Elite Event: New Year, New You @ Iron Butterfly Pilates & Moga

I completely forgot to write my review for Iron Butterfly. I unexpectedly had to leave this event so I did not get to fully enjoy everything it had to offer but here were some of my thoughts:
A very nice space — open, relaxing, and clean. It has a great location right off South Blvd, though it is a little tough to find (very close to Atherton Market).
While I didn’t get a chance to take a sample class myself, I noticed all of the teachers were very friendly and encouraging just in conversation.
Viva Raw had some delicious cold-​pressed juice to sample. I had three all-​together and I will definiely be visiting their 7^th Street Station location in the near future to pick up a cleanse.
I also did not get to partake in the food but it smelled delicious !
I did get a chance to talk to the staff about a lifestyle coaching program they have that pairs eating well/​nutirion with fitness and things like stress management. It is a holistic approach and sounded very interesting!
Overall, I’d like to return to take a class in the near future.
Thanks to Nikki for my new water bottle and for setting up such a fun/​unique event!

Sorry for the late review you guys, I blame my Unilocal Baby.
Either our CM is a magical mind reader, or my powers of inception are finally coming into fruition, because this was exactly the kind of event my little heart was wishing for. I wanted a weekend/​midday event where I could bring Unilocal Baby so he could meet all my wonderful Unilocaly friends, and I was also complaining (to anyone who would listen) that I desperately needed to get my booty in shape. Thank you Nikki W!!!
I’ll write about all the wonderful vendors on their respective pages, but I just wanted to say, this was the perfect event to start my year off right!

Oh what fun this event was! Like others I was a bit apprehensive at such a unique event. In my time as an Elite I haven’t done anything quite like this before. When we walked in part of our group was immediately whisked away to a mini yoga class. While they were doing that we waited for the next one and walked around admiring the space and checking things out.
Heather, the founder of Iron Butterfly gave us a tour of the facilities including the Pilates Reformers. I also found the physical therapy area and it looked non-​traditional which I think could be very useful to people who do not like to do their post recovery with physical therapists located in hospitals.
I didn’t partake in any of the food (mostly because my husband and I were going to restaurant week later that night and I wanted to be hungry).
We did end up doing a yoga class, it was jam packed and I was a little uncomfortable spreading out, but it was nice. I normally do hot yoga and this was a good change. My friend however, was totally new to yoga and the positions were not really explained so she had a hard time following.
My absolute favorite part of the entire day was doing the 30 minute mini pilates class on the reformers. Heather is AMAZING and so much fun. She was a good sport despite my being totally new to the reformers and the «positions» they put your body in. She was very patient and so upbeat. If I ever decide to do one of those classes, I will be right at her doorstep.
Overall this event definitely exceeded expectations. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and did the pilates class. Although I was sore the next day we are all still talking about it, and hope to get the chance to return.
Thanks Nikki!

What a fun event! Events like this one make me feel better about boozing at the other events. Haha.
The space that Iron Butterfly and Moga share is GORGEOUS. I love that loft! The colors, wooden floor, spiral staircase, all just awesome. Makes me feel more like a yogi just walking in there. Every member of the staff was very friendly and helpful.
I did the first round of yoga class — nice, because we only had six people in that little room. So we each had more room to spread out. I thought the instructor was really good. Being a 30 minute mini session (when he usually teaches an hour) he didn’t take a whole lot of time to explain things. I think as a beginner it would have been a little confusing, but I’ve taken yoga for a while and was familiar with the poses and postures. (That’s right, yoga veteran, *brushes shoulder off*)
After yoga, I helped myself to the wraps, Viva Raw juice and the salmon deliciousness. It was all very good! I’m a little bit of a picky eater, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also went upstairs to get a massage, and I may be back just for that. Haha. She was so sweet and had hands like iron! It was so relaxing!
I thought this was a great idea for an event. A nice getaway from the battle with gluttony that I face at other events. I would definitely attend another event like this. Great job Nikki!

What a great way to start of the Unilocal year!
Yoga…Pilates…Massages…
Many thanks for Iron Butterfly for hosting this event. I loved their location (once I found it). The space was so spacious! Plenty of room for everyone to mingle and still get their work out on! The staff were all extremely pleasant and they gifted everyone with healthy granola bars and mints. Even though I didn’t partake in any of the sessions, everyone that did seemed to really enjoy them!
The wraps from Crunch Bistro were delicious! I had one with chicken and bacon (yum) and it was very tasty. I’m definitely looking forward to visiting their location. Chef Alyssa was also on hand cooking up some delicious salmon. And how could we forget the very nice selection of beverages from Redbull and Viva Raw!
However, the best part of the day was FINALLY meeting our Unilocal baby! YAY! Micah is adorable!
I had a great time! It was so nice seeing some old faces and meeting some new folks. As always many thanks to Nikki for setting this up for us! Can’t wait for the next one!

I have a flexibility problem. Basically I am a guy whose focused on power and speed instead of finesse. So, I was a little reluctant to try out this event.
First, Kudos to Nikki for thinking outside of the box on this one. Most events involve food and/​or drinks and focus on restaurants. This event allowed us to try something outside the norm. It was a great experience.
I’ve done Yoga at the YMCA before but had never done Pilates. It was a weird feeling to get on, what appeared to be, a medieval torture device. However, I found the exercises to be very fluid and felt like I could work in flexibility without compromising strength. The personalized instruction that I would get if I came for a full session seems like it would be awesome. The owner was great and correcting form and walking us through the exercises.
The wraps were a nice touch to the whole healthy body motif and massages are never a bad idea. In fact, let’s just add massages to every event! ;-)
The studio had an awesome feel to it and I never would have known it was there without this event. I’m not sure it is where I will put my money, but if I ever opt into paying for Pilates or Yoga, I’ll be sure to make Iron Butterfly one of my destination.

A rather «non-​traditional» Unilocal Elite Event, but super refreshing! I was totally unaware about Iron Butterfly Pilates and Moga until this event. I did come prepared with my yoga gear in my car… sure enough I was out of my pants… (and into my yoga shorts) within 5min of my arrival.
Atherton Lofts (once you find them) are very charming spaces, makes wonder what other businesses are hiding in this historic gem. I was surprised to see just how much space there actually was, when you got to looking around and walking around the space.
Wraps from Crunch were delicious and paired well with the 2+ red bull energy drinks I had. Needless-​to-​say I was up the rest of the night. The sampling of food from Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen was melt in your mouth awesome and really nice to know it was all local and from the area.
The juice samples from Viva Raw were tasty. I will have to check them out more at the 7^th street market. It also helps that the gals manning the table were NCSU alums (I was wearing wolfpack attire).
Did a 30min session with Ryan from Moga. I’ve been going to one studio for about 2 years now so it was a little scary and fun to try something new. The space was limited, but listening to Linkin Park whilst doing downward dog, make it a little more bearable. I felt bad since I borrowed a mat and just sweated up a storm — SORRY to whoever’s mat that was!
We also signed up for a Pilates session, but yoga took it out of us and I am still super intimidated by those machines.
SUPER KUDOS to Nikki W. for putting this together. I had a ton of fun and now have anther place in mind to do some yoga, pilates, and maybe some re-​inventing.

At first I assumed I knew exactly where Moga and Iron Butterfly were located. That was until I drove there and realize I was wrong, while located in Southend near Atherton Market and Icehouse it’s actually on the far left side in Atherton lofts.
Once I found the place parking was easy and I was given a tour of the place right away. Downstairs they have pilotes which unlike what most people are use to on the floor, they have machines you can use. These classes a priced a little to high for me at around $ 30/​session but the 30 min mini class I took I could see how much more beneficial this could be than just on the floor.
In what is normally a shared space for pilotes and yoga classes, we had catering from crunch who provided great wraps, redbull, Vida fresh juice and a great sample from Chef Alyssa.
Downstairs I participated in 30 min yoga class from Moga. Excited to hear that they have $ 5 classes on Friday as I really enjoyed it.
All and all this was a great event to start the new year out right!

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one. Let’s face it… Elite Events usually mean we are going to gorge ourselves on food and be complete lushes. I usually have to unbuckle the belt a notch or two after a typical event. This one was different and I loved it! Instead of taking the belt out, I got to take it in! This event came complete with yoga, Pilates, chair massages and healthy eats. And of course, old and new Unilocal friends!
Food: I LOVED the sample of food from Chef Alyssa’s… amazingly fresh. She told me that they walked into Atherton market that morning to get ingredients to throw that dish together. A piece of perfectly cooked salmon atop 30 minute kimchi and a root veggie salad. How the heck did she cut those pieces so small and evenly! I may need to take her knife skills course… The wraps from Crunch were tasty and the samples of Viva Raw were amazing. I will definitely be stopping by 7^th Street Market to pick some juices up. They juice them fresh everyday, except on the weekends, and they last for up to 7 days in the fridge! Juice cleanse anyone? Red Bulls and waters were on site if you were feeling a little parched.
Activities: I was able to fit in a chair massage, yoga and Pilates! The chair massage was a nice treat. Ryan’s 30 minute mini-​yoga session was challenging and fun! I’ll be looking for his classes at Moga. I’m really glad that I signed up for the mini Pilates class. We used the medieval torture device looking contraptions and they were surprisingly easy to use. Don’t let their looks intimidate you. My abs and glutes worked hard! I will definitely be coming back to take a Pilates class. Make sure you sign up ahead if you want to use the machines. They limit the class to 4 participants.
Kudos, Nikki! Looking forward to see what this year brings!

This was a pretty sweet event.
It was a solid selection of Charlotte businesses that helped us reinvigorate ourselves one month into the new year. We had yoga, pilates, massages, healthy wraps from Crunch Bistro, delicious salmon treats (I call them treats because you can pop them like candy) prepared by Alyssa’s Kitchen, Red Bull from Red Bull, healthy juice options from Viva Raw, and probably a few more things that I’m forgetting. All were friendly, except the Red Bull — it was just a can. :X So… For me, this was the perfect event that served a swift kick in the butt to get the New Year’s resolution in motion — so what if it’s the 27^th of January? Yes, that’s right. I’m a wellness teacher’s dream.
While the Wolf of Wall Street may know how to throw an event of excessive degeneracy, the Wolfe of Charlotte knows how to throw an event of healthy regeneration. Good job.
dmo out

I can’t wait to spread the word about Moga and Iron Butterfly and in fact have already told several friends. First off, located in Southend near Atherton Market and Icehouse on the far left side– there is no street signage to indicate this though. So follow your GPS and look for a tiny tiny sign on the building.
This place is a treasure trove for healthy peoples. Pilates downstairs, yoga in the back, cool design everywhere.
Great idea Nikki getting us out of the bar and into some cool businesses. I feel like a better person already. Or hopefully will look like one after my kick ass door prize of one free month unlimited. If you weren’t so lucky check out their website they have a few $ 5 classes a week to give yoga a try.
Massage, wraps and fresh juice complimented the elite event. I love this type of nontraditional event and I was happy to see guys and girls getting their stretch on together. Iron Butterfly even has a section on their website on why men should do Pilates. I will say my mini class was challenging and I can’t wait to try a full class out. Hope my boyfriend took notes because I can’t wait to try Chef Alyssa’s cooking class as a date soon!

This was ah-​mazing. I’ve wanted to try pilates after seeing it on tv on the beaches of Thailand. Now South End isn’t exactly the beaches of Thailand, but I still had a pretty awesome time.
I started off the afternoon with a lovely massage from Bobby of moga, then tasted all of the delicious foods from Chef Alyssa’s kitchen, Crunch Bistro accompanied by a delicious Red Bull. After the food, I went downstairs to attempt pilates. Heather from Iron Butterfly Pilates gave us a nice intro class using the Reformer. It definitely did something because I was sore on Sunday.
After winning one of the awesome door prizes, I went to a yoga class at moga. I’m no yoga master, but it was neat.
This was an awesome Elite Event that showed me all the possibilities at moga and IBP, I may have to return…

After a holiday season full of indulgences, it was nice to start the new year off with a healthy Unilocal event! The folks at Iron Butterfly and Moga Yoga graciously opened up their super cool studios at the Atherton Lofts and invited us to join in for an afternoon of yoga, pilates, and chair massages.
The wraps provided by Crunch were very fresh and tasty. I also enjoyed the sample of the delicious salmon, artichoke, and sweet potato concoction by Chef Alyssa. Fresh juices provided by Viva Raw were another healthy treat we got to partake in.
It has been a while since I have taken a yoga class, and the class I joined here was pretty awesome! I had a nice light sweat going by the end. Unfortunately, I had to leave before I could try out the Pilates class but I heard it was a great class as well.
As always, it was wonderful to see a lot of cool Unilocalers I already knew and also had a chance to meet a few I didn’t know. Overall, it was a great way to spend a cold and cloudy Saturday afternoon!
Thanks Nikki for organizing such a super event! And of course thanks to Iron Butterfly, Moga Yoga, Crunch, Viva Raw, Chef Alyssa, Poprock Photography and everyone else who contributed to this awesome event!

I had heard of Iron Butterfly Pilates for quite a while and today I was able to visit for the first time. I am really impressed. Being a Pilates novice, I enjoyed learning what it was all about. What sets Iron Butterfly apart is their hands on philosophy — no gigantic groups here. You can book a private session with an instructor or join in a group session — four maximum. Another great feature is there is a physical therapist on staff as well who can work with you on the Pilates equipment and help «cure your ills.» In addition, Moga Yoga shares the space with Iron Butterfly so you have many options from which to choose.
If you are in the market for a Pilates studio, definitely visit Iron Butterfly. Their studio, located in a wonderful Southend textile mill building, is sparkling clean, with interesting décor and lots of natural light. The staff is very upbeat and welcoming.

WOW WOW WOW!!! Nikki you did it again. What a great mid Saturday event. I was a bit hesitant to RSVP because, lets face it… I’m not built for Yoga. But this even was so much more.
Me and my +1 walked in to be greeted by our dimple faced CM and we were given the lay of the land. Massages upstairs, Pilates Downstairs, Physical Therapy behind you and food to the back. We made a beeline for the food. Chef Alyssa was preparing an awesome salmon dish and explaining her awesome business concept. Viva Raw allowed me to sample their awesome juices. And just when I started to hit my midday slump there was a big cooler of Red Bull calling my name like a beacon in the foggy sea. By the way, the « Unilocal Baby» made an appearance. How great is it to have a baby represent the cause? Thanks to Stefanie L and Brett for bringing him.
Iron Butterfly is a great, well designed multi functional location that just oozes health. Located right near the Atherton market it is in a perfect location for success.