Hanging Around

By Lisa Arnett
January 2026 View more Discover

Give aerial fitness a whirl at these three studios

AIR Naperville

236 S. Washington St., Naperville

When Allison Gregoire took her first aerial fitness class at AIR Naperville in 2021, she had just moved to town from Atlanta. “I didn’t really know anybody and I didn’t have a gym.” she says. “I saw a Facebook ad for AIR and I thought, I’ll go try this for a week.” She fell in love with aerial fitness, and four years later, she’s now the studio owner. “It’s my passion project; I do it while I also work my corporate day job,” she says. “I never pictured myself as a fitness instructor, but it is something that has brought so much joy to my life. Beyond the workout, it’s really about the community and the friendships that are built here.”

AIR has 13 locations around the country, four of which are in the Chicago area. Gregoire values the “come as you are” vibe here in Naperville. “We are not a cliquey studio; we are not an influencer studio,” she says. “If you want to come in your matching set, then great—but you can come in your T-shirt and your sweatpants and wear what you feel good in. No one is judging you.” All classes make use of aerial hammocks, swaths of fabric that hang from the ceiling to suspend, invert, and support students as they work out.

AIR offers three types of classes for adults: Foundation, Flow, and Barre. In Foundation, you’ll use the hammock to do exercises such as crunches, lunges, planks, and burpees. “We might add in weights, balls, or bands to take things up a notch,” Gregoire says. Flow is a yoga-based class focused on stretching and breathing. “It’s more meditative, and if you come in the evening, we put out fake candles, and it’s so relaxing,” she says. Lastly, Barre is a ballet-inspired class using the hammock for support instead of a traditional ballet barre. Twice a month, the studio offers an Intro to AIR class 10:30 a.m. Sundays. “This is great to start with if you’re really nervous because we really slow it down,” Gregoire says. “You can be a first-timer who has never been on an aerial hammock and has never been upside down.”

Good to know: New students can try out a variety of classes with a seven-day unlimited pass ($25) and then take advantage of the studio’s one-month new client rate of $99. After that, you can pay the drop-in rate per class ($30) or sign up for class packages (starting at $145 for five classes) or memberships ranging from $89 for four classes a month to $180 a month for unlimited access (airfitnow.com/naperville). AIR Naperville also has a robust youth program for kids ages 6 to 17, including summer and winter break camps.

Rise Aerial Fitness & Yoga

12337 Illinois Route 59, Plainfield

Nadja Lalvani is the first to say that her career hasn’t been linear; she’s worked as a flight attendant, retail manager, campaign finance manager, and even the spokesperson for the City of Naperville. She started practicing yoga about 20 years ago and teaching full-time about 14 years ago. “I see Rise as a sanctuary disguised as a fitness studio,” Lalvani says. “I want it to be intentionally intimate and rooted in the truth and authenticity of what yoga is. Yoga is very personal to me; my father who passed away a few years ago was from India, and it’s part of my culture and lineage.”

Rise’s first location opened in 2018 in Joliet, followed by this Plainfield location in summer 2023; Lalvani purchased the Plainfield studio in fall 2023 and is now owner. “We teach yoga, barre, Pilates, and aerial, and we relate them to the four elements. Aerial is our air element,” she says. Newbies can start with the beginner-friendly Aerial Foundations class to learn how to use an aerial hammock. “Just like when you come into yoga and you create a relationship with your mat, you build a relationship with your hammock,” Lalvani says. “You learn how to work with it and you have to learn how to trust it.” Other class options include Aerial Barre (using the hammock like a ballet barre), and Aerial Flow, which Lalvani describes as “like a yoga class, but with the hammock as your prop, like a block or a bolster.”

Good to know: New students can try out three classes for $49 or a month of unlimited classes for $99. “It’s a great way to explore the space and find your rhythm and what resonates with you,” Lalvani says. The drop-in rate for aerial classes is $35, and membership options range from a $150 six-class pack to unlimited classes for $149 per month (riseaerialfitness.com).

Tease Dance & Fitness

4014 Fox Valley Center Drive, Aurora

This Aurora studio has earned its place as a fixture in the aerial arts community since founder Kristin French opened its doors in 2006. French recently passed the torch to new owner Mahja Sulemanjee, a member of her teaching staff. “I’ve been doing aerial arts for the past 14 years for fitness and a hobby, and it’s become a huge passion of mine,” says Sulemanjee, who has business experience in the health care and cannabis industries.

The Tease staff teaches burlesque and pole dancing as well as three different aerial apparatus: lyra, silks, and sling. “Lyra is a circle hoop that’s in the air,” Sulemanjee says. “That’s a really phenomenal activity to do, and it’s really fun and a little more circus oriented.” Silks are long pieces of fabric that you can twist and knot to provide varying support, while the sling (a fabric loop, also called a hammock) can be more accessible for beginners.

“I hear people say, ‘Oh, I’m not strong enough to try this yet; I’ll have to get stronger before I come,’ ” Sulemanjee says. “Well, you don’t have to be strong to come to class; you get strong coming to class. They really see their strength build within just a few short weeks.”

Good to know: Newcomers can try a one-time Teaser class ($35) to meet the staff and check out the aerial apparatuses to see what they like best. The next step is to sign up for a four-class Essentials series ($99) in your apparatus of choice: silks, sling, or hoop. After that, you can enroll in beginner level classes and work your way up to intermediate and advanced (teasedance andfitness.com).

Photos: Azuree Holloway (AIR Naperville); Rise; Jenna Botwinski (Tease)