Student becomes master at Winnetka’s AIR Aerial Fitness

After a month of being closed for renovations, Winnetka’s AIR Aerial Fitness, 549 Lincoln Ave., is open for business.

And besides a fresh coat of paint, the studio has welcomed a new owner in Lydia Zhang.

Zhang, along with the Winnetka-Northfield-Glencoe Chamber of Commerce, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the studio on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 11.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the grand reopening of AIR Aerial Fitness Winnetka and to welcome their new owner,” said Terry Dason, president of the chamber. 

AIR Aerial Fitness provides classes in hammock aerials, a type of aerial that is a long silk attached to the ceiling, in which participants swing and climb on the silk. The activity provides a work out, as well as an opportunity to be creative through movement. 

Recent changes made to the studio include benches and cubbies, a new rigging system and an updated bathroom. AIR hosted one of its first events, a Kids Olympics for children aged 6 and older, with a grand prize valued at $495. 

Zhang quickly went from the studio’s student to class instructor to owner of her own fitness studio, discovering aerial workouts in 2021. 

At first try, Zhang struggled with the aerial skill, thinking “I literally cannot get on this apparatus.” 

She, however, was determined, needing activity in a post-pandemic world. As she moved for school programs from San Francisco to New York to Singapore, she always found herself seeking out an aerials gym. 

“That was my consistency,” said Zhang, who is a Northwestern University graduate. 

At NU, she started attending the AIR Aerial Fitness location in Lincoln Park. 

“In my senior year, if you count the commute and everything, I was spending more time at AIR than all my schoolwork combined,” she said. 

Zhang got certified as an instructor, and then a month later, Erin Larson, the previous owner of AIR Aerial Fitness in Winnetka, reached out asking if she would be interested in buying the studio. 

“Before getting that offer, I had never stepped foot in Winnetka,” said Zhang. 

Today, Zhang is thrilled to be a part of Winnetka, eager to provide a family-friendly space for the whole community. 

“My vision for this space is to be like your lifelong movement home,” she said. “And originally, I was thinking you could be here from ages 6 to 60, but I think even that is too limited.”

Many are eager to have Zhang as an owner, including Veronica (Ronnie) Wilk, an instructor who has been in the space since 2016, when it was Yogi Barre. 

“Lydia is so gung-ho and amped about the studio; it just makes me even more excited,” said Wilk. 

The studio provides traditional classes, as well as rentable space for parties. 

Both Zhang and Wilk said that besides a good workout, aerials provide an opportunity to inspire confidence. 

“There is something about AIR and hammock aerials that doesn’t really seem logical or possible. It’s like magic,” said Zhang “When I see myself do things that I didn’t think were possible, it inspires confidence and just makes me think, ‘In life in general, what else can I do?’” 

The two both are encouraging the whole community to come to the studio for a class, noting hammock aerials accessibility and that anyone of any physical abilities can attend.

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