Pearl Pilates Studio

I’ve been seeing Elizabeth Stafford one-​on-​one at Pearl Pilates since December and this has easily been the best experience I have ever had doing physical exercise. And when I say this— I say this with a lot of experience.
A little background: I have moderate-​severe scoliosis and have suffered from chronic pain since childhood. As an adult I learned to use my core muscles from an outside-​in perspective via standard gym workouts, yoga, instead of from the inside-​out. I love yoga, but I didn’t have the core strength I needed to do yoga in a way that didn’t aggravate the problem. When I got in a car accident last year I realized how little core strength I really had. I’d been masking the problem for years. That’s when I went on a quest to find Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is an amazing teacher. Guiding you through a set of personalized movements she takes the time to really get to know your body with it’s own unique quirks and patterns. She is incredibly sweet and makes me laugh. Not only that, but she provides really good insight into what is going on as you move through positions. Our sessions have evolved as I’ve gotten stronger and I love my time in the studio.
My doctor wasn’t sure if I should do Pilates because he’d seen too many self-​inflicted injuries from Mat classes, but Elizabeth and I proved him wrong. He has been impressed by my progress.
In a nutshell:
Highly motivating!
Amazing.
Life-​changing.
A way of life.
I could go on…
I am able to control my body in a way I didn’t think would ever be possible. I love Pearl Pilates.
So grateful for this place.

I attended my first Pilates class here with Andrea and returned for a class with Elizabeth and both were wonderful. As an inexperienced student, I found both instructors to be super helpful, kind and patient. The space is beautiful, airy and clean and the location is great.

This morning I took the 7 am group pilates mat class with Angie. I heard about the studio through fitmob (so awesome, look into it!), and I’m glad I tried this class out. This was my first pilates experience, but Angie was very helpful and easy to follow. She provided some adjustments when necessary, and she did a great job explaining proper form and breathing. The class was one hour of simple, yet challenging mat exercises. This is exactly the type of workout I need to balance my running schedule. If I went regularly, I’m sure it would help me become a stronger and faster runner. Unfortunately, the studio’s schedule conflicts with mine most of the time. I was able to stop in today because of the holiday, but otherwise almost all the classes are during work/​school for me. The studio doesn’t have showers either, so keep that in mind if you want to attend a morning class before work.
The space itself is really beautiful and clean. There are two separate studios, one with pilates machines (not sure what those are actually called…) and one open studio for the group mat classes. Both studios are on the second floor, and the building has a typical Pearl district industrial feel.
Another pro of this studio is even the group classes are kept very small. In fact, I was the only one there for my class, so I got a private session! Angie said the studio is generally pretty quiet for the morning classes, and they cap the class at 8 participants, so you will definitely get individualized attention either way.
Other than a few logistical issues for me (class scheduling and lack of showers), I would highly recommend trying it out. If you aren’t a fitmob member, a single class is $ 20, five for $ 90 or ten for $ 150 — obviously not cheap, but pretty reasonable for pilates in the Pearl.

A Pilates studio with all you want: reformer classes, 1-​on-​1 attention, gyrotonic equipment and 5 fabulous instructors that will get you in shape and in healthy movement. I have taken Pilates instructions in many places — this one ranks at the very top!

I had my first experience today with Pilates and the equipment. I tried years ago with just the basic mat Pilates but this was the real deal. I had an intro session with Angie and she was amazing! She was kind, motivating, and had a great energy. She didn’t make me feel uncomfortable and really helped me since I had no idea what I was doing. The moves were challenging and really fun. Worked on parts of my body that I didn’t even know about haha. It was different then what I am accustomed to in a workout, but I loved it. I’m definitely returning to this studio and setting up session with Angie and I hope everyone does the same.