With the desire to look and feel the part of the Pilates cult, a significant expenditure is called for. Suddenly, Pilates does not appear to be as accessible and inclusive as it once expressed.
Its aesthetic appeal in combination with its promising results, has made Pilates the form of low-impact exercise of the moment. Many Pilates studios are designed to manifest a retreat-like experience for their customers, offering abundant wellness products on top of the standard Pilates class. Athleisure wear, “clean” food and drink, and advertisement of a tempting membership each entice Pilates-goers into further investment in the practice. As a result, the cost of this trendy form of exercise slowly creeps up. With the desire to look and feel the part of the Pilates cult, a significant expenditure is called for. Suddenly, Pilates does not appear to be as accessible and inclusive as it once expressed.
Pilates is a stylish form of low-impact exercise, being kind on the body whilst effectively helping the practitioners build strength, mobility and stability. With a range of short 15-minute classes or longer hour sessions, it is perfect for any time of the day, for a busy or clear schedule. Being comfortable in an at-home environment, mat Pilates is effectively free for all to practice. A multitude of different classes and different instructors are readily available online, offering to cater for classes both with and without equipment. The variety offered online ensures its inclusivity for anyone seeking to take part. Despite this form of at-home Pilates offering the exact same movement and results as the in-studio sessions, the temptation of booking the over-priced class looms in despite. Perhaps it is the desire for a perfectly articulated Instagram post of the beautiful interior of the studio that pulls customers in. Or maybe the experience of going to a class with other similar yummy mummy wannabes beckons its call. Whatever reason one might have to book an in-person class, it is clear that many are not completely satisfied with the online offerings of Pilates.
Social media presents Pilates as a luxury, idealised form of exercise- perhaps not even seeming like a form of exercise at all.
Jesmond’s reformer Pilates studio, Rise on Osborne Road, appears, like many similar, as a blissful idyl. With hundreds of residents or university students walking past it’s exquisitely decorated windows every day, it projects its beauty out to the Jesmond community. As I am sure many others feel in my position, from someone who practices at-home Pilates, I too long the experience of an in-person taught class in the luxury of the studio each time I walk past. As Rise’s merchandise hangs in the window, the warm indoor lighting undeniably tempts one in. However, the initial magnetism of the studio is arguably rebuked when it comes to the cost of the classes and products, from a student perspective. With the price of a single class beginning at £30, it disappointingly does not seem a justified, worthy investment at the moment. However, while the cost for a class may at first seem extortionate and unnecessary, it is important to bear in mind the price of reformer machines and other equipment. As well as the cost of training for instructors and the years of dedication and hard work, the price does appear to be accounted for. This article does not seek to undermine the hard work and wonderful opportunities of Pilates studios; It is important to justify the payment before critiquing it.
Athleisure brands, such as Adanola and Alo, have become the uniform of the Pilates studio. New season colours and the latest products entice customers into further investment in this costly practice. With celebrities engaging in these fashion brands whilst undergoing their Pilates classes, it isn’t surprising that their followers strive to copy. Social media presents Pilates as a luxury, idealised form of exercise- perhaps not even seeming like a form of exercise at all. It often seems that the aesthetic appeal of Pilates and the plush addons that necessarily come with it are more forefront than the actual act of Pilates.
Pilates is undoubtedly associated with being a luxury form of exercise. Its accessibility for all in its online forms chastise this stereotype; the expense of having the experience of a class in a Pilates studio reinforces its lavish characteristic. Pilates has become an exercise that has been significantly invested in in recent years, and unquestionably will continue to prevail as fashionable in the future. However, anyone practising Pilates is faced with the difficult decision of accepting the simplicity and availability of an online class or paying the rising cost for the experience of a studio and in-person engagement.