This is how I felt when I found out how much Pilates Reformer classes really cost
No, I’m not on coke and I haven’t started collecting Chanel bags yet.
I’ve just come to realize that I really love Pilates! Like maybe even as much as I love pineapple tarts.. (and if you know me, you’ll know that I take pineapple tarts very seriously!)
The class I attend most regularly at my regular yoga studio is the Mat Pilates class, and if I could afford to do regular Machine-based Pilates classes all the time too, I would.
But they are soooo expensive!
I just finished my last Groupon Pilates Reformer Machine session at a boutique Pilates studio and I’m seriously contemplating signing up for their promotional starter package of 5 Reformer classes for $180.
It works out to $36 per class! *Ouch!* But considering that most drop-in Reformer classes cost between $50-$60 each, and never drop below $40 even in bundled packages, it’s a pretty good deal.
So why are Machine-based Pilates classes so pricey?
My guess is that besides being really good for isolating muscle groups with minimal impact on your joints, those damned ‘torture machines’ are probably bloody expensive.
So why am I so in love with them?
Well, my main goal for this year is to strengthen up my weak upper body and core, (which I really hate doing!) cos it’s the key for me to make real pole progress. But during the last yoga flow class I attended, my palms and wrists started to hurt mid-way from all the planks and push-ups which my body just wasn’t quite prepared for.
My palms started to get so red and swollen that I had to resort to doing the planks and push-ups on my fists instead, which is even harder on your muscles.
It was intense. I felt sore for days even though I drank a full serving of my protein shake! That’s the first time I’ve really ached even after drinking it, so you can imagine how hard I pushed through that damned class. And how wasted I’d have been if I hadn’t drunk any at all…
Which is why I’m liking the Reformer machine. It works my upper body just as hard but its gentle on my weak little wrists. And I love how my inner thighs feel like they’re on fire with the targeted leg exercises.
Class sizes are also limited to the number of Reformer machines that the studio owns and they tend to be small so that the instructor can observe each student. Even though the studio I bought the Groupons from has 12 machines, so far the classes have always been smaller and the instructor gives lots of individual attention. And who doesn’t like that?!
The other thing I really like about Reformer classes is not directly related to fitness at all, but I love how clean and hygienic the culture is! Everyone wears socks so that they’re feet never touch the equipment directly, and everyone is given a clean cloth and alcohol spray to wipe down all the surfaces of the machine that they lie on as well.
I recently started bringing my own mat towel for hot yoga classes just so I have the peace of mind from knowing that the sweaty towel I’m lying on is only covered in my own bacteria and not someone else’s. I try to bring a tee shirt to warm up in before pole too, so that my back doesn’t have to touch the floor too much. And when we’re doing floor work in routines, I just try not to think about the dust and germs I’m rolling on.
So I totally appreciate the cleanliness of Reformer machine classes! And all the other benefits of it too.
But damn, they come with a hefty price tag…
And the promotional starter package I’m agonizing so hard over is purely offered as a first-timer price! Which means that should I decide to continue, I’ll have to suck it up and pay the normal class package rate of about $42 – $47 per class, instead of $36. *Super ouch!*
Machine-based Pilates Groupons are pretty hard to come by, though I will be keeping an eagle-eye out for them from now on!
In the meantime, I might just have to take the plunge and sign up for those extra 5 classes… on top of all the pole classes and practice sessions I already constantly shell out for. Oh, my poor bank account!
