How to Choose the Best Pilates Studio
Are you looking for a Pilates studio, but with all the different Pilates views out there, you’re wondering, how to choose a Pilates studio? Which one do I choose? How do I pick the right one for me? Is the closest one the right one? Well, in this video, we’re going to talk about what to look for in a teacher, in a studio, and how to make sure you’re in a place that’s not just supportive but also going to help you meet your needs.
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Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, co-founder of onlinepilatesclasses.com. I’ve been doing Pilates since 2005 and taking Pilates since 2008 and here’s what I didn’t know. When I first got into Pilates, I happened to be really lucky. I went to a beautiful studio in the town that I was at that actually trained teachers. So I was taking from teachers who train teachers, and not only did I fall in love with Pilates, but I really had a good understanding in my practice. And when I moved to a different town a couple years later, I actually struggled to find a great fit for a studio. Most studios didn’t have classes at times I could go, the ones that did, many of the teachers, it was clearly their part time gig that was kind of filling in while they’re trying to make their dream of being an actor or a model happen, and that’s great if that was their dream, but I could tell just from their teaching that they were not actually teaching me. They weren’t teaching the class that was there. Their cues and corrections were things that they were thinking about but not actually applicable.
And so I discovered really quickly that not all teachers are trained the same way, and in this video today, what I’m hoping you get out of it is things to look for when picking a studio near you, to make sure that that teacher, that studio, understands your goals and is the best served for it. With the rise of popularity of Pilates, there are studios everywhere, and because we’re unregulated industry, anyone can call themselves a Pilates instructor. People can be training a weekend. And so it’s truly best for you to understand what are you looking for? What are the questions to ask? What are the signs that you’re in a safe place for you?
Experience & Training of the Instructor
Alright, so a couple things to look at are experience and trainings of the instructor. Things you can look for in their bio. You want to see words like comprehensively trained, or that they’ve done 600 hours or 450 hours. That many hours typically means that their training was six months to nine months long. It’s actually not unheard of for training being 950 hours, those ones are amazing, but they’re not easily accessible for teachers. So I don’t want to say that you have to have that when it’s not easy for a teacher. Obviously newer teachers do need experience, and so if someone’s a newer teacher, doesn’t mean that they’re not great, because their passion can go a long way, and they’re new to learning, so it could be really great, but if you have any contraindications or any special needs, someone who’s newer might not be the best person for you.
So looking at their experience, how many years they’ve been doing this, and then also inquiring a bit about their Pilates practice, you know, if you hear the teacher say, I’m never gonna take class anymore, that is not a great sign for you. That’s not great you want a teacher who’s doing Pilates as many times a week as they’re telling you to do Pilates. I know they’re busy. I know they’ve got a lot going on, but I promise you, when they have a consistent practice, they’re in tune with their body, it makes them an even better teacher for you. Also make sure you check out our video about mistakes to avoid when you’re going to your classes, because it’s important information that not every studio tells you, and I think it’s really important for you to notice to have a great time.
What Makes a Great Pilates Teacher
Let’s talk about some things that make a great instructor. And these are, in my opinion, and not an exhaustive list, of course, but some of the things that make a great instructor are going to feel a little obvious when I say supportive and patient, but actually, truly a teacher who can be patient with your body, because when you’re neutralized, it takes time to understand the coordination, especially if your workout history is not as well rounded, or maybe you’re just getting started in a movement practice, you want someone who’s willing to be there for you and be on the journey and tailor the exercises to build you up to them. You also want an instructor that isn’t over correcting, like literally nitpicking every single thing you do wrong. Yes, you want corrections. We do want that. But also you should leave a workout feeling like you did something well, that you actually did do some things correctly.
What should I look for in a Pilates instructor?
And so you want an instructor is actually telling you what to do, not what not to do, and Joseph Pilates never told you don’t or no, he would tell you what to do, and he would also provide exercises that helped you with your weaknesses. So if you are struggling with something, a good instructor would actually be able to go, “oh, let’s put a pin on that one, and let’s go do these exercises instead”, truly making sure that things are tailored to you. In a class that might look a little bit different, but they can have an awareness, they should have an awareness of, “ooh, the class isn’t ready for that. How about we do this exercise?”
How do I know if a Pilates instructor is certified?
Also, look, our bodies are different every day, you might have slept wrong. So a good instructor should be able to, in a class or private session, adapt the workout, or tell you how to adapt the workout, so that if you have a little tight back or something little wiggle and niggle in your shoulder, that you can still do the workout. You don’t have to miss it, but they can give you things to do instead, right? The other thing you want to have with a great instructor is they’re not talking every single rep. This is very difficult to find today, but I believe in people. I believe in teachers. And the reason is, Pilates is supposed to give you a mind body connection. So you need a teacher who’s not counting every single rep, who’s actually giving you space to feel your body, what’s going on in your body, have a mind body connection. They might even ask you to count, you know.
And you want an instructor that is more concerned with a well rounded session, and even in fact, repeating foundational exercises week after week, class after class, just like an athlete would repeat their drills so that you are progressing in a way that allows you to have more exercises in the future, rather than exercises to entertain you. These are really important things. And I know I listed off a lot that can feel a little more subjective, but when you are in these classes, I bet you’ll start to notice, “oh, I do feel like she’s telling me I’m doing a lot of things wrong”, “Oh, she told me, good job and it was specific around something I did well, so I can repeat it”. A great teacher is going to tell you the name of exercises so you can remember them, because it’s important that you have some autonomy and agency in your personal practice, even if you’re in a class.
Studio Environment
The studio environment is as important as the teacher teaching the class of the session. So some things, again, some of these might seem obvious, and of course, these are also my opinion, but a clean studio is extremely important to me. If I am seeing hair in the well of a reformer, or I’m seeing lots of dust on a spine corrector, what that tells me is they’re not bringing in people regularly to clean, and then they’re also not using equipment enough so then clients aren’t having well rounded sessions. So studio cleanliness, of course, is important, but also check on the vibe of the front desk.
Check on the vibe if you notice that the studio owner of the front desk seems really stressed out and they’re not extremely welcoming, that’s important information you should be going to a place that is everyone’s excited to work there, and everyone’s excited that you’re there and they remember your name and they explain studio policies correctly to you. I truly believe a studio, a strong, safe, amazing studio is going to have policies around late cancelations, how late you can be to a class. So you might be frustrated by a studio that doesn’t let you be 10 minutes late, but actually what that means is they don’t want the class disrupted for everyone else who’s on time, and more importantly, they don’t want you to get hurt. Those first 10 minutes are the warm up, right? So we need you there. So I love a policy like that.
I want you to find a place where you actually can see that they have lots of equipment so that based on your needs, as you grow, as you get more advanced, as your body or life changes, they can adapt to you. When you’re learning how to choose a Pilates studio, look at their services. Ideally, you’re in classes that are smaller, or you’re doing private sessions. If a studio requires you to do a certain number of private sessions before being in a class, that’s a great sign. Again. I know it might be frustrating, it might feel inaccessible to you, but I promise you it means you’re going to get even more benefits from working from their staff and their team, because you’re going to not just be safe, but understand how to move around in a class to get the most out of it.
Is a private Pilates session better than a group class?
Also, a lot of boutique studios have, like, maximum three to five people, so the price might seem high for a class, but really you’re getting more personalized attention versus larger classes. If you’re in an equipment class that’s got more than 12 people, it would really be a bit questionable on that for a consistent practice, because it can be really difficult for one teacher to monitor that many people on equipment, and that class can obviously have a lot more people. You also want to look that they have a variety of classes. If they don’t, you’re going to need a supplement in other ways, and we’ll talk about how you can do that in a second.
But Pilates is a system, so if all they have are Reformers, that’s great, but you’re not getting the full Pilates system, and you’re missing out on all the goodness it would be like, if you like, if you’re making a really good soup, but you only ever put chicken broth in. Like, chicken broth is great, super healthy. In fact, bone broth, whoo, the best. But it doesn’t actually have all the proteins and the veggies and the salt and the seasonings that you need. And that’s how you can think of Pilates as a system. You need all of those different parts. Some in different doses and cadences than others based on what you’re going through. So a studio that has all these things, even if you’re taking classes, having access to doing one on one sessions on different pieces of equipment, you need it is a sign that you’re in a great place you can be at for a really long time.
Where’s the best Pilates studio near me?
If, after all this, you decide you want to actually build a home studio, or have some of the missing pieces of equipment from your studio at your home, check out our free on how to build a home studio guide. And if you’re new to this, our beginner’s guide to Pilates equipment breaks down what each piece does and which ones to start with based on your goals. Let’s make this personal. So the personal fit, this part is going to come to you. What are your goals? What are your needs? What are the times you can work out? What is the budget that you have, right? So when you’re looking at these spaces, if you are looking for a place that does serve more athletes, then you’re going to want to look for that versus maybe the closest place to you that is serving more of postnatal, prenatal, right? There’s nothing wrong with these things, nothing wrong with their education, but you have different needs, and they have different experiences.
What Type of Pilates Studio Is Right for You?
The other thing is, is that if you are going to a place, maybe the best place for you, this is my case. The best place for me was a little outside my budget, so I supplemented. I went one time a week in person, and then I did practice at home three days a week, and I still got amazing benefits of Pilates. So you wanna look at maybe not just the convenience of the location of the studio, but truly the tailored fit to your busy schedule, your budgets and what your goals are not just in three months, but in a five years and one in vacations you’re wanting to go on. So check those things out when you’re making a decision about a studio, and maybe try a few studios on for size before you commit to a studio. Not sure of your schedule yet or how often you should be doing Pilates, check out our video that tells you how consistent you might need to be for your Pilates practice to work.
What should I ask before joining a Pilates studio?
A lot of studios today would like a commitment out of you. They want you to be a member of some kind or on some sort of auto-renew. So it’s really important to me that you have some questions that you can call, ask, or figure out while you’re looking at their website.
- • Who are the best Pilates teachers?
• How many years of experience do they have?
• How are they trained—are they classical, contemporary, or a combo?
• How many trainings have they done?
• Do they offer private sessions, duet or semi-private sessions, small group classes, large classes?
• Are these equipment classes?
• Do they have Mat-based classes?
You’re also looking to understand like, who are they used to training? What types of people do they specialize in training? Do they have someone who specializes in what you need? Maybe you have lower back pain, or maybe you’re post surgery, or maybe you’re getting ready for surgery. That’s where Pilates for lower back pain: what you should know becomes essential. You want to make sure that you have a teacher that is trained to work with you and where you’re going to go with your specific goals and needs, because you would hate to go to a studio for six months and then you just switch because you’ve outgrown what they can do for you, right?
When you are committing to a space, you also want to understand, like, how do they onboard a client? We’ve talked about this before with maybe they have make you do private session for you to do classes, but do they just go, “Okay, here’s your two weeks unlimited”, and you just jump in any class, or do they actually ask you what your goals are? And then not just ask your goals are, but then you can see how they’re going to take care of your goals in the class or session, right? A lot of places will just offer classes, put you in them, you get a great workout, and that’s a great metabolic workout. But is it tailored to your goals? Are those classes going to be tailored to your goals, and how do they do that? You want to ask them. You want to figure that out before you commit to anything.
How Do I Know if a Pilates Studio Is Right for Me?
And finally, you know, it’s important that you explore and try things out, maybe try a few studios. So double check on their experience and their passion. Passion really means so much, their consistency with their own practice, their dedication to helping you achieve your goals, and their excitement to do it, and the policies they have around making sure that you’re safe but you’re also reaching your goals right, checking on the cleanliness of that studio, but also the communication style and how easy it is for you to get in. Maybe what you need is also an online practice. And I have onlinepilatesclasses.com and it can be a great supplement to what you’re doing in studio, or it might be the right thing you need entirely, right?
So if you’re finding the most amazing studio only has a reformer access and nothing else. You can actually supplement them with OPC Mat only membership. You don’t have to drive. There’s no late cancelation fees. You can be late to class because you hit start whenever you’re ready. Finishing is optional. So if you have to leave, you can go, and no one knows that you did that. But most importantly, we actually have an amazing community that helps you with your consistency and accountability, but also gives you feedback on your form. So while I can’t see you take class on wherever you are when you take it, if you have questions, you can actually submit videos of you doing those exercises and get that personalized feedback, even get the tailored homework that you might need as a warm up or a cool down to help you get ready for where you’re wanting to go, or the exercise you can’t do yet.
What Should I Expect from a Beginner Class?
At OPC, we also have many teachers with all walks of life, all backgrounds. We’re all over 40 years old, and we have from fun size to super tall, from having children and full time jobs and children with special needs, larger bodies. All these have tighter bodies, hyper mobile bodies. And so there’s a teacher that understands what you’re going through, what you want to do, and where you want to go, and our classes can supplement wherever you need, either with in person studio, or could be your entire Pilates practice.
Find Your Pilates Path with OPC
Thank you so much. I hope you check us out at OPC YouTube, if you have other questions, if I didn’t answer a question you have, if you’re wondering if you’re finding the right place or wondering what something means, drop in the comments below, because I do look at those questions. I do go live on Sundays answering those questions. Our goal here, of course we love teaching people at OPC, is absolutely our goal, but also, our goal is that more bodies are doing Pilates, and not just going to a Pilates studio, but doing actual Pilates for their body, the way that Joe Pilates wanted you to have, which is a tailored workout that meets your needs and brings you up to where you want to go. Thank you so much, and have an amazing day.
