Chi Junky is Toronto’s first full-service, music-forward studio, and they are now approaching their 12th year of operation. In that time, they’ve become a fixture in the city’s wellness landscape. They’re known for their music-driven classes that inspire people through mindful movement. We spoke with Rachelle Wintzen, the founder of Chi Junky, to learn more about her own health journey and her passion for wellness.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Chi Junky opened in 2014 as Toronto’s first premium full-service, music-forward movement studio.
All our classes include complimentary Lululemon mats and halfmoon premium props. We also provide alkaline water on tap, water glasses, and towels for guests. Plus, we do all the set up and clean up, so all you have to do is show up. Our classes are so much more than just a workout; we aim to create a unique experience with curated playlists and movement that revitalizes the body and the soul, in a space that invites you to feel like your home away from home. We offer a variety of movement classes ranging from yoga to Pilates to powerful breathwork to body weight workouts, and even aim to bring to light rarer movement practices, like ELDOA. Each class experience is infused with our own unique take – whether it’s our signature Chi Revival class that blends dance cardio, breathwork, and moving meditations with an inspiring playlist to match, or The Magic Hour that brings together our dreamscape restorative setup with sound, breath, and alternative healing techniques like EFT tapping to help calm the nervous system. As a music-forward studio, we believe that the music is just as important as the movement and together help to release tension, stress, and emotion, allowing your Chi (energy) to feel revitalized. We often take our music offering to the next level with live music events that include your fave acoustic guitar cover songs, cello, violin, sound baths with gongs, crystal bowls, percussive instruments, and even electric violin!
What made you want to do this work?
This studio was born from my own personal experiences and journey to finding my own healthy lifestyle. At 20 years old, I moved to NYC to pursue dance professionally. After two years, injuries ended my career and left me suffering from deep depression, feeling like I had no purpose. I began working in the A-list New York City nightlife scene and was immediately under its spell. I developed a dependency that turned into an addiction to hard drugs and alcohol. After many years of suffering, I knew that if I didn’t leave this lifestyle, I wouldn’t live to see past my 30th birthday. Through many small moments of grace and divine intervention, I met my mentor, Gil Jacobs. By immersing myself under his tutelage, I transformed my life through holistic modalities, nutrition, and yoga. It was this 180° transformation that allowed me to experience true vitality, my Chi (or prana, meaning life force energy) and a newfound love for life.
I took these philosophies and used them as the foundation for Chi Junky. It became my life’s mission to create a space that brought the same healing I was able to find and the inspiration that no matter how impossible it may seem, it is never too late to change. Chi Junky was born in New York City in 2010.
I chose the name Chi Junky to reflect my own personal experiences and change the narrative around addiction into something positive – to become addicted to something good, your Chi, and to live a vibrant, healthy lifestyle full of vitality every day.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
The biggest challenge I wanted to address was the gap in the market for this specific type of movement experience. I wanted to create the class experience that I so desperately needed when I was finding my footing again. I fell in love with the movement that yoga offered, but missed the power of moving to music from my time as a dancer. Movement, fuelled by music, was always the way I worked through my emotions. I took the foundations of yoga, Pilates, and dance and created blended classes that resonated with people in a way that more traditional movements may have not.
While respecting the tradition and philosophies of each modality, I wanted to create classes that allowed people the freedom to move in a way that feels best for them.
The other problem I aimed to solve with Chi Junky was making it as easy as possible to get to class, which is why we are a full-service studio and we don’t have a late policy. The one thing that kept me from getting to class at the end of a long day was everything I had to remember to bring with me around the city – my gym bag, water bottle, yoga mat, a change of clothes…it’s all just too much.
Not to mention, if I showed up a minute late, I couldn’t enjoy the class I spent my whole day looking forward to. Or if I did get to a class, I’d have to rent a mat or towels or buy water, and my costs suddenly skyrocketed.
Everyone’s lives just seem to be getting busier and more complicated, which is why we tell our guests you can literally just show up in clothes that feel good to move in, and we take care of everything else. We set up our classes with the appropriate number of mats and props, we offer water, towels and glasses all complimentary, and we clean up everything for you after class. Over the last few ears many studios in Toronto have started to adopt this concept, but I am proud to say Chi Junky was the first!
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Chi Junky offers such a range of classes that we have something for everyone and every body.
Our instructors have so many years of teaching experience and training under them that we really pride ourselves on being able to support our community however they show up on any given day. In any class, you can see a mother and her teenage daughter, a person taking their first class, someone recovering from injury, and more. We aim to be a space that allows people to show up exactly as they are.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
Our main offering is our in-studio classes; we are open 7 days a week, with 30 classes a week. We provide a variety of class packs and memberships, with the intention of catering to our communities’ vastly different needs. We have a 3-class introductory offer, 5- and 10-class packs, limited memberships (4 or 8 classes/month), and an unlimited membership, which offers amazing perks from guest passes to discounts at local neighbourhood businesses.
We offer a library of 125 pre-recorded classes via our on-demand website – available 24/7 at the click of a button, giving you the ability to step into your Chi, from anywhere in the world.
You can also find our Chi Swag in-studio, where we partner with local businesses to create some of our beloved merchandise, like our baseball hats, sweatshirts, and tote bags. We also have our own signature scent, available as an essential oil or candle, that was made in partnership with fellow local, woman-founded small business, LOHN.
Finally, we love to curate private events for corporate and personal clients, having hosted product launches, retreats, and workshops.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
70 McGee St. – tucked away on a quiet residential street in the east end neighbourhood, Riverside, Toronto.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
What makes Chi Junky different from any other studio?
The short answer would be:
– Our full-service offering – the “just show up” attitude means we take care of everything for you (set up, clean up, mats, props, towels, water – you name it, we’ve got it for you)
– Our range of classes – from sweaty classes with beats pumping to magical restorative experiences that include gongs and tarot cards to Pilates with moving meditation, we’ve got something for everyone
Our long answer would include that we are so much more than just a place to exercise. We foster connection, inviting our community to connect not just with us, but to themselves. We pride ourselves on the fact that our instructors and team will remember your name when you come to class. We get that everyone is moving at a different pace on any given day and that showing up – even if it’s imperfectly – is the only thing that matters.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The parts I wholeheartedly love the most are teaching and creating new classes. These give me the greatest feeling that I don’t get anywhere else in my life, and it’s such a big part of why I started the studio. The energy in the room, curating the music, and having the people who take your classes tell you how it has helped them through some of the toughest times in their lives or how much joy they get from it – it’s an indescribable feeling. After teaching for 14 years, this is what keeps me going, no matter how hard being a small business owner can be.
Which, coincidentally, is the hardest part – the responsibility and hard work that it takes to be a small business owner with a brick and mortar in Toronto. No one can prepare you for how difficult this job really is and how much sacrifice goes into it, most of which goes largely unnoticed. We feel the impact of a slowing economy every single day and recognize that the rising cost of doing business is a challenge that all small studios are facing today. We know our customers are feeling the pressure of rising costs too, so I’m always thinking about how we grow our business in a way that feels sustainable for us, but also for our community.
On the days that I feel really burnt out, the people who show up to take class at Chi – our wonderful community – they keep me going!
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
That owning your own business allows you to make your own schedule, be your own boss, and do whatever you want…which actually looks like working 80+ hours a week because you’re thinking about everything from ordering toilet paper to your business’s growth strategy.
Where can we follow you?
Instagram: @chi_junky and @rachellewintzen | Website | Spotify
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Mila Coffee bar! Hannah and Marv have created a fantastic business that we LOVE. They built a mobile cafe that brings a complete espresso bar to your event or space. They leave a minimal footprint and seamlessly integrate with any environment. Not to mention, they serve up some of the best espresso beverages I have had. The quality is top-notch, and they are the nicest duo around. I can’t recommend them enough.
