Pole-dancing may have a colorful reputation, but these days, it's gaining notoriety as a great form of exercise — thanks in large part to the hit movie "Hustlers," in which Jennifer Lopez's Ramona teaches her protegé (Constance Wu) the secrets of her impressive, challenging routines. 

Experts say pole dancing is one of the most challenging workouts you can do; it took J.Lo months to nail her "Hustlers" routine. That appears to have inspired other exercisers: Searches for "pole dancing class" in the Bay Area have risen 54% over the past year, according to Google Trends.

With interest on the rise among the city's health and wellness mavens, we scoured data from the fitness subscription service ClassPass to find the best spot in town to try it: the "Intro to Pole" class at VRV3 Studios, which is the most frequently offered pole dancing class in the Bay Area. 

Want to try this class, and dozens of other unique fitness offerings? ClassPass gives you access to thousands of studios, gyms and wellness services where you live, work and travel.

Intro to Pole at VRV3 Studios

520 Haight Street, Haight and 1419 Stockton St., Russian Hill

VRV3 Studios offers "Intro to Pole" classes 38 times a month at its two San Francisco locations. The studio aims to “erase the stigma of pole dance by fostering a creative space where clients can learn about this unique fitness regime that combines artistry and strength,” according to ClassPass.

The 75-minute pole dancing course is available at least once every weekday at various times — but be aware, the evening sessions tend to be more crowded, according to ClassPass data. The average class size is four people, but the studio can support up to 15 students at a time.

The city’s Yelpers give VRV3 Studios positive ratings, with 91% of its 53 reviews coming in at five stars.

In February, reviewer Jess Y. wrote, “Everyone is positive and encouraging. I was kind of hesitant to try pole dance classes because I'm not the most flexible or graceful person, but it was just a ton of fun.”

However, some reviewers were lukewarm on the studio space. As Yelper Lulu Y. noted in July, "The teachers were very instructive on pole dancing — unfortunately, I don't think their facilities were that good.”

Interested in trying it out? VRV3 suggests you show up 15 minutes before the scheduled class time, and recommends wearing shorts and a tank top.

If you're ready to take on the challenge, you can sign up on ClassPass. To learn more about VRV3 Studios, visit the venue on Instagram (vrv3studios), Twitter and Facebook.

Does pole dancing have a place in your weekly workouts, or do you walk an alternative path-less-traveled when it comes to fitness? Tell us about it in the comments!

Hoodline, a Nextdoor company, offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities and neighborhoods. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.