Studio Reform Pilates Hillcrest

Studio Reform Pilates is a boutique studio located in the banging HUB in Hillcrest. Situated three doors down from CycleBar, across the parking lot from CorePower Yoga and in the same center as Barry’s Bootcamp, the HUB is truly a one-stop shop for all your fitness needs. This cute Pilates studio joined the HUB party in 2017 and has been thriving ever since. It was recently voted the best Pilates studio in all of San Diego.  It’s a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill corporate Pilates experience offered at many studios. With only eight reformers and an abundance of mirrors, the studio is intimate without feeling cramped. We love the clean and intimate Pilates experience that Studio Reform Pilates provides.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

We started the workout laying on our backs with our feet on the foot bar. After doing some pointing and flexing of our feet as a little stretch, we went right into jumping. Once finished jumping, we grabbed straps for an arm series with arms fully extended and some tricep dips. After our arms were sufficiently burning, we (thankfully) moved to legs. Starting with our right leg on the carriage and our left leg on the ground, we lifted our right knee to a true lunge position. We then slid the carriage back, kicking back and straightening our previously grounded left leg. We then moved on to inner thighs, placing one leg on the wooden platform and the other on the carriage, sliding the carriage in and out. Once finished with leg work (finally), we grabbed the box and laid it long ways on the reformer. We got on that sucker laying on our bellies and grabbed our straps. From there we did additional arm work, using the straps in a variety of directions. After complex arm work, we removed the box and completed the lunges and inner thigh work on the opposite leg. Once finished, we laid back down on our reformer for the finale: glute bridges. These things are oh so painful but oh so wonderful. Apparently, it’s plentiful bridges that give you that perky booty, so we didn’t complain too much. Once finished bridging, we put our feet in straps, grabbed the Pilates ball (which Studio Reform affectionately calls a blueberry), placed it under our sacrum and did leg circles. This was a new experience doing leg circles with the Pilates ball but jeez was it fun.

INSTRUCTOR

Oh Autumn. No longer is this just a word used to describe PSL, leaves and football; it’s also a friendly Pilates instructor who teaches a well-balanced class. Autumn welcomes everyone into the room with a smile and gives studio newbies a formal introduction and a little run-down of the workout. This may sound weird, but Autumn has one of the best Pilates bods we’ve ever seen. If consistent workouts will make us look anything remotely like her, sign us up for another! One thing to note – Autumn is amazing at creating a well-balanced workout, but we found it a smidge too easy for the experienced Pilates goer. Also, not sure what was going on with the music; the style was all over the map and there were multiple songs skipped partially through. Music can definitely make or break a class, so we would love some more consistency next time.

SPACE

The studio itself is an intimate place, painted bright green with ample light, floor to ceiling mirrors and eight reformers. The reformers are Balanced Body Allegro 2’s – read: modern, sleek and easy to use. Most studios in San Diego don’t have these beauties and honestly, their aesthetic is so much better than the traditional wood Reformer. It really adds to the beauty of the studio. Not only that, but Studio Reform Pilates has tons of fun accessories to really maximize your Pilates experience. A box, a “blueberry”, a “magic circle”, weighted bars (these are FUN!) and more. There’s a large bookshelf with cubbies for your things and a small bench by the door to put your shoes on or wait for the previous class to finish. Please note that there is no restroom or changing area in the studio and you’ll need to use the common bathroom of the HUB. Fortunately, those bathrooms are constantly cleaned and kept locked. The keys are hanging right next to the desk. Just be sure to bring it back (we’ve accidentally kept a key in our bag for two weeks. Oops.).