Photo by Frank Couch.
Lindsay Booker, owner of Club Pilates in Cahaba Heights, said she decided to bring Club Pilates, which originated in California, to Birmingham because it is affordable and there was demand.
People of all fitness levels looking for a low-impact exercise program convenient to their schedules might find a fit at Club Pilates Cahaba Heights.
The franchise location — the only one in the Southeast — opened in November at 3169 Green Valley Road, said owner Lindsay Booker.
Operating daily and offering more than 40 classes per week, the exercise studio “should have a time right for everyone,” Booker said.
“We have all day classes with starting times from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and in between, and our goal is to make it accessible while being affordable,” Booker said. “And while most of our business is group classes, we also offer private and semiprivate sessions.”
Booker, who has been in the Birmingham area for about 15 years and resides in Mountain Brook, said she has a background in accounting and was a stay-at-home mom when she began her quest to get in shape.
“I tried most everything including boot camp, spinning, yoga and barre but wanted something that would help me get the results I wanted but was gentle on the body,” she said. “I started looking into reformer Pilates, and while there are great studios and instructors here, most were private or semiprivate settings and expensive, and I couldn’t find one that worked for me.”
Booker said she eventually heard about Club Pilates, which originated in San Diego.
“It was affordable with classes seven days a week, and I knew there was that demand here, so I decided to bring it to Birmingham,” she said.
Classes at Club Pilates at Cahaba Heights are reformer-based, plus offer other Pilates apparatus including the EXO chair and springboard, Booker said. The reformer is a machine that uses springs, pulleys, bars and straps to modify Pilates routines, either to make them more or less strenuous.
“We also have fusion classes that use the TRX training system and barre,” she said. “And we have four instructors all with PMA recognized certification.”
The studio has 12 reformers and offers group classes for up to 12 at a time, she said. Booker said she does not include exercises that could cause harm in certain situations “so it keeps it safe for the general public.”
“And our prices range from per class to a variety of packages including unlimited,” Booker said.
While most who patronize Club Pilates Cahaba Heights are women, clients are all ages and also include men, athletes, those rehabbing injuries and those seeking to exercise with conditions such as osteoporosis, Booker said.
“Often it’s the only type of exercise some people can do,” she said. “And it’s so gentle you can leave feeling like you’ve had a great workout with no impact. Pilates is really for everyone.”
For more information about Club Pilates Cahaba Heights, call 777-7976 or go to clubpilates.com/location/cahabaheights/.
