When you type into the search engine Scarborough and pilates, you may not find too many studios.
When I was looking where I would like to set up a studio I looked all over Toronto.
There were so many open spaces. There were also so many studios.
Not everywhere but concentrated.
I haven’t taken a survey but I would tend to believe that in leslieville and the beaches the concentration is higher than most other areas for pilates studios.
I am sure if you go into an artisty area with dance studios you will also find many pilates or Yoga studios.
Pilates studios tend to pop up in areas that have either a lot of dancers or a focus on fitness/well being.
Have you ever checked out Carlaw and Dundas?
There are a ton of fitness studios.
Have you taken the street car down the beaches all the way east. Yoga, Pilates and boutique fitness studios.
Have you walked the danforth? You have a mix of it all.
So the question becomes, why not Scarborough?
The coolest studios (my opinion of course) are in old school buildings. They have character and add beauty. You find less studios in warehouses or big box store plazas. You usually find crossfit gyms there or big chain franchises.
Scarborough is a mix of all types of buildings.
I grew up in the east end, in a small bubble of a community. Lease space was always hard to come by and it’s difficult to run a studio in house. You may find home studios who do private sessions more often than you will find a studio who runs classes.
Now if you live in Scarborough (which is large) you are more than likely going to have to drive.
Pilates studios end up being a community hub for people. Maybe another reason you find them highly concentrated in these neighbourhoods.
So you are going to have to ask yourself. If you are going to have to drive, what kind of studio would you like to be part of and what are you trying to get out of pilates.
All studios are different and all teachers are different.
It can be a crap shoot or you can do some research.
The first question you need to ask yourself would be, what is your goal?
Are you looking to get fit? Are you looking to take your training up a notch? Are you looking to gain flexibility? Are you looking for a therapeutic approach? Are you looking to fix your posture?
These are important questions to ask yourself. It will make a big difference for how far you drive and what is going to be worth your investment.
Would you like only mat classes, or reformer or all apparatus?
Another good question.
Would you like to learn about your body or be pushed in a class?
Are you looking to be part of a community or just be in and out?
These are questions to start with and then, how far is the ideal studio and then how much?
A high intentsity studio will have more people in a class which should drive down your price point. The instructors also may not have the time to make minor (but major) adjustments to your form so your goal should be to either looking to get fit or to take your training up a notch.
If it is looking to be more fit, you may want to go with a mom and pop studio that will have more classical exercises on classical apparatus with focus on form. If you are looking to get a hard work out in, then maybe a franchise studio with modified reformers are for you. The franchise will have a larger class (should be cheaper price point) where the teacher will have less time to spend with each person.
Originally pilates studios with apparatus were small classes focused on form. Keep that in mind.
If you have chronic injuries I would suggest a studio who does smaller classes and focuses on form over fitness. It may be more expensive per class as there are a lot less people in a class. What you are paying for is an instructor that knows your body and can match up exercises with your body. The nice thing is that there will also be similar members in there and you will build friendships through your recovery.
A therapeutic studio or if you have an acute injury you are more than likely looking for one on one and maybe a studio who has a physiotherapist. Buy a package as it will decrease your overall investment per class. You need to learn and acquire knowledge. It is more important to feel your body than to feel the burn.
I see a lot of posts on social media and talk with instructors who have been teaching for years.
A lot of them have many thoughts on the way pilates is exploding and the way people teach in todays world.
I understand both sides when it comes to being client focused vs revenue focused. I would say that it’s less important what our thoughts are and more important what the clients needs are.
There are different bodies out there and different needs. Everyone needs some sort of fitness and pilates can service them all. Where we fit in as instructors or studio owners depends on who we are looking to serve.
So when you look up Scarborough Pilates studio, don’t forget about your goals. It will be easier to see if the studio aligns with your goals.
If you are interested, I teach a complimentary apparatus class to see if we are the right fit for each other.
If you have any questions, reach out, I look forward to meeting you.
Joe