Joseph Pilates, the father of Pilates, emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1926. That same year, he opened America’s first Pilates studio in New York City after searching for a workout that combined his shared passions for gymnastics and naturopathy which he adopted from his parents along with his skills as a circus performer and bodybuilder.
While the workout existed for nearly a century, its only in the past decade that Boston’s caught on to the Pilates trend, with mat and reformer Pilates studios popping up all around the city. Below is a roundup of the best studios to practice Pilates in Boston, with a mix of mat and reformer options.
Reformers are the main equipment used in Pilates, made of a long platform with various box springs and levers to create resistance in various positions. This resistance is the essence of Pilates and force behind the strengthening, lengthening and toning effects of this popular workout.
1. JPPilates
JP, short for Jennifer Phelan Pilates, is a leading Pilates studio in the Boston area. Phelan works with a list of celebrity clients, but also offers classes throughout the week at her Charlestown studio, with outdoor classes at the Bunker Hill Monument returning this spring. You can even bring your kids to the JPPilates “stroller bootcamp.”
87 Warren St, Charlestown, MA 02129
2. [solidcore]
This Pilates studio has a national presence, with multiple locations across the city to train at. As the name suggests, this studio follows the roots of Pilates which is all about strengthening and lengthening the core. The 50-minute high-intensity, low-body impact workouts take place on a reformer.
Multiple locations
3. btone Fitness
With the slogan “slow movements, fast results,” btone is all about protecting the joints while strengthening the body from within. You’ll sculpt your physique with their proprietary method, TONEy.
Multiple locations
4. Boston Body Pilates
Take a hybrid of mat and reformer Pilates classes at this studio with several locations throughout the city. They also have the “largest teacher training center” on the East Coast.
Multiple locations
5. Endurance Pilates and Yoga
This is the only Boston Pilates studio to offer training on Gratz equipment, the original manufacturer of the Pilates apparatus. You can practice on towers, reformers, or mats at this South End studio.
1636 Washington St Boston, MA 02118