, not credit cards. For a pole fitness near me search on the quiet side of Shibuya, look for the garlic restaurant on the ground floor and climb the stairs.

Kaori Ozawa founded TRANSFORM on 6 August 2012, and she sits on the board of the Japan Pole Dance Association. In her welcome message she explains that she grew up studying traditional Japanese dance, and that people praised that, but gave her puzzled looks when she said she did pole. She opened the studio to help pole be seen as an art like any other.

The name is the point: a place to change into a new version of yourself, regardless of age or gender. The studio says its students range from seven-year-olds to people in their sixties, and that it has produced Japan champions. Kaori turns 50 this year, and the November show celebrates both that birthday and the studio's 14th year.

The room is compact, with five 45mm X-Poles that switch between spinning and static, plus a safety mat. Unlike studios that cap bookings, TRANSFORM does not set a class limit, so numbers change from day to day and you may share a pole on busy nights. If you want a pole to yourself, a daytime class is the safer bet.

Trials are only for the Pole Beginner and kids' classes, shown as green slots on the online schedule. Experienced dancers who are new to the studio can also start in the beginner class. For other levels, you simply turn up at the class time without booking and pay the regular fee. Travellers from abroad are asked to join a beginner class first.

Prices changed on 1 August 2026. Beginner classes, meaning Pole Beginner, Heels Beginner and kids' pole, now cost ¥3,000 a lesson for members, and everything from Pole Elementary up, including all spinning classes and the request class, costs ¥4,000. Non-members pay ¥1,000 more for any class. The trial fee rose from ¥1,000 to ¥2,000.

The old flat rate for under-18s has gone. Young students now pay by class like everyone else. Joining costs ¥5,000, or ¥3,000 if you sign up on the day of your trial, with no renewal or extra charges ever, and membership is for life. Our view: if you expect to come back even twice, join on trial day rather than paying the non-member rate.

Pole Beginner teaches the strength, core control and momentum that every later move needs. Once you can manage a pull-up from the floor and a trick or two, you move on. Pole Elementary repeats those moves one climb up in the air, and Intermediate adds combinations and flexibility tricks.

TRANSFORM also runs its own formats. Combination Pole, taught by Takumi, mixes static and spinning poles and strings separate tricks into one sequence. The Request class lets any level ask for help with a move seen on Instagram or YouTube. Haruna's Heels Choreo teaches one original routine across a month.

Wear a tank top or camisole with shorts, because exposed skin holds you on the pole. Bring a towel and a drink, and do not put on hand or body cream beforehand, since oil makes the pole slippery. Grip aid is sold at the studio. There is no clothing rental.

For heels classes the studio rents knee pads for ¥300, heels for ¥300 or both for ¥500, in sizes from US5 to US9, and you must wear clean socks inside rental shoes. Tattoos are welcome. Long sculpted nails are allowed, but the studio warns they may break. You pay for the lesson in cash or by PayPay directly to the instructor.

Free pole, rental and the late-night pack are for members only, and everyone using the room must be a member. Free pole gives you your own pole for ¥1,200 an hour, with a limit of five people. Renting the whole studio costs ¥5,500 an hour.

The midnight pack is unusual: ¥5,000 buys the studio from midnight to 6am for one person or a group. Private lessons are also members-only. To book one, message the studio's official LINE account with your name, preferred dates and teacher, and each instructor sets their own fee.

Students perform twice a year, and the FAQ says some make their debut after just three months of pole. TRANSFORM NIGHT Vol. 22 is on Sunday 8 November 2026 at PUREMIE Ginza, with a day show at 11:30am and an evening show at 4:45pm. The special guests include Ryota, the champion who runs POWER SPOT in Aoyama, and the dancer Yasu.

Tickets go on general sale on 8 October: ¥6,000 for free seating on stools, ¥8,000 for reserved S seats near the stage and ¥10,000 for VIP sofa seats, each ¥1,000 more on the day. Photos and video of performances are banned unless a dancer has asked you to film, and food is not allowed in the venue.

From Shinsen, leave by the north exit stairs, follow the road past a My Basket supermarket and a clinic, and cross at the Lawson. From Shibuya, the walk takes you past 109 and the former Tokyu main store site into the residential streets of Shoto. Look for a ground-floor garlic restaurant. The studio is up the stairs on the third floor.

There is no parking, so use a coin car park nearby. Shoto is one of Shibuya's quietest neighbourhoods, and Nabeshima Shoto Park, with its small pond, is a short walk away for a calm half hour before class. Evening classes run late, with beginner slots as late as 9:30pm.

Address: TRANSFORM, Ichioku Building 3F, 1-26-2 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Five minutes from Shinsen Station north exit. Ten minutes from Shibuya Station Hachiko exit. Trial ¥2,000. Member classes ¥3,000 or ¥4,000. Non-members add ¥1,000. Joining fee ¥5,000, or ¥3,000 on trial day. Free pole ¥1,200 an hour. Cash or PayPay only. Contact through the official LINE account.