Why is Pilates so expensive? If you’re asking yourself this question, we’re pretty sure why. Here you are, surfing the web, doing your weekend Google searches for the deets on the newest and coolest workouts. We get it. (We do it, too.)
Lo and behold, on one of these Google excursions, you discover “Pilates.” You’re immediately drawn in by the contortionist gadgets, elaborate equipment, colorful props and leggy humans flexing on some kind of… pulley system?
You check the gallery page. It looks safe, but still challenging? The machines and gadgets appear to be designed for fitness and proper form and not torture?
After some thorough browsing, you decide Pilates might just be the fun and challenging workout you’re hunting for, confident that the studio no longer resembles something out of a 50 Shades film.
And then… you look at the class prices. Yikes.
“Why is it so pricey? Yoga’s not this pricey! Isn’t Pilates the same thing as yoga?”
Rest assured: You’re not the first to ask yourself why Pilates is so expensive, and you won’t be the last.
(Also, we’re a Pilates studio, so we HAVE to mention: Though they are often grouped together, yoga and Pilates actually have very few similarities. Pilates has less to do with stretching and absolutely nothing to do with static stretching, unlike yoga. Pilates is about strengthening and lengthening the body through choreography, layered modifications, and programmed reps. But because both sports are done barefoot and, yes, while wearing fun, colorful leggings, people tend to lump them together. OK, back to the topic at hand.)
Unfortunately for your wallet (but fortunately for your fitness!), the movement methodology of equipment-based Pilates is not one that can easily afford to be discounted. There are very few uniquely (nationally) accredited methods and some very elite classical (and some in-house) methods that are equally reviewed, respected and applauded in the Pilates community. These methods require intense training programs with a rigorous curriculum in order for instructors to be certified to teach the method.
So, here’s a shortlist of why with Pilates, like most things in life, you get what you pay for, and you’re just going to have to make it rain for legit Pilates training:
- Your instructors had to study and practice—a LOT. They wanted this accredited certification not just for themselves, but also for you. They wanted to learn the “why” behind how our bodies move. They craved to know how they could make a real difference in your body goals, your pain-management levels, and your soulful mindset, and they wanted to learn how to meticulously build on your continued strength for years to come. These instructors put in the time, a.k.a., hundreds of hours, multiple-night sessions, months (and sometimes years) of sacrificed weekends. They made multiple connections with community-wide mentors to continue their learning. They know all your top local physical therapist and chiropractor referrals and, in a lot of cases, they paid for this schooling on their own, and probably while working a separate full-time career.
- This equipment is legitimately expensive. A low-end yoga mat costs $12. A low-end Pilates reformer costs $1200. Just think about what a chic, stylish and edgy new studio spent on all of their brand-new equipment so you could experience hundreds of unique moves on these intensely versatile machines.
- When you pay a little bit more for your Pilates class, you know your instructor is being compensated fairly for their expertise. Again, becoming an accredited and nationally certified Pilates instructor doesn’t happen over a few weekends. This is a surprisingly serious ordeal that many potential instructors are not willing or able to take on due to the lengthy timeline and outrageous amount of studying. Unlike other popular fitness methods that often compete with classical/contemporary Pilates methods, these instructors didn’t get their kickass teaching allocations from a quick “weekend warrior” instructor workshop. It required thorough and repeated examinations and copious hours of anatomy training, and these instructors made a real sacrifice to learn the defined choreography, smart and precise modifications, principles of movement, ranges of motion and complete anatomical compliance. So, at the end of the day, Pilates instructors require and deserve their hard-earned pay in the fitness industry to get it RIGHT time and time again with YOUR amazing body. This is not something you want a cut-rate instructor for. This is your health and your body.
So, why commit to Pilates? What’s in it for you?
Well, as we said above, this is about your health, your body, and your mind. Here are a few reasons why Pilates might just be the training you need in your life, and why you might find it’s well worth the higher price tag:
- You have chronic pain or a past injury, or you just want to be able to move pain-free.
- You have some urgent body goals… you know, intensely time-bound, beautifully wild and highly demanding hot-bod-now goals.
- Oh, wait…. and you ALSO want to gain equal results in strength, flexibility, performance, and productive mindfulness.
- You’re looking to workout with multiple friends, with all different fitness levels, while taking the EXACT same class.
- You want custom private sessions.
- You want custom group sessions.
- You want custom upside-down sessions. 🤪🤷🏼♀️💁🏼♀️
- You realize you have only one human body to experience this life with; one shot to continue to Boom this body to its best and most glorious potential.
- After all these years, you just want to have some FUN while working out, and you love the idea of being connected to a kind of movement that is life-changing inside and out.
Well, regarding all of the above… We got you!!!
You’re going to soar (and you may also be a bit sore) in this sport, but in order to get Pilates training that can truly speak to your goals and guide you safely toward a better you, you’re likely going to have to choke up that Pilate$ dough. An investment in Pilates classes is a defined investment in you, never a cost.
And, just as the Pinterest-famous inspo quote reminds us, “Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
