The iiCE Box
Latina-owned indoor cycling studio strives to foster inclusivity and diversity within their classes.
In the heart of the Design District lies a fitness studio that prides itself on the joy of Latin EDM. Marisol Garcia, owner of iiCE Fitness, clips into her bike centered on the podium to teach class in her neon matching sets. The room, packed with 34 passionate fitness-goers, lights up with rainbow-colored flashes of club-inspired lighting as the room fills with Garcia’s favorite Latin themed mixes. Her ponytail whips with every pedal and choreographed move she hits. Celebrating Garcia’s 28th birthday, the class fills with cheers and screams as brightly-colored confetti falls from the ceiling. The studio door opens, and five men in matching, red-velvet suits who play for a traditional Latin banda enter. Looking around, you could see the smiles on all of the riders’ faces. The banda plays their instruments and Marisol leads the room to the end of their workout.
iiCE Fitness brings a new meaning to community in the fitness industry. Garcia received her cycling certification 10 years ago in her hometown in West Texas and has been teaching ever since. Her studio aims to create an inclusive and diverse immersive indoor cycling experience. Celebrating Mexican heritage, Garcia wanted to create a community of Latin culture here in Texas. The studio hosts Lunes Latinx every Monday and Es Viiernes Y El Cuerpo Lo Sabe every Friday. At iiCE, working out isn’t focused around numbers or calories. The powerful feeling felt when you walk outside the studio doors leaves riders feeling more accomplished than when they walked in. Garcia creates a supportive environment for her members by consistently motivating and encouraging them. “Some days I may not be feeling my best after a long day of work, but her words of encouragement during rides uplift me and make me want to do better,” says frequent rider Darian Castillo.
Growing up, Garcia says she was always heavier than the other kids. In an attempt to lose weight, she started attending indoor cycling classes during high school. After graduating, Garcia attended The University of Texas at Austin where she majored in architecture, due to her passion for aeronautics. In 2021, she went on to work for Corgan, an architecture firm in Dallas, and landed an additional job at John Reed Fitness as a cycling instructor. Working at John Reed fueled her to open up her own studio and create her own community. “The ah-hah moment was when somebody came up to me two months into teaching after a class and said ‘you have no idea what you’ve done for me and what you say in class, your message and energy, and passion has done for my life’,” Garcia says. She began to realize the impact she made on riders and ultimately made the decision to create something bigger. This led to the opening of her own sanctuary in 2023, iiCE Fitness.
Through the struggles of facing a bad accident and dealing with the challenges of opening her studio, Garcia continues to put others’ needs in front of hers. She mentors, motivates, and provides opportunities to those who ask for her help. “Marisol is a very kind and nurturing soul,” says lead instructor Danny Lopez. “She gives her absolute soul and sweat to what she has created and continues to pour love into the people she selects to be a part of her team.” The complete mind-body experience that iiCE provides keeps riders coming back for more everyday. “You zone out of your day-to-day life and clip into the potential you never knew you could reach,” says Lopez. “We emphasize to our riders the fact that the ‘iiCE box’ is a safe space that pushes you to work on yourself on a deeper level than just the physical.”
iiCE Fitness has accomplished creating a safe space for people of all backgrounds by creating a community where people from all backgrounds and cultures come together to reach their fitness goals. Garcia wanted to curate an atmosphere that goes beyond just four walls. “From the moment they walk into our space we want everyone to be greeted and treated with respect and kindness,” says studio manager Israel Cuellar. Garcia lays a supportive foundation within her studio. “Marisol’s ability to be so flexible and understanding really set her apart from the rest,” says Cuellar. “She is someone who will make herself available to anyone and will meet them halfway in whichever way possible.”
For Garcia, the future of iiCE is never-ending. She hopes to expand her business into an array of different fitness classes throughout Texas. “There’s so much demand for us to expand to another city,” says Garcia. “We have outgrown capacity and are expanding to 38 bikes.”
As Garcia continues to create the perfect getaway for riders, she puts emphasis on being vulnerable and allowing emotions to flow in the iiCE box. “The beauty of what we do here is being able to be vulnerable with my people,” says Garcia. “My authenticity, my presence, and my energy is what allows these riders to either relate or be inspired or motivated by the experience.” Riders continue to consistently show up and sell out Garcia’s classes, longing for the familial experience they get. “With each individual coming in for their own reason, we come together to encourage, uplift and support one another in our journeys,” says Castillo. “With our high-fives during the rides to screaming our lungs out to support a fellow rider, it truly feels like a family and somewhere I belong.”
