SPN Director, Jaime Cooke tells SO Magazine’s Lilly Croucher all about her journey to founding SPN, how pilates changed her life and what makes her studio so different…
With its pumping party tunes and Cali-chic vibes, SPN is the popular and very trendy boutique fitness studio on Camden Road, which prides itself on its unique holistic approach to health and wellbeing.
SPN, standing for Soul Power Nutrition, was founded by fitness entrepreneur, Jaime Cooke whose own wellness journey inspired her to start her own business.
Jaime moved to London from Calgary, Canada in 1999 and got into the wonderful world of fashion selling the indigenous Mukluk boots to high-end department stores and celebrities like Kate Moss.
After taking a break from fashion in order to decide what to do next, Jaime took a family holiday to Ibiza. Sadly she was involved in a car accident that saw her herniate three discs in her lower spine.
Through rehab and physiotherapy, Jaime found Pilates which she attributed to her remarkable recovery.
“I was seeing osteopaths and physios and constantly doing Pilates two to three times a week.
“After six months I went back to my neurosurgeon who was astonished by my recovery. I one hundred per cent believe it was the Pilates.”
Following her recovery, Jaime studied Pilates for two years in London and started teaching clients one to one to help other people who have suffered from lower back and spine problems.
“I always knew the benefits of Pilates but seeing it and experiencing it after going through my injuries makes me believe it was the right path for me, for sure.”
To further support her clients, Jaime became a Back4Good practitioner, specialising in using Pilates for those with back problems like disc pain and sciatica.
“As my clients were getting stronger, I was getting stronger so I was able to do the sports and activities I couldn’t do for a long time because of the accident.”
This strength is what led her to discover spin and house music which led her to create a spin studio with just four bikes with a large sound system in the cellar of her home.
With only a few clients at the start, word of mouth travelled fast, and the spin sessions grew from a just couple of classes a week to multiple a day.
Eventually, after two years, Jaime had over 400 clients coming to her home for spin classes and she knew the next step was to start her own studio.
In May 2018, Jaime opened SPN, on Camden Road. The boutique fitness studio boasts an indoor cycling studio with DJ lighting and a sound system, a floor studio, and a smoothie bar. It’s popular with men too who love the TRX and Spin classes.
“From the moment you walk in, to the moment you leave we try to create this beautiful community where everybody is welcome all ages, all demographics to this open space.”
The studio’s success has attracted celebrities like Davina McCall and Dame Kelly Holmes. It expanded to a second site in Sevenoaks in 2021.
SPN runs over 50 classes a week offering everything from spin, yoga, boxing, bar, TRX and, its newest edition, house hot yoga.
“This is a 60-minute class that uses infrared panels to heat the room to 38 degrees whilst you stretch, and hold poses.
“We use salt lamps, aromatherapy and house music so clients get all the benefits from the class,” says Jaime.
SPN prides itself on being different from your standard gym. For a start, the studio has a flexible payment method which allows its users to purchase ‘credits’ applicable to all classes on a pay-as-you-go system, plus there is no joining fee.
The boutique studio’s main USP is its focus on the client’s experience with front-of-house services, highly trained instructors, aromatherapy, refreshments, and, most prominently, its music.
Jaime is a trained house DJ, having played at Ministry of Sound, EGG and three clubs in Ibiza.
She now incorporates her DJing into her live spin and yoga classes, as well as specially curating house music playlists for all her classes.
“I believe we can get more out of our clients when they’re inspired through the movement and the music.
“The music creates energy and a really beautiful positive space.”
This year SPN’s annual summer retreat is in Ibiza in partnership with the London Sound Academy.
Participants will learn to DJ during a five-day beginners’ course along with yoga classes, beaches, and parties.
New clients can try SPN with the Weekly Unlimited Introductory offer for just £25 for seven classes over seven days.
For more information and to book a class, visit spn.fit
