Short answer. Wear shorts and a top you can move in. Leave lotion off your skin that day. Bring pole shoes only if the class is a heels class.
Flow Factory Brussels tells new students the same thing: comfortable sportswear, shorts because skin contact is how many grips work, and no body lotion on the day. That advice is widely repeated. A studio can still set a different dress code, so read the class title.
Shorts, not leggings, for most pole classes
A lot of pole moves hold because the skin of the thigh, knee or side sticks to the pole. Fabric in between — leggings, jogging bottoms, long socks — usually makes the move fail. Shorts that actually end on the thigh are the useful choice. Biker shorts that reach the knee can be too much fabric for the same reason.
A T-shirt, vest or sports bra is enough on top. Very slippery synthetics on the torso can fight a body hold. Cotton or a normal sports fabric is fine. You do not need a costume.
What to skip
- Body lotion, oil, self-tanner and rich moisturiser on the day of class.
- Jewellery on the hands, wrists and neck. Rings scratch the pole and catch.
- Outdoor shoes in the studio. At Flow Factory they come off in the entrance. You work barefoot or in socks, or in dance shoes if the class asks for them.
- Freshly washed hands coated in cream. Dry, clean skin is easier to grip with. Grip explains products later. You do not need any for a first class. Flow Factory sells grip at the studio if you want it after you have started.
Heels classes
If the class says pole heels or heels dance, bring shoes. Flow Factory states that students bring their own. A first pair is discussed in choosing shoes. Do not wear platform heels to an ordinary beginner pole class unless you were told to.
Yoga or flexibility in the same studio
For yoga or a flexibility class at the same address, leggings or shorts and a T-shirt are the studio’s published suggestion. Mats are provided at Flow Factory. That clothing advice is for those classes, not a replacement for shorts in a pole class on the same day. If you do both, bring both outfits or choose shorts you can also stretch in.