By 
I first heard about cycle syncing workouts during the pandemic. After years of doing strenuous workouts at my favorite studios pre-COVID, I switched to low-impact workouts I could easily do on my period — and never looked back.
While I enjoy the occasional HIIT heated workout, it’s not sustainable to do it three to four times a week anymore. Now that I’m in my 30s, my favorite workouts are low-impact sculpting workouts that weave in breathwork, yoga, Pilates, aerobic movement, and strength training — giving me a satisfying slow burn.
These workouts are proof that you don’t need to overexert your body to achieve great results. Given the intensity of the workouts I did before COVID, I never worked out during the first four days of my period, but with cycle syncing workouts, that has changed. Now, I mostly work out at home but go to a few in-person classes every month.
In the summer of 2025, co-founders Anna Collins and Cindy Gomez opened FOLM, the first cycle syncing studio in LA. But, for those who are unfamiliar, what exactly is cycle syncing?
Anna: “Cycle syncing is listening to your body based on what your hormones are telling you during your menstrual cycle. Everybody’s body is different. Women are so complex and there’s little research about what’s going on in our bodies. You want to work with the natural rhythms of your cycle so you’re not putting your body into fight or flight or unnecessary stress of high levels of cortisol. We want to keep the body and system calm, but challenging it with the right workouts.”
Anna and Cindy met while teaching at a heated Pilates studio in 2020. During the classes, they noticed a lot of girls would be on the verge of passing out. Anna said: “After class, we’d give them electrolytes and ask, ‘When are you expecting your period?’ A lot of times they would be on their periods or right before their periods. I’ve always listened to my body because I grew up doing ballet. I was very aware. As I got older, I would hear my body but I wouldn’t always listen to it. Now, I listen to it and react to what my body is telling me.”
Soon after meeting, Anna and Cindy spent a lot of time together and as a consequence, their cycles began to sync. The pair would do weight training classes when they were feeling stronger and reformer Pilates when they wanted something lighter. As they continued going to different studios, the idea of creating a one-stop shop with their favorite workouts emerged.
FOLM stands for the four phases of the menstrual cycle: follicular, ovulation, luteal and menstrual. The studio is women-only and welcomes non-binary women as well. While you don’t need to be on your period to go to FOLM, and there are no rules about which class you should take based on your cycle, each class is challenging yet tailored to whatever you’re feeling: ballet, Barrelates, sculpt and lengthening mat classes, circuit training, and thoughtfully crafted reformer Pilates classes.
Anna: “In the climate that we are in right now, with everything going on politically, it feels necessary to have a space for women where they can work out without worrying about what they look like, honor their body and calm down — mentally, emotionally and physically.”
The public discourse around women and feminism can come off as aggressive and confrontational. FOLM celebrates womanhood but in a more subtle, refined way. The minimalist entrance features a sleek front desk and waiting area, along with a curated selection of feminist literature displayed on a wall-mounted shelf. The few photos in the studio, taken by Anna’s sister, photographer Petra Collins, are soft and feminine.
In the reformer room, a wall mounted torso of a woman rests on the wall — noticeable, but not imposing. The ceiling is wrapped in a billowing fabric, making you feel like you’re in a cocoon.
Rather than the traditional sterile-looking locker room, Anna and Cindy created a serene, feminine sanctuary: earthy ceramic-tiled showers, stone vessel sinks, and shelves lined with their favorite skincare products that anyone can use.
The oasis continues in the attached room with a sleek infrared sauna box and an inviting olive green couch. As I appreciated it, two women wrapped in towels walked past me, entered the infrared sauna box and gracefully positioned themselves on the wooden bench. This infrared sauna is available by appointment for $20.
In the mat classes, the lightning is warm, the instructor’s voice is soft, and the curated playlist will make you want to linger even before the class starts. In the Barrelate class, I loved doing donkey kicks to Hannah Montana’s “Rockstar”. Before the Mat Sculpt & Lengthen class started, the soothing voice of Kacey Musgraves permeated through the room. Before amping it up, Anna took things slow with dreamy pop songs, like Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”, one of my all-time favorites.
Cindy said: “The music makes a huge difference because it takes you for a ride. It’s really hard to master that, I guess. It’s like explain to me, cue me and then turn it up and let me work out.”
Anna: “We also have a wide range of age groups that come to the studio. We have women in premenopause, postmenopause, endometriosis, and women with PCOS. We also have a cycle syncing coach that’ll teach you how to cycle sync your life and relationships. She’s well-versed in menopause and will teach you how to work with your body so you’re not repressing anything.”
While I love the reformer classes, the mat classes are my favorite. We’ve seen bodyweight exercises hundreds of times: planks, bridges, lower back exercises and planks.
However, it’s the sequence of the exercises that makes all the difference. In all the classes I’ve taken so far, I’m drenched in sweat from head to toe half an hour into the workout, and they’re not even heated! The slow burn feels amazing, and something about the ambient lightning instantly calms my nervous system.
When I moved to LA, before switching to boutique fitness studios, I was a member at a gym for almost two years. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the most comfortable walking into a room of mostly men, with a trainer ogling me from across the room. This is not to say that I shy away from working out in a room with men, but at FOLM, when I work out, the outside noise disappears. It’s just me, my body and my intuition.
I discovered FOLM after actress Lucy Hale posted it on her Instagram stories. Actress Barbie Ferreira has also shared the studio on Instagram, and even trained with Anna and Cindy for her debut at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2025. Fashion founder Anine Bing recently shared a snapshot of the studio on her Instagram stories as well.
The gym I used to go to felt very cliquey if you didn’t already know the members or weren’t part of the entertainment industry. While FOLM’s celebrity clientele is certainly a bonus, what Anna and Cindy are most grateful for is the welcoming community they’ve built in such a short amount of time. If only FOLM had been around when I moved to LA ten years ago!
Anna: “A lot of girls who are new to LA have come here and have formed really great friendships.”
Cindy: “When you come here you feel safe, and when you’re comfortable, you naturally feel good. Also, we’re girls, and it’s nice to talk about girly things. It’s cute and it’s been nice to see that.”
The words “cycle syncing” and “women-only” can be a topic of controversy, but Anna and Cindy said they haven’t received any backlash thus far.
Anna: “We were very nervous about going all in on the women-only, but we found it has become necessary. There are enough spaces for men. I have a lot of gay male friends and they’re very understanding. We thought this studio was going to be just about cycle syncing, but it’s become more than that. Before finding out that this is a cycle syncing studio, some women sigh with relief as soon as they find it’s women-only. The girls here feel safe.”
Cindy: “Anna and I were scared that the women-only concept would drive people away. Maybe a girl wants to work out with her boyfriend. There are also many single girls in LA with the hopes of maybe meeting someone in their Pilates class. We have many friends who met their boyfriends and baby daddies in workout classes. However, it’s been so amazing to see how many women are into this and feel safe and drawn to it. I’ve worked at so many workout studios in LA, and the energy is so different. Many girls get intimidated, especially if it’s their first time working out at a gym… They were always very guarded. There’s automatic safety here. We noticed that right away.”
If it’s your first time at FOLM and you’re not sure what class to take, Cindy says:
“It’s that voice. How do you feel? During my period, I like to work out because it makes me feel good. Some people don’t. They come in, they do the sauna, use the vibration plate and leave. We’re so different. The reason as to why there aren’t that many studies done on us is because women are so complex. There is no unique answer, and that’s why many people are against cycle syncing. Just ask yourself, ‘What do I want to do?’”
If you, like me, get REALLY bad period cramps on the first day of your cycle, Cindy says: “I would take either the Mat Sculpt & Lengthen class or the Reformer Sculpt & Lenghten class. We also have yoga on Sundays. If you have cramps but you’re feeling more energized, take the Barrelates class. From there, it’s all the other harder classes.”
Cindy continues: “The Activate & Lift (Circuit Training) class is a circuit with five stations. You have two exercises per station. When there’s a station with weights, you move slower. The slower the better. If there’s a station where there are jumping jacks, you go fast. Cardio bursts are amazing for your body. Everything is controlled and timed. When you go fast with the weights, that’s when you get hurt.”
Anna: “Sometimes I like to take the circuit class when I’m in my luteal phase because you’re focusing on it at your own pace and you can take it as slow as you want. Our whole ethos is to listen to your body. Everybody’s hormones fluctuate. If you’re feeling more energized, you can also do the Mat Power & Strength class. The Mat Sculpt & Lengthen is a little slower and lighter.”
FOLM is located in the up-and-coming Melrose Hill. Initially, FOLM was going to be located in the San Fernando Valley, which Cindy loves. But with such stiff competition on Ventura Blvd., where a new Pilates studio seems to pop up every month compared to the fitness desert of Melrose Hill, Anna and Cindy couldn’t be any happier with their choice.
Cindy: “There are so many communities and people who live here, but the nearest Pilates studio in this radius is in Larchmont, and that’s it.”
Anna: “I’ve lived all around LA, and I love the Eastside. My fiancé’s ex roommate and best friend opened his restaurant Little Fish down the street. Anna, the co-owner, said: ‘You have to open your studio here. I know the landlord.’ We got connected through them. Me and Cindy looked in the Valley, but it was very oversaturated. I don’t think it would have worked out there. We poured all our money into this, and we couldn’t be happier to be in this community. The business owners in the area have been so supportive.”
Cindy, who’s also a nutritionist, makes her own bone broth. It’s usually available at the studio, but she had sold out when I went that day. “I’m dropping my next batch in February,” she said.
To relieve period cramps, Anna said: “I like to stay warm: drinking Cindy’s bone broth, eating more calories, but keeping it warm and digestible. Moving too, it really does help.”
Cindy: “A warm heated pad, my bone broth, warm teas, our sauna and getting good sleep, which I don’t get to do that much lately.”
Three days later, I went to a barre class at a newly opened women-only studio in West Hollywood. As we were working out, we were privy to everything happening on the street: Coco robots cruising by, curious passersby lingering a bit too long, and cars waiting three light cycles to make a turn at the intersection. In the room, the lighting was harsh, the instructor’s cues were drowned out by the techno music, and the class felt like a replica of Pure Barre. There wasn’t any warmth to the space. Even a burning incense stick can make a huge difference!
The little details matter as much as the workout itself – and Anna and Cindy understood the assignment with FOLM.
Favorite places in LA
Anna, born and raised in Toronto, moved to Los Angeles almost six years ago from New York. Cindy was born in Colombia, but has been living in Los Angeles most of her life. These are their favorite places.
Anna: “My favorite place in LA is my sister’s house because I love her. For restaurants, I love Little Fish. In Studio City, I love Yume Sushi Bar. It’s the cleanest, best sushi. So chill and sooo good. The best. For a date night, I love JONES in West Hollywood. I’m Canadian and I love hikes and the outdoors. I love the Baldwin Hills hike in West Adams. Not the stairs! There’s a whole park inside. I also like the Nicholas Canyon hike.
Cindy: “Bar Etoile. Their food is incredible. I love to get the beef tartare and the crudo. I also like to order the steak frites medium rare. So yummy. For dessert, I like their raspberry sorbet – it’s also really good. I like to have a glass of wine every time I’m there. Just red wine. I usually let my server choose. I love Little Fish for lunch. Ugh! It’s so good. If you go for lunch, their steak salad is to die for. Then the fish sandwich, the tuna sandwich, and a side of fries. Yes, you should definitely get that if you go.”
“Cafe Telegrama has the best burger in the world. It’s like a fancy upgraded Big Mac. You have to try it. Their matcha is incredible, and their tuna sandwich is incredible too.”
“For places, I like to hike. They just reopened Los Leones in Pacific Palisades. I also like Fryman Canyon and walking down Ventura Boulevard. Grab a coffee and just walk around the little shops. There are so many families and I just love it so much.”
Note: Grip socks are mandatory and late entries are not permitted, so plan accordingly. Surprisingly, there’s plenty of street parking and I’ve never had issues finding a meter.
Folm Studio: Website and Instagram
Address: 536 N Western Avenue. Los Angeles, CA, 90004
