Take a chance, get on the pole and dance at new Richland studio

By Jamie Council for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

What would the love child of ballet and gymnastics look like?

Wonderland Pole and Dance studio, said owner Lindsey Ross.

“It’s like the gym and the club mixed and made a baby, or like the love child of gymnastics and ballet. All the things! I want to meet the need for women that I felt like I needed growing up,” she said.

The new pole dancing studio is at 1823 George Washington Way, sharing a building with Safeway in Washington Plaza in north Richland.

After 11 months of renovations, Wonderland Pole and Dance opened its doors in October 2022 after nearly $120,000 in renovations.

“We spared no expense when it comes to safety,” Ross said. “A majority of the costs come from the beams, but it was literally an empty shell when we got the space. I designed it.”

Wonderland features two studios: one with nine 13-foot chrome poles and another with the engineered beams for aerial arts.

Ross secured a loan through Community First Bank. Total Site Services was the general contractor. Meier Architecture did the engineering.

A Wonderland journey

Ross’ fitness journey started about five years ago when she started working to become a women’s health and wellness coach after making changes in her own life. She said she had been obese since she was 7 years old.

Her coach plans changed once she discovered pole dancing during the pandemic.

“The poles are 6 feet apart so I said, ‘I’ll try it,’ ” she said. “Plus I have four kids, so I needed to get out of the house for my mental health. I’ve come into this thinking, ‘I’ve never felt pretty. I’ve never felt sexy.’ I had imposter syndrome.”

When she moved to the Tri-Cities in 2021, she noticed there wasn’t a dedicated pole dancing studio.

After 17 years of being a stay-at-home mom, she decided to open her own.

She and her husband moved to the area from Virginia for her husband’s job with their four children, ages 9-17 years old.

After two days in Washington state, she had to fly to Michigan as her dad was diagnosed with Covid-19.

“He passed away. It was my first time losing a parent,” Ross said. “I came back and focused on the studio. My dad is very much in all of this.”

She threw herself into fine-tuning her vision for the studio, a process that helped her through her grief.

“If my dad were here, he’d say that I’m deserving,” Ross said. “I worked so hard to get here. My dad would be very proud of me.”