London Dock development welcomes American chain as the business expands to the UK
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It would be nice to think that those living in the prosperous capital of a G7 country would have access to pretty much the best stuff in the world.
But it’s clear London is lagging behind in some areas.
A recent visit to Tokyo left me agog at its bullet trains, spotless streets and high quality cuisine.
Its urban planning makes the City look like a rather unambitious provincial backwater.
Then there’s the astonishing level of hygiene facilities – plentiful and mostly free – in a culture that really wasn’t content for the evolution of the toilet to essentially stop with the invention of the manual flush in 1596.
A trip to Wapping made something else plain – that the UK is also behind on certain health and fitness trends.
Pilates is clearly starting to have a moment in London.
Visit Third Space in Canary Wharf and you’ll find its Reformer Pilates classes consistently oversubscribed.
It’s really the extra kit that makes the difference.
Mat-based Pilates sessions are not so rare in community centres across the country.
But studios that allow groups of people to stretch and strengthen their bodies on equipment such as the spring-loaded reformers, Pilates chairs and springboards are far less common.
seeing an opportunity
It’s a niche Club Pilates is looking to fill.
Founded in San Diego in 2007, the business has expanded to more than 1,000 locations globally via a franchising model.
With a target of 50 clubs for its initial UK roll out, it recently opened its third location in the capital at London Dock in Wapping.
Offering classes for up to 12 participants, the Gaughing Square facility is packed with Pilates paraphernalia and offers locals a range of classes to cater for all fitness levels and ages.
Club Pilates: a one-stop shop
“It’s an all-inclusive, one-stop shop for all your Pilates needs,” said master Pilates instructor and director of sales, marketing and education at Club Pilates, Jada-Rae Poku.
“We’re an American company, founded in California by Allison Beardsley whose mission was to bring Pilates to the masses.
“Historically, it wasn’t accessible to many people, so, by having more equipment, she could have more people at one time and that brought the price point slightly lower.
“It’s about community and bringing people, who might not otherwise take part, into the practice.”
Jada-Rae is currently splitting her time between the States and the UK, having been with the business for seven years.
“At school I did track and field, and my first experience of Pilates was in rehab from an injury – I was a high jumper,” she said.
“I was planning to become a physical therapist, but found Club Pilates along the way, and now I’m involved in the management of the business as well as teaching the practice.
“Having started on the sales team, I was working to open up branches on the coast of New Jersey, then in Irvine, California.
“I also run a certification course at Wapping for people wishing to become instructors themselves.
“We offer a fully comprehensive Club Pilates certification for everything you can see in our studios and those who complete a course can take those skills wherever they like.”
Of course, with a further 47 branches of Club Pilates expected to create some 900 jobs across the UK, those 500-hour programmes could well be a route to employment with the company as it grows.
a little history
That interest in this country is increasing feels especially apt given the exercise system’s roots.
Born in Germany, Joseph Pilates had overcome childhood asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever thanks to a passion for exercise and martial arts.
Having become a gymnast and bodybuilder, he moved to England in 1912 and earned a living as a circus performer and a self-defence instructor for the police.
However, when the First World War broke out he and many other German citizens were imprisoned through the Government’s policy of internment, first at Lancaster Castle and then on the Isle Of Man.
It was during these periods of incarceration, teaching his fellow inmates wrestling and self-defence, that he developed the fitness regimen of mat exercises that evolved into Contrology, the basis of modern Pilates.
He taught thousands of men his methods during these years.
While the evidence is inconclusive, the spring systems used to create resistance in his Reformer machines may have been inspired by those in the frames of the hospital beds he helped to rehabilitate injured prisoners of war on.
He returned to Germany after the war but decided to emigrate to the USA, meeting his future wife on the crossing and dedicating his life to teaching his method and spreading its benefits from their base in New York.
Club Pilates shares that mission as it expands to the country where the exercises it teaches had their genesis.
a warm welcome at Club Pilates
“People can expect super-friendly, smiling faces, here to make sure they have the best experience,” said Jada-Rae.
“There is a lot of equipment and it can be overwhelming, but we’ll make sure you have a full-body workout – that you move your spine, feel good and get stronger – in every class.
“You’ll always be working on the stabilisation of muscles, mobility and flexibility, which are all needed for proper functional movement.
“I go to a gym as well and, when I have a solid Pilates practice, I’m not getting injured as frequently and I’m getting stronger more quickly, because I’m rehabbing my muscles in the Pilates classes.
“You’re able to push more if your muscles are more limber, so it’s great for any movement practice.
“Pilates is life-changing. It’s great for rehabilitation, it’s low-impact, so literally everyone can do it.
“The method is a very controlled and precise way of moving your body – we’re very focussed on the mind-body connection.
“The more you do it, the better you get.
“It’s about engaging every single muscle, so there’s a lot to take in when you start, but it becomes easier and easier.”
key details: Club Pilates in Wapping
Club Pilates is located in Gaughing Square at Wapping’s London Dock development.
New clients can take advantage of an early Black Friday offer and purchase three classes for £30 via the link below.
Membership options are also available with prices ranging from £150 to £299 for unlimited classes.
One-to-one training options are also available.
Find out more about the studio here
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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
