What to Wear to your First Aerial Class
Snug top, leggings that cover the back of your knees, no jewelry, hair pulled back, and skip the lotion this morning. The longer answer is below — but if you only remember those five things, you'll be fine.
Walking into your first aerial class is a little like showing up to your first day at a new job — you want to dress right, but you’re not totally sure what “right” means. We get this question almost every week, so we put together the full answer here.
The short version: snug top, leggings or joggers that cover the back of your knees, no jewelry, hair pulled back, and skip the lotion. If you only take five things from this guide, those are the five.
The longer version is more useful, though, because aerial isn’t a uniform discipline. What you wear for silks isn’t the same as what you wear for straps, and what works for trapeze might not work for hammock. Here’s what we tell new students.
The five non-negotiables
These apply to every aerial discipline we teach. Think of them as the floor — meet these and you’ll have a good first class. Skip them and you’ll either be uncomfortable or get pulled aside before you can even climb.
1. Snug-fitting top that covers your stomach. Aerial moves involve a lot of inversions — you’re going to be upside down, sideways, and twisting in ways your body doesn’t normally move. A loose t-shirt will end up in your face, over your head, or worse, snagged on a piece of apparatus while you’re suspended. A fitted tank, sports bra, or compression top stays put. The stomach coverage matters because most beginner aerial wraps and conditioning happens with the apparatus in direct contact with your skin around your waist and ribs. Bare skin against silk or rope is fine in small amounts, but for an hour-long class it gets uncomfortable fast.
2. Leggings or joggers that cover the back of your knees. This is the one that surprises people. The single most common move in beginner aerial — across silks, lyra, trapeze, and hammock — is some variation of hanging from your knees. The fabric or metal will press into the back of your knee for several seconds at a time. Without coverage, you’ll get pinch marks, friction burns, or just enough discomfort that you can’t focus on the technique. Long leggings, capris that go past the knee, or loose joggers all work. Shorts and bike shorts don’t.
3. No jewelry — and that means everything. Rings can scratch the apparatus or, more importantly, scratch you when you grip and the metal twists against your finger. Necklaces tangle in silks. Earrings catch on hair, fabric, and rigging hardware. Watches and fitness trackers are a real injury risk if a strap catches. Take it all off before class. If you forget, your coach will ask you to set it aside.
4. Hair pulled back, away from your face and neck. Long hair gets wrapped around silks faster than you’d think. Even a quick inversion can get a strand caught in a wrap, and unwinding it mid-air is awkward at best, painful at worst. A high ponytail, braid, or bun all work. If your hair is too short to tie back, a headband keeps it off your face.
5. No lotion, oil, or heavy moisturizer the day of class. This one isn’t about your comfort — it’s about your grip. Aerial relies on friction. Lotion on your hands or arms means you slide off the apparatus. Lotion on your legs means leg locks don’t catch. Same goes for tanning oils and heavy body butters. If you have to moisturize, do it the night before so your skin has time to absorb it. Day-of, just water and a clean towel.
What’s different by discipline
Once you’ve nailed the five basics, fine-tune based on what you’re actually doing.
Silks. Long sleeves are optional but a lot of students prefer them once they progress past the absolute beginner stage. Silks involve wrapping fabric around your arms, and after twenty minutes of conditioning, the fabric can leave red marks or mild rope burn. A long-sleeved compression top — or even just a tighter long-sleeve athletic shirt — eliminates this entirely. You don’t need it for your first class, but if you decide to keep coming, plan to add one to your kit.
Lyra (the metal hoop). Same rules as silks, but with extra emphasis on full leg coverage. Lyra involves draping yourself over a steel ring, and bare skin against metal during a hold is rough. Thicker leggings, joggers, or even soft-shell pants work better than thin lululemon-style fabrics for this discipline.
Trapeze and aerial straps. These need the same body coverage but with a focus on grip. Bring chalk if you have it (we have some at the studio if you don’t), and wear something with sleeves that cover the inside of your elbows — straps especially can pinch there during certain positions.
Hammock. The most forgiving discipline for clothing. The fabric is wide and supportive, so you have more contact area and less risk of pinch points. A standard tank-and-leggings setup works fine. Socks are generally ok for most tricks.
Wall harness and stunt training. Different rules apply because you’re wearing a harness over your clothes. Athletic wear that fits close enough not to bunch under the harness is what you want. Avoid anything with hood drawstrings or loose fabric around your waist — the harness needs a clean line to sit properly.
What to bring
Beyond what you wear, here’s what we suggest packing in your bag for your first class:
A water bottle. The studio has a fountain and paper cups, but a bottle is easier and more eco friendly. Aerial is more cardio than people expect — the first time, you’ll be surprised how thirsty you get.
A small towel for your own comfort if you sweat a lot.
Snacks for after. New aerialists are often surprised by how hungry they are when class ends. Aerial recruits muscles you don’t typically use, and your body burns more than you’d expect. A protein bar or piece of fruit in your bag prevents the post-class crash.
That’s it. You don’t need to buy specialty aerial wear, branded grip socks, or anything else. Workout clothes you already own work fine.
What you don’t need to worry about
We get a lot of pre-class anxiety from new students about things that don’t actually matter. To save you the worry:
You don’t need to be flexible. We teach flexibility. We don’t expect you to walk in with it.
You don’t need upper body strength. We build it. Many of our adult students start at zero and build pulling strength over their first few months of classes.
You don’t need to weigh a certain amount. Aerial works for every body type. Our adult classes have students from 100 to 250+ pounds, and the apparatus and rigging are rated well above any of those numbers.
You don’t need to know any moves before showing up. The first class is for learning the foundations. If you walked in already knowing things, we’d just be teaching you the same things differently.
A note on shoes
Most aerial happens barefoot or in grip socks. We recommend going barefoot for your first class so you can feel exactly how your feet need to engage with the apparatus. After your first class, if you find your feet are getting tired or the floor is uncomfortable, look into grip socks — there are a hundred brands and they all work fine. Just look for ones with rubber dots on the bottom and an open-toe design. Regular socks are also ok, but they can be a little slippery.
The summary, one more time
Snug top. Leggings past the knees. No jewelry. Hair back. No lotion. Water bottle, towel, snack. Show up barefoot. That’s it.
Your first class will feel intense, in the best way. You’ll be surprised by how strong you already are, and where you’re not. You’ll laugh more than you expect. By the end you’ll be tired, slightly bruised, and almost certainly already thinking about coming back.
We’ll see you on the silks.
Ready to book your first class? Visit our calendar to find a beginner aerial class that fits your schedule. First-time visitors can purchase a discounted trial pack, 3 classes for $99 — drop in, see how it feels, and decide from there.