You put all your blood, sweat, and tears into every ballet class, but you still feel like you can improve further. You’re interested in buying a ballet barre for limbering up and practicing at home. What are the best ballet barres for home?
Here are the top 10 ballet barres for home use:
- Pottery Barn floor standing ballet barre
- Artan Balance ballet barre
- Flybold wall-mounted ballet barre
- Get Out! ballet barre
- Vita Barre Extreme Series
- Vita Vibe – Prodigy Series portable barre
- Pro Gymnastics ballet barre
- FulFit ballet barre
- Uboway ballet barre
- Vita Vibe single barre
In this extensive guide, we’ll review the 10 ballet barres above. Then we’ll delve into the advantages and disadvantages of wall-mounted vs. freestanding barres. There’s some very helpful information to come, including a barre buying guide, so keep reading!
The Best Ballet Barres for Home Use – Pros and Cons, Where to Buy, and Price
Without further ado, let’s jump into our selection of the best ballet barres for home use per the intro.
The Best Overall Barre – Pottery Barn Floor Standing Ballet Barre
If you want a durable, powerful, flexible barre, look no further than the Pottery Barn floor standing ballet barre for under $600.
You can select from two widths, four or five feet. The barre features a durable powder-coated metal frame with dual legs complete with rubber feet.
Two wooden bars extend the length of the ballet barre that are ideal for training, stretching, and limbering your way to your best ballet practice at home yet!
The stability of this barre is its top selling point by far. Besides the price, which is a little expensive for a barre, there’s not much to dislike!
The Best Portable/Freestanding Barre – Artan Balance Ballet Barre
For optimal flexibility when practicing ballet at home, the Artan balance ballet barre on Amazon is a top pick. For under $150, this high-quality single barre will help you become a better dancer at home.
You can adjust the height as needed, and the barre is so lightweight that carting it from one part of the house to another shouldn’t strain your muscles before your dance class.
The powder-coated steel tubing is scratch-resistant. The rubber feet are slip-resistant so you don’t have to worry about losing your footing.
Artan even designed the feet for stability and movement, as they’re curved to allow you to stretch your body more while you limber up!
The center wooden bar isn’t even wood, but more powder-coated steel designed with a realistic woodgrain finish. That’s a nice design touch for durability, but steel can certainly be cold on the hands at times!
The Best Wall-Mounted Barre – Flybold Wall-Mounted Ballet Barre
If you don’t mind a more permanent installation, then a wall-mounted ballet barre like this one from Flybold on Amazon ought to suit you perfectly. The barre costs under $90, so it’s quite affordable.
The single wooden bar with rust-free steel brackets is four feet long with a diameter of 1.5 feet. Flybold only uses smooth-sanded, high-quality beechwood to reduce splinters as you grip the wood.
Additionally, Flybold promises no shaking, no sliding, and no wobbling, as the high-tensile brackets and included locking screws keep the bar in place.
That all sounds great to us! As for the downsides, the Flybold ballet barre is on the simpler side and might be a little too simple for some dancers practicing more advanced routines.
The Best Budget Barre – Get Out! Ballet Barre
Owning a ballet barre for home use doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg! The Get Out! ballet barre on Amazon is available for under $70, which is about as low-cost for a barre as you’re going to find without it being cheap and possibly falling apart.
This barre is more than cheap but portable as well. The nine-pound barre is four feet tall with 21.5-inch shoes and foot bars for security.
Included with your purchase are a carrying bag, two bar lids, four pedestal shoes, six T-joints, and six aluminum bars. You can stack the bars, all of which are made of powder-coated aluminum that’s sure to last.
Get Out! promises easy assembly without the need for complex tools, which is music to any ballerina’s ear. We also like the slip-resistant features for safe use of your barre every time.
Some Amazon users have said the horizontal bars can slip a bit, so that’s something to watch out for.
The Best Barre for a Higher Weight Capacity – Vita Barre Extreme Series Steel Double Bar
Ballet should be for all sorts of dancers, but you worry that you’ll break most ballet barres. Well, not the Extreme Series barre from Vita Barre.
Although it’s a little more expensive at about $350, it’s worth it. This double-bar freestanding barre is made of durable steel from top to bottom. The bars are fixed, with the entire barre measuring 42 inches tall.
The steel is covered in an appealing paint job called Silver Satin that will look great in your living room or wherever you practice dance at home.
Admittedly, it is a bit of a bummer that you can’t adjust the bars, but that’s the only downside of this hardy ballet barre.
The Best Barre for Easy Installation – Vita Vibe – Prodigy Series Portable Barre
Do you want a ballet barre you can assemble in a matter of minutes? That would be none other than Vita Vibe’s Prodigy Series barre on Amazon.
For under $160, this portable aluminum barre will help you train. The powder-coated aluminum has a diameter of 1 ½ inches so it’s durable, lightweight, and strong.
You can set the bar height from six inches from the floor all the way to 46 inches! You can also choose from several colors for your barre, including silver, pink, teal, and purple.
There’s lots to love about Vita Vibe’s at-home barre. It’s colorful, adjustable, produced in the United States, and doesn’t require tools for assembly. You’re also protected under a limited warranty that’s good for 10 years.
I suppose to some dancers, the Vita Vibe Prodigy Series bar can look a little child-sized.
The Best Double-Fixed Barre – Pro Gymnastics Ballet Barre
This double-fixed barre from Pro Gymnastics is so high-quality that it will replicate dancing at your studio but from the comfort and quietness of your own home. It’s available on Amazon for under $150.
The wall-mounted double-fixed barre features a diameter of 1.5 feet. The fixed height means the barre is where it is, but the durability more than makes up for that.
The bars are made of sanded American oakwood that feels incredibly smooth. The powder-coated ¼-inch steel brackets have a matte black finish that’s timeless and appealing. The entire barre is produced in the US.
The stability and durability of this barre are unmatched, but the fixed state of the barre can be a bit disappointing to some dancers.
The Best Barre for Fitness – FulFit Ballet Barre
As a ballet dancer, naturally, you’re into all things fitness. Why not buy a barre that matches your lifestyle such as the FulFit ballet barre?
This $60 barre on Amazon includes a carry bag and a leg stretcher so you can limber up and burn some calories before you start your dance practice.
The barre sets up in a matter of minutes and is incredibly lightweight thanks to its aluminum construction. FulFit only used anti-rust aluminum for their ballet barre.
The plastic feet are designed for better slip resistance. FulFit promises better flexibility and leg muscle strength when using their barre.
You even get a free ballet barre video course!
We’re hard-pressed to find any downsides except maybe this barre doesn’t have as sophisticated a design as some of the other options we’ve discussed.
The Best Adjustable Barre – Uboway Ballet Barre
Variety is the spice of life, and that’s true of ballet barres as well.
The Uboway ballet barre on Amazon will let you adjust your barre to your heart’s content, and all for under $60 too!
The multi-colored steel bar is rustproof and comes complete with a satin finish to resist scratches and other damage. You won’t have to worry about the sliding issue that can sometimes befall aluminum ballet barres.
The fastening knobs in each corner are made of nylon and allow you to raise the center bar to 47.5 inches, which is some serious adjusting power. You simply lock the knobs in any position you wish and voila, the height of the barre is set!
The weight capacity of the Uboway ballet barre is 200 pounds.
We quite like the safety features of this ballet barre, including non-slipping rubber sucker pads that prevent barre shifting, tipping, and scratching. The assembly is also easy-peasy.
This is another one of those barres that admittedly does look like it’s made for kids but is suitable for adults as well.
The Best Traditional/Professional Barre – Vita Vibe Single Barre
That brings us to our favorite traditional barre, the Vita Vibe single barre, a barre system with one bar that’s up to 40 feet long.
You can select the height when purchasing on Amazon, choosing from three feet to 40 feet for a price of up to $800.
The hardwood ash bar is stately and appealing on its own. The bar has a 1.5-inch diameter and a smooth-sanded finish so you don’t have to worry about splinters.
You can customize the length of the brackets depending on how long the barre is, which is a nice touch!
If you want a traditional and professional-level barre, the Vita Vibe won’t disappoint, even if it is a touch simplistic.
Wall-Mounted vs. Freestanding Barres: Which Is Better?
We just showed you an impeccable selection of ballet barres for at-home use, some of which were wall-mounted and others that were freestanding. Which is the better option?
To answer that question, let’s review the benefits of both types of ballet barres now.
The Benefits of Freestanding Barres
Freestanding ballet barres are usually more portable, but obviously, that does depend on the model. If yours is made of thick, heavy wooden bars and powder-coated steel, then moving it could be rather unwieldy.
That said, the barre can still move, which gives you the freedom to transport the barre from your living room to your bedroom or your den. If you have a small studio yourself, you could put the ballet barre in there as well.
If you’re moving, you could disassemble the ballet barre and easily take it with you.
Rubber feet beneath the barre prevent you from slipping when you’re trying your best to balance yourself on one foot and practice your latest ballet routine. The rubber feet are also advantageous in preventing scratches on your floor.
If you have carpeted flooring, then scratches aren’t such a big deal, but you cannot say the same if yours are hardwood floors!
The Benefits of Wall-Mounted Barres
Now we’ll look at wall-mounted ballet barres.
Let’s just state the obvious – wall-mounted barres lack any portability whatsoever. You have to hope you won’t move your house or you’ll end up with some gnarly holes in the wall for your troubles.
That said, if you feel like a portable ballet barre isn’t stable enough for you (which is a fair complaint), a wall-mounted barre is much more secure. You can shake the bar itself and it won’t wobble thanks to the sturdy mounting on either side.
Portable barres also just sometimes don’t look professional enough. You don’t have that kind of problem with a wall-mounted barre either.
At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong whether you choose a freestanding or wall-mounted barre. Both have their pros and cons but are suitable for practicing ballet at home.
Buying Guide – What to Look Out for When Buying a Ballet Barre
You’re more eager than ever to own a ballet barre for home use. This buying guide will help you make a choice that you’re proud of.
Here are the factors to keep in mind as you narrow down your decision.
Materials
Ballet barres come in all sorts of materials, but the most recurring ones are sturdy sanded wood and powder-coated steel or aluminum. That’s because these materials hold up the best to everyday use without wearing down.
In the case of some of the barres we reviewed earlier, you might be able to buy them with steel bars rather than wooden ones.
Length/Thickness
The average thickness of the bars in a ballet barre system is about the same, but the length of the system again varies depending on whether it’s a freestanding or wall-mounted barre system.
You know what kind of barre length is the most appropriate for you based on your dance history, so that’s the right length for your at-home barre as well.
Installation
The easier it is to install your ballet barre, the better. Most barres aren’t too complex, and even if they require a lot of installation, the instructions will be printed clearly and included in the box. You should be able to get the barre assembled in an hour or less.
Other barres require very little assembly, but you might pay more for shipping considering that the package the barre arrives in will be a lot larger.
Adjustability
To some dancers, the freedom to adjust their ballet barre as they wish is very important while for others, it’s a lot less critical. Keep in mind that wall-mounted ballet barres rarely allow you to adjust them, and some freestanding barres lack adjustments as well.
Always double-check whether the barre is adjustable before you purchase it.
Price
Arguably the biggest determining factor that will influence your decision to buy a ballet barre is how much it costs.
You do get what you pay for, so you don’t necessarily want to buy anything cheap. If it costs less than $40, you should be wary. Budget barres exist, as we discussed, but even those cost more than $40.
Barres can cost upwards of $500 to $800. You don’t necessarily have to spend that much money to get a good barre, but you certainly wouldn’t have to worry about the quality if you did shell out that cash!
Alternative Options to Ballet Barres – Can You Build a DIY Barre?
Perhaps you’re in budget mode and you’d prefer to make a DIY ballet barre instead of buying even a budget one. Is it possible?
It is with some PVC pipe and galvanized steel pipe that you’d adhere together.
That said, we question the safety and stability of such a barre. You would hate to put any weight on the barre only for the entire thing to come crashing down because it’s not very stable. You could end up seriously injured!
Conclusion
Ballet barres aren’t only for the dance studio anymore! With an at-home ballet barre, now you can continue your ballet training whenever the urge strikes. We hope this guide helps you find a fantastic barre!
If you would like more information or guidance on home dance studio topics, take a look at our article What’s The Best Dance Flooring?: A 20-year dancer weighs in.