Allure Philippines’ Wellness Week Rides High with Indoor Cycling
The session showed how sweat, sound, and stillness can reset both body and mind.
Imagine you’re in a club. There are strobe lights and colorful LED strips pulsing overhead. The bass thumps through upbeat remixes, and people move together in rhythm, sweat gleaming under the glow.
You’d think it’s 11 P.M. in Poblacion. But it’s actually 11 A.M. on a Wednesday, and instead of cocktails, riders are gripping handlebars and pedaling hard at Electric Studio.
This was the scene at this stop of Allure Philippines’ Wellness Week, where movement took center stage through an indoor cycling session led by the ever-energetic Raisa Ver-Bibal, who has been an indoor cycling instructor with Electric Studio since 2015. As she shouted, “The ride is yours, own it!” the room answered with cheers, whoops, and legs pushing through the beat.
A ride into wellness
Kieran Punay
The indoor cycling class is part of Allure Philippines’ Wellness Week, where Allure is bringing together beauty, fitness, and mindfulness, proving that wellness is as much about community and fun as it is about health.
For many, indoor cycling can be intimidating. But Ver-Bibal is quick to debunk myths: It’s not just about the legs. It’s a full-body ride. “You really need power and movement on your lower legs,” she explains. “But our format is specifically designed so you get to move all parts of your body.”
Push-ups on the handlebars are done and dumbbells are incorporated in the ride to work the upper body, and the cool down has stretches that open up the chest and spine. The bike becomes a tool for total-body movement.
“I thought it was just a core and leg workout,” admits licensed pharmacist Arshie Larga, who tried indoor cycling for the first time. “But it’s actually a whole-body workout pala.”
To him, it was as relaxing as it was energetic. “There were moments when the instructor would turn off the lights,” he describes. “You have this sense of zen. Parang at peace ka and then you really have your thoughts in.”
“It’s not just physical,” Ver-Bibal chimes in. “I would say [the workout is] also mental and emotional.”
For seasoned rider Ashley Cayuca, founder and creative director of Just Show Up Club, the challenge was the thrill. “It was super challenging, but I love a good challenge,” she says. And yes, for her, it’s not just physical too. It’s also a mental reset. “Every workout is,” she affirms.
The music, the movement, the mind
“We always say, we ride to the beat of the music,” Ver-Bibal tells Allure Philippines. “The music and the beat guides how fast or how slow you’re going to move.” It makes the ride not just physical, but also mindful.
“Music is really an integral part of the workout,” she reiterates. A remix can push you through a steep climb, and a soulful ballad can ground you during a cooldown. “Even if the workout is hard, the music powers you through,” she adds. “Our goal is to be able to move with the community, be able to move with the music, be inspired by the people you’re riding with, and be able to get into a mentally energizing state.”
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A cathartic finish
By the end of the ride, the riders, flushed and breathless, swayed into stretches as Ver-Bibal reminded them to smile at themselves. Her voice softened as Niki’s Backburner played in the background: “It’s okay to just scream,” she encouraged the riders. They all did.
And with that, this part of Allure Philippines’ Wellness Week closes not just with stronger legs and sore arms, but also with lighter hearts. Because here, wellness is not just a workout. It is a release, a reminder, and a ride worth owning.
