Imagine a world where you wouldn’t have to make an appointment for your Pilates practice… you’d just show up and practice in independence. Somebody would be there to guide you, help you out, but it is expected that you are committed, and know your routine. You’re focused on yourself, in the company of others, but it’s not a class nor a private.
In a nutshell, this is what the original Pilates studio was like—a drop-in, pay-as-you-go membership. Clearly, things have changed, but the “open gym” model is increasingly becoming a more suitable option as we envision what the future of Pilates studios could look like.
Yesterday, we had a wonderful and spirited discussion with the 360° Pilates community around the question: “Could Joseph Pilates’ original business model—the ‘open gym’—be the future of Pilates?”
We love having these conversations. One take-away that kept coming up: learning Pilates doesn’t mean becoming better at following or consuming instructions. Learning Pilates means becoming better at assimilating and synthesizing lessons learned, and becoming more independent in one’s practice.
Here’s a short snippet from the conversation by 360° Pilates Founder Benjamin Degenhardt:
You can join our ongoing Roundtable discussions in our social network and our monthly video meeting by becoming an Online PLUS member.