Niche Pilates Paves the Way for Financial Accessibility to pilates for All
by Vienna Spadaccini Perillo
The practice of Pilates originated in Germany in the late 1800s when Joseph Pilates sought to develop the relationship between his mind and body to heal himself after years of suffering from a host of ailments including asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. Pilates’ goal was to develop a practice that would relieve him from pain and after studying anatomy, he achieved his goal by the age of 14. As the years passed, Pilates continued to develop his own method of exercise, using different resistance apparatuses, while still focusing on the connection between the body and the mind. After immigrating to New York City in the 1920s, Pilates opened the world's first Pilates studio and continued to dedicate his life to his practice until his death in 1967.
Today, Pilates is practiced by millions of people throughout the world. The universal strength techniques are rooted in Joseph Pilates’ six main principles – centering, concentration, breathing, precision, control and flow. While the exercises can be performed on a mat, or with the use of resistance machines, the practice is not as accessible as other forms of exercise. With the cost of studio fees, machinery, and certified instructors, practicing Pilates can be out of reach for many.
The average Pilates class costs approximately $30USD with private lessons ranging up to $130USD. With that being said, the team at Niche Pilates Studio in Richmond, VA noticed a gap in accessibility in its community and has been working tirelessly to fill that gap in several ways. Niche Pilates Studio Founder, Jaclyn Forrester offers several different options for those interested in practicing Pilates. Niche Pilates Studio offers traditional classes, small group sessions and private lessons.
But NPS also offers an Open Studio option. Here, guests can use the studio space and its machines with pre-recorded videos for just $100 a month. This unlimited membership option includes access to Niche Pilates Online and helps make meaningful exercise more accessible to the Richmond community. The Richmond location offers a variety of times throughout the day 7 days a week for clients to come in and use the Reformer machines.. Niche Pilates Studio is hopeful that for less than $4/day Reformer Pilates becomes more accessible to all.
Additionally, Jaclyn and her team have recently launched Niche Pilates Online, which is a subscription-based application that provides mat and reformer Pilates classes to subscribers. For just $12.99 a month or $99 a year, subscribers have access to classes led by certified instructors that range from five to 50-minute workouts. The goal is to provide foundational Pilates workouts to users in the comfort of their own homes, or other workout spaces.
Ultimately, Jaclyn and her team strive to bring purposeful movement to as many people as possible. Their goal is to continue to provide access across several platforms so those who are interested can reap the benefits of Joseph Pilates’ transformative practice of connecting the mind and the body.
For more information on Niche Pilates offerings, visit NicheFitStudio.com
Citations
Eubank, A. G. (2022, November 1). Niche Pilates Studio Evolves in Irvington with Open Studio and Niche Online. Rappahannock Record. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://rrecord.com/
Pilates Method Alliance. (2021, September 7). History of Pilates. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://pilatesmethodalliance.org/history-of-pilates/
The Pilates Foundation. (2022). History of Pilates. The History of Pilates. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.pilatesfoundation.com/pilates/the-history-of-pilates/