- The Pilates Punx Mission:
Pilates Punx is looking to expand from private Pilates Sessions to a full blown studio offering group Reformer Classes as well as continuing to offer one-on-one private sessions. Pilates Punx's ethos is to be Fitness for Everyone - we want to open a brick and mortar location that checks egos at the door, to make Pilates obtainable to everyone, to offer classes that are affordable and to create an atmosphere for the non-traditional Pilates practitioner.
Traditionally Pilates has been exercise for dancers and physical therapy patients, making Pilates a boutique fitness option that wasn’t as common for the average body. In more recent years, with more studios opening, it has become a well-known style of exercise with more studios opening, but the price point has kept it out of reach for many people. Trendy fusion studios have added Pilates into their class offerings, creating hybrid “Pilates &” classes, but the price still is too steep for the average income household. There also is a common misconception that Pilates is a female-centric style of exercise, while at its core it is beneficial to everyone — it was even invented by a man!
The Echo Park/Silverlake/Los Feliz area is full of residents who aren’t making six-figure incomes that are still looking to get into shape, to nurse injuries, to alleviate body pain, and to treat their bodies better than they had. Men and women can benefit from Pilates, but a lot of studios make this unreachable due to price point and limited class times. Pilates Punx will fill the market need for an affordable Pilates studio that will appeal to both men and women. Our punk rock/rock and roll vibe will appeal to the counter-culture, to those who need to take care of their bodies, but don’t find the average pilates or yoga studio to be appealing or a good fit. Pilates Punx will be affordable for people who aren’t looking to dump all of their money into the latest fitness trend. Pilates Punx will offer classes for those looking for traditional rehabilitative Pilates as well as Contemporary Pilates classes without any of the trendy hybrid class filler.
- Here Is What We Do DIFFERENTLY:
The fitness industry is an $80 Billion dollar industry and Pilates takes up 30% of it. While there are already a number of studios in Los Angeles, there are not that many that combine both Classical Pilates and Contemporary Pilates classes at one studio, while remaining strictly Pilates. Currently, there are no punk rock Pilates studios or anything like Pilates Punx in LA. We are the ONLY punk/rock studio that exists to appeal to that market. Our price point, focus on Pilates (and only Pilates) and our marketing angle is our competitive advantage. While there are a number of Pilates studios in the city, the direct competition in the area that will hold the first Pilates Punx studio either offers hybrid studios (i.e. Pilates and spinning, Pilates and yoga, Pilates and treadmills) or their price point is much less affordable than our classes will be. Pilates Punx will be the only studio on the east side offering strictly Pilates classes with an attention to form and details, that holds Classical AND Contemporary classes.
- This Is What Your Investment or Donation Will Support:
Pilates Punx is seeking an investment in the amount of $100,000, half of which we are hoping to raise via crowdfunding. The funds will be used to purchase equipment and to pay for start-up costs, for software, lease deposit and rent before we open our doors to clients, and to ensure that we have payroll for the first few months in case business starts out slowly.
The remaining funds will also be used for working capital during this time of growth and expansion. We anticipate clientele to grow and class sizes to fill as people learn more about us in our new location
Allie Guillerm, the company’s founder and lead instructor, has been teaching Pilates classes and one on one private Pilates sessions for 3 years. She got her Pilates teaching certification, completing a 500+ hour program in 2016. She has been running her own private Pilates business since 2016 as well as teaching group classes, gaining studio experience, and seeing how everything is run. By seeking one-on-one clients in the Los Feliz neighborhood, she has a full schedule of private clients as well as teaching 22 group fitness class hours per week at two studios in the area where she has developed a following. Rather than sending her personal clients to her studio classes when they move on from privates to group classes, having a brick and mortar Pilates Punx studio will allow clients to be retained in-house, retaining the Pilates Punx clientele at any level. Allie will use her experience and expertise in Pilates instruction as well as being an avid practitioner to hire a few other excellent trainers to work under her management. You can expect that all trainers to be added to the Pilates Punx schedule will have the same level of expertise and fun attitude that Allie brings to her clients!
Pilates Punx is near and dear to my heart, thank you so much for taking the time to read, for backing us, for spreading the word to anybody and everybody. Without you, this couldn't be possible - please know that you are very appreciated!