SoulCycle's Founders on Happiness, Their Home, and Food
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Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler are the founders of SoulCycle, a high-end spinning studio with a cult following, including celebrities like Lady Gaga and Kelly Ripa. The indoor cycling experience includes a candlelit studio, upper-body and core movements, and tons of dance music (grooving and cheering is encouraged). The queens of spin launched their company in 2005 and have expanded across the nation from coast to coast with plans to open nine more studios next year. Besides envy-inducing gym bodies and a thriving business (you can buy said studio candles, which have been designed by the likes of Jonathan Adler, as well as other SoulCycle gear), these humble-as-pie ladies love nothing more than gabbing over their mutual obsession-frozen yogurt.
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1. What is your favorite smell?
Elizabeth Cutler: Orange blossom.
Julie Rice: Banana Boat tanning oil meets saltwater.
2. What do you consider to be the epitome of happiness?
EC: Hiking in the mountains alone after a summer rain and a beautiful sunset on the beach among family and friends.
JR: Sitting in a dark Broadway theater watching any musical while nibbling on Twizzlers and Junior Mints with my oldest daughter, Phoebe.
3. How do you define luxury?
EC: A comfy bed with well-worn linens. Nothing feels more decadent at the end of the day.
JR: Long summer days on Fire Island with my husband Spencer and our two daughters. Life is slow. No cars, no computers, just sunshine and family time. The pace of nowhere to be...feels luxurious.
4. What is the last dream you remember?
EC: I was flying. I love those dreams.
JR: Sadly, I don't sleep soundly enough to make it to dreams! I am a 'wake up in the middle of the night and jot down an idea' type of gal!
5. What's your favorite childhood memory?
EC: My parents gave me a mini motorcycle for my tenth birthday. I rode it for years until I learned to drive a car. We lived in a converted barn next to a field. The sense of freedom has always stayed with me.
JR: My parents were both teachers so we used to travel (by car) around the East Coast all summer long. I loved being in the back seat with my pillows and stuffed animals and my family around me. Slightly sunburnt, sticky from ice cream and totally relaxed. I still love road trips today.
6. What is the last book you read and loved?
EC: I am loving Jill Kargman.
JR: My husband and I have been reading (and loving) a book called Getting The Love You Want by Harville Hendrix. It is a how-to book that teaches couples how to communicate at a higher level. Total life changer.
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7. Describe your home's aesthetic.
EC: Modern and easy.
JR: I have a 1-year-old, Parker, so these days it's West Village loft-meets-Gymboree.
8. What are your vices?
EC: Frozen yogurt-thanks to Julie. Chocolate-thanks to the ancient Mayans.
JR: Make-your-own frozen yogurt bars-there is no such thing as too many toppings!
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9. Describe yourself in five words or less.
EC: Optimistic, determined, cilantro-hating, enthusiastic, nurturer.
JR: Happy, obsessive, grateful, creative, can-do.
10. What possession will you never throw away?
EC: My wedding ring.
JR: A photo my husband surprised me with ten years ago. He was on one knee on his surfboard and had carved 'Will You Marry Me?' in the sand. Best gift ever.
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