Pilates Spaces and Stories
Around the world, our Pilates community is overflowing with beautiful spaces created for our clients, and inspiring success stories about bringing Pilates programs to life. Balanced Body is delighted to share the best of with you.
We are proud to announce our 2007 Grand Prize winners for our Share Your Space and Share Your Story contests. Winners take home a $1,000 USD gift certificate from Balanced Body.
If you'd like to enter the 2008 competition, we would love to hear from you.
More details on how to enter.
Quarterly Finalists
Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winners, and thanks for sharing!
Pilates Spaces Grand Prize Winners!
Pilates Success Stories Grand Prize Winners!
PILATES SPACES
Grand Prize Winner: Beautiful Studio
Mercury Fitness
San Francisco, California
 
Grand Prize Winner: Creative Design
Oxygen Pilates
Tel Aviv, Israel
SUCCESS STORIES
Grand Prize Winner: Community Service
Community Service through Pilates
On June 16, 2007, the Pilates community of Montreal rallied together to raise money for a spunky 5 year old named Stephanie or ‘Stephie’ as she likes to be called. In her five short years, Stephie has lived through countless surgeries and doctors are still unable to explain her pain or medical complications. She is no longer able to eat or drink anything. I realized how much she and her family needed help and began to think of fundraising ideas. I’d been a volunteer at many such events, but never the organizer, and did not want to get in over my head. Osteopathy and Pilates are my business and my passion so I decided to use what I know in order to have a hope at success. Plans to host a Pilates Mat-A-Thon began.
I approached 9 colleagues from different Montreal studios to donate time to teach at the event; they generously and enthusiastically agreed. Instructors represented their studios well, with a wide variety of personalities and teaching styles The day promoted health, wellness and camaraderie, with a true sense of sharing, community, professionalism and coming together for a common goal. For $50 per ticket, over 200 participants tried one or several 30-minute mat classes. 45 volunteers helped provide food, drink, door prizes and chair massage plus a silent auction. Every item needed for the event was donated and 100% of the proceeds went straight to Stephie’s Fund. We were proud to present Stephie’s family with a cheque for $43,761.18.
The event was such a huge success that we’ve decided to make it the first annual Montreal Pilates Mat-A-Thon. Whether we continue to raise money for Stephanie, or choose a different charity each time, the Pilates community will band together to host this amazing event on a yearly basis. I encourage other studios to do the same.
Core Basics, Centre d’osteopathie et de Pilates
Kirkland, Quebec, Canada
Grand Prize Winner: Marketing Success
Successful, creative marketing to keep a studio going through thick or thin
We opened in the summer of 2003 in a 10x20 room with six reformers. Our very small studio grew with great equipment, great teachers and great marketing. In subsequent years we survived a fire, evacuation due to Hurricane Rita, and embezzlement from an office manager, all of which made us the strong vibrant studio we are today.
Not only did we have to rebuild clientele following these setbacks, we had to do it during our slow summer months! To begin, we advertised on a billboard – expensive, but it worked! We also mailed $20 coupons and gift cards to all our former clients to entice them back. That was the last slow summer we had. This past summer was very busy with no low times but rather an explosion of growth. We hold 60 classes a week and have a waiting list!
To bring in new students, we sell t-shirts with our studio name printed on them, at a very low cost, as an additional type of “billboard” advertising. To make the studio a visible presence in the community, we use Pilates to promote breast cancer awareness, donate to local schools, Toys for Tots, etc.
We also work hard to retain our clients. This fall we began a reward program for those who stayed committed in the slow summer months, and it was a big success. We also have specials where we provide complimentary water, fruit, and classes.
Fantastic students, instructors and staff make the studio what it is. No fire, wind, or rain could keep us down! Having faith in what we do for the people we serve is what keeps us going…and going…and going.
The Pilates Studio of Friendswood
Friendswood, Texas
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