Turn Ons: Great studio design within a long and lean, historic NYC building. Plus beautifully crafted, custom-made Pilates apparatus built by Basil Pilates in New York City.
Turn Offs: I loved the space, the amenities & the apparatus but the class lacked detailed instruction & flow.
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Crush
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Pilates class was the perfect excuse to schlep downtown and wander around my post break-up 'hood of the Lower East Side. I discovered that it's evolved as much as I have over the past four years. The young, hipster vibe was still there along with the Cake Shop across from my old bedroom window and my emergency spots for uncontrollable cases of single-itis: September Wine & Spirits and Babycakes Bakery. But one of the new spots that's emerged is Plank Pilates; an intimate, well-designed Pilates studio housed in a building constructed in 1869, with antique wood floors and original stone walls. Plus, a really cool lower lounge that you discover at the bottom of a spiraling plank staircase where you can relax after class, sip on fruit-infused water or refresh yourself with a hot eucalyptus or cold lavender towel. Ahhh... my kind of urban oasis. Not to mention the fact that I loved the Classical Pilates apparatus; all custom made and handcrafted by Basil Pilates in New York City. I was in full-on Pilates bliss.
I only wished that the level of instruction had matched the attention to detail made in the design of Plank Pilates. The Tower Class that I took felt disjointed, which is atypical in the Pilates method where "flow" is one of the guiding principles. In fact, part of the beauty of Pilates is the genius of sequencing. So, for me, a great Tower Class is a combination of mat work with smooth & seamless transitions into exercises using the rollback/breathing bar, push-thru bar, leg springs & arm springs. Waiting to do "the hundred" 20minutes into class (& after the abdominal "series of five") felt a little awkward for this Pilates geek, as did the random transitions using the apparatus. I'm all for modifications and variations of exercises as long as such creativity is taught clearly, effectively and with specific intentions and goals in mind; not just the sake of being clever.
But you can't judge a teacher or a studio by one class. It's swank enough and affordable enough for me to return. Perhaps I'll try their signature Plank360 class that incorporates cardiovascular training and classical Pilates!
