Sonoma has a new Pilates studio, to compete with two additional Pilates providers in town – Pilates ProWorks opens November 5 with an open house for the community.
I stopped by two weeks ago with my pal Lauren to check out the studio and try a free mini-session with a group of Pilates newbies from around town.
That mini-session wasn’t your typical work out – Pilates & Pinot it was called – the studio offered a glass of Pinot Noir to help you recuperate. Clearly a work out studio trying to attract a certain demographic (me!!).
The studio is beautiful – spacious, lots of natural light, and a loft feeling that you’d find in New York or San Francisco. The giant Pilates machines line the floor and an upstairs area serves as the check-in and will have a lounge.
So what is Pilates? It’s a set of controlled movements which include stretching and holding poses for extended periods of time. The goal is to develop body alignment, breathing, balance, coordination and your body “core” (your torso). At this studio, you use these super intimidating machines to perfect the techniques in a guided class.
Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th-century. Pilates, a German-born sports enthusiast taught self-defense to detectives at Scotland Yard. He relocated to New York, where he built a client base, which included the New York City Ballet. Students help spread the word and by the 1970s Pilates had hit the Hollywood scene and major sports now use it as a primary exercise/therapy technique.
Suffice to say, it’s a great option for people who like more hardcore stretching techniques that you can’t get via yoga. It’s also sans the religious component, which appeals to me.
I had never tried it before until our mini-session. Within 20 minutes we had a sweaty, fast paced introduction to Pilates, led by an energetic instructor who helped us perfect our technique (but we still have a lot of work to do!).
My stomach hurt for three days. But, I’ll probably give it another go – especially if, like me, you want to build lean muscle and you have similar goals like me – remove some of the extra junk that hangs out around your belly, arms, and hips.
Pilates ProWorks was started by Napa Valley residents Taylor Carter and Oscar Sanin – they’ve got quite a following with locations in San Francisco, Marin, and even Bogota, Columbia.
The community can check out the new studio during the open house (November 5, 6-8PM), where you can meet the local studio owners, Beverly Aabjerg and Perry Pownall, and Carter and Sanin. They’ll be doing demos and serving food, wine and information about what they will be offering.
They’ll also be giving away a grand prize giveaway – unlimited classes for a month, which is pretty sweet considering memberships at the Mill Valley location start at $135 a month.
You can RSVP to attend the open house by emailing press@pilatesproworks.com.
Pilates ProWorks Sonoma is located at 294 W. Napa St., Sonoma; 721-1450; pilatesproworks.com/sonoma
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