Vitality Pilates

Don’t buy a Groupon for Vitality. It seems like a great deal: 10 classes for $ 89. The problem is, you’re restricted to level 1 foundation classes and level 2 intermediate classes, both of which are very elementary and hardly a workout. And don’t expect the instructors to extend themselves or suggest respect in any way. I’ve been doing Pilates for over 2 years. If I had known I’d only be able to take beginner classes, I would definitely not have purchased the Groupon. What it really comes down to though, is respect. I’d rather pay $ 27 at Pilates on 10^th, feel respected, and feel my workout for days, then repeat my experience at Vitality.

I started pilates at the Ravenna Vitality Pilates over 3 years ago. The studio goes through small updates every few months but the instructors and standards continually rise. I love the class size and new classes becoming available every few months. The front office staff is attentive and listens to feedback. Only suggestion to make things better, is to offer more advanced classes.

The quality of instruction is much better than that of other studios I’ve visited across the city. The instructors are knowledgeable and very good at giving appropriate cues and corrections. They also give modifications for injured/​pregnant clients.
There isn’t a regular front desk person, though. It can be frustrating at times but is probably a cost-​saving measure. It’s kind of a pain if you have an immediate question about your account. That’s the only reason I wouldn’t give them 5 stars.

I moved to Ravenna and wanted to find a new place to do pilates that was closer to my house. I had been doing pilates for a couple years in Wallingford so I was not looking for a beginner class.
I walked into Vitality Pilates to ask about classes one afternoon. The woman at the front desk was on the phone and ignored me so I waited patiently. When she got off the phone I asked her about pilates classes and tried to explain my situation. Well, she could not have come across as more disinterested. Basically what I learned is that they have beginner classes that I should take and that a possible customer walking into the place was clearly a pest for her. For athletic classes that are $ 25-​$ 30 an hour (standard) this is not at all acceptable.
I would give them 1 star for this experience, but I’m giving them 2 because maybe the classes are good. I didn’t have the full experience — but I did have a pretty poor one. When I go back to pilates, I might have to go back to Wallingford.

I signed up for Pilates to help with my recovery from a shoulder injury, and that it has. Every instructor I encountered at Vitality familiarized themselves with my limitations and goals. I always feel cared for and challenged during the classes. The studios are clean and have excellent equipment. I recommend Vitality Pilates for anyone looking to realize a fitness goal.

I’d always thought pilates required private lessons, a high level of fitness, and a lot of money. Fortunately, I took a moment to check out Vitality Pilates and discovered that they offer small classes at a reasonable price that work for every fitness level. I’m amazed at how quickly the classes go by, feeling almost easy, and then, by the end, I feel that I still had an excellent workout. If you’ve never tried pilates, I highly recommend it!
Every instructor I’ve had at Vitality Pilates has been impeccable in terms of understanding any injuries or potential injuries, helping me modify the exercises and providing outstanding and helpful instruction. I feel totally supported and encouraged. I also love the calm environment and décor, and the friendly and helpful staff.
I’ve never had trouble finding a class that works for my schedule and getting into one, even occasionally at the last minute. The online scheduling and reservation system is excellent, and checking in is quick and easy.
Even better is that my husband enjoys taking the classes with me. After 20+ years of trying to find some form of exercise we both enjoyed doing together, we’ve finally found something!

After two years of membership at Vitality, there are a couple of things that are nagging at me… finally getting around to writing this updated review that’s been a long time coming.
Don’t get me wrong. I gave Vitality a five-​star review back in October 2010 because I recognized the high quality of instruction and equipment. Both of those things are still true. Vitality provides an excellent introductory series for people who are new to pilates or even new to fitness classes in general — I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a place to try out pilates.
However, it seems like the Ravenna studio in particular gets the short end of the stick between the three Vitality locations. After two years attending multilevel classes primarily at the Ravenna studio, there are still NO MIRRORS in the group classrooms. I’ve never been to a studio that didn’t have mirrors, out of the three other studios where I’ve taken classes in Washington DC and Tacoma — even Vitality’s Phinney Ridge location has several mirrors in both studios (I’ve never been to the Mount Baker location). Being able to see yourself in the mirror is an important part of becoming more aware of your alignment, weaknesses and imbalances as you work through the exercises — especially when you have eight students in a class and the instructor can’t spend much time watching any single student.
I’m also very disappointed in the lack of advanced class offerings at Ravenna in particular. The multilevel classes often cater more to the beginner level, as many of the newer multilevel students came straight from an intro series. When you have been taking pilates for four or five years, you come to class hoping to be challenged and maybe even to learn something new. I rarely feel that happens at my Vitality classes these days. Several of my favorite instructors, who knew me personally and never failed to make class rigorous for every individual in the class — tailoring it to every level isn’t easy! — have cut back their class offerings at the Ravenna studio or no longer teach with Vitality. Unfortunately, there are no Advanced classes at Ravenna on the fall 2012 schedule. Only a few multilevel classes fit my schedule and are taught by instructors whose teaching style works well for me and my body. «Multilevel» varies greatly depending on who is teaching the class — some instructors will provide modifications to make it as challenging as you want, while others teach to a more basic level. I’m struggling to find classes that are stimulating and rigorous with teachers whose philosophy and teaching style works for me. This is really frustrating, especially considering I’m locked into a contract for another six months!
That’s another thing: their contract for annual members is air-​tight. You either pay $ 40 more per month for a month-​to-​month membership, or sign up for a yearly membership that has no reasonable «outs» (there is also a 15-​class punch card option, but if you’re attending class at least 2x/​week then it’s not cost efficient). If the class schedule gets shuffled around and the instructors or class times no longer fit your needs, you are outta luck. Cancelling your membership before the year is up means you forfeit the cost of the remaining months. That seems ridiculous, and in hindsight I can’t believe I agreed to it. No gym I’ve belonged to or pilates studio I’ve frequented has ever imposed such a policy, and I wish I had thought harder about it before signing the annual membership contract last winter! I signed up without thinking too hard about it because Vitality is the most convenient and comprehensive pilates studio in my area, and like I said the quality of instruction is generally quite good — plus, at the time there were more advanced class options at the Ravenna location.
This review is tough for me to write, as I admire and respect many of the the instructors I’ve worked with at Vitality in the past couple years… but I also realize they don’t run the business, and I think that there are several things missing that would make the Vitality experience truly worthy of a five-​star review. I hope they will reconsider their contract options, listen to my feedback about offering more advanced classes at ALL studios, not just one or two, and with a wider variety of instructors. Oh, and PLEASE — install mirrors at Ravenna! For the price they charge, that should be a given!