Skip to content

Seattle’s Most Unusual Workouts

As the cold weather returns, stay active with one of these next-level indoor activities

By Maggie Kerr October 30, 2018

1_75

This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the November 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Tech has taken over for timber as Seattle’s dominant industry, but a new recreational activity in town—axe throwing, a sport in lumberjack competitions for decades—promises to bring out the grizzled woodsman in whoever gives it a try. It’s “the true Pacific Northwest experience,” says Dave Quinn, who opened the area’s first axe-throwing venue, Axe Kickers (from $20/hour; White Center, 10843 First Ave. S, 570.245.8361), in July. The nearly 3,000-square-foot facility offers nine (fenced, naturally) lanes for taking aim at a wooden bullseye with National Axe Throwing Federation (NATF)–standard 1.25- to 1.75-pound axes. 

Scoring is similar to that for a game of darts. Something to consider for your next birthday—or bachelor—party: Axe throwing is both safety-certified by the NATF and suitable for ages 10 and older.

If flinging hatchets isn’t your thing, add some bounce to your routine with the first bungee studio to open on the West Coast. In August, founder and dancer Tiffany Kung opened her Lower Queen Anne studio, Coreo Fitness (from $35; 508 First Ave. N, 206.717.2894), on the hunch that this workout trend from Thailand would be a great fit in Seattle, a town where high-energy exercise such as hot yoga and barre class is the modus operandi. Strapped into sturdy harnesses hooked into the ceiling with a bungee cord, students are led in hourlong classes through a core-building, low-impact, high-cardio workout that provides constant resistance (imagine Jane Fonda meets Peter Pan). No more excuses that working out isn’t fun.

HANGING OUT: A student learns a move called “the chandelier” at a bungee workout class at Coreo Fitness. Photo by Karya Schanilec

Follow Us

Eccentric Scents

Eccentric Scents

Lucky thirteen.

Known for his devotion to beauty and patronage of the arts, King Ludwig II is the strange inspiration behind Immortal Perfumes’ newest scent. Developed by Seattle perfumer (and lover of history and literature) Jen Siems, Swanstone Reverie marks the brand’s 13th anniversary, opening “with the sparkle of champagne and ghostly violets, unfurling into a heart…

A Different Way To Date

A Different Way To Date

What happens when dating apps surface real-life chemistry instead of profiles.

The perils of contemporary dating—especially trying to find love, or lust, online—are widely known. Exhausting, disappointing, and in some cases dangerous, swiping on strangers has become the ubiquitous norm. Amelia Bonow, founder of the Shout Your Abortion campaign, hopped on the apps during the pandemic and soon found herself underwhelmed by the selection. “I realized…

In Praise of Winter Solstice

In Praise of Winter Solstice

Five ways to welcome the longest night with intention.

I dreaded the arrival of winter for most of my life. The cold, dark days left me feeling claustrophobic and daydreaming of sunnier days. For years, I fled the Northern Hemisphere during the darkest and coldest months of the year, chasing warmer climates. Eventually my winter escapism caught up to me. I realized I was…

Skip the Sales

Skip the Sales

Spend Black Friday doing something that feels good and keeps you grounded.

Black Friday deals seem to arrive earlier and earlier. This year, I spotted pre-Black Friday sales creeping into my inbox as early as October. While I don’t mind a good deal on something I need, excess sales promote over-consumerism that leaves me feeling empty.  Skip the Black Friday frenzy altogether and embrace a season of…