In this series, we provide personal first takes on a class at a popular Dallas studio. This week, we hit up Session Pilates.
The Class: Their regular 50-minute Pilates class with Caroline Berko. The other option is a 60-minute advanced class.
The Price: $30 per class ($15 for your first time).
What to Wear: Something you’d feel comfortable wearing to a yoga class. You’ll also need grippy socks, which Session sells for $20 at the front desk.
The Appeal: Since opening near Knox Street just under a year ago, Session has garnered a loyal, passionate fan base. Their pretty studio is also incredibly Instagrammable. Speaking of which…
The Space: The small, chic studio is a less-is-more compliment to Sessions’ clean, simple logo. A wall of windows keeps the lighting mostly natural, while the rest of the studio is painted a soothing cucumber green. Though their parking lot is small, Session-goers can use the Sigel’s lot next door, and there’s a good amount of street parking on Cole Avenue.
Who’s There: A slew of twenty- and thirty-something women, and one brave male.
How It Went: I loved it. Not in all my Dallas days has a class flown by quicker. That being said, it was tough. I haven’t done a class with reformers in a couple of years, and I somehow managed to forget everything I know about them in that time. It definitely takes a few go arounds to get used to moving on the machines. Awkward moments aside, we steadily shifted from focusing on our arms, legs, core, and everything in between as we worked our way around the reformer. The pace was fast, but the movements themselves (while challenging) weren’t overly complicated.
Reformer Pilates forces you to focus on your balance and your posture. You have to sit up straight and use your core just to stay steady through the movements. It’s one of the best things about Pilates, and is likely why every Pilates-obsessed person you know looks like a prima ballerina, or just really good in leggings.
The Aftermath: I felt instantly toned after class. I woke up instantly sore the morning after. Stairs were a challenge for 24 hours.
Loved: The instructor, Caroline, was fantastic. She was positive, energetic, and extremely helpful when I told her it was my first time to the studio. I also loved that Session’s grippy socks (usually a sartorial downside to reformer Pilates) had #obSESSION written on them. I don’t always love brazen, social media-inspired apparel, but when it’s good, it’s good.
Hated: Hate is a strong word, but I didn’t love not always being able to lay eyes on the instructor. In other reformer classes I’ve taken, the instructor has had their own machine at the front of the class for demonstrations. Being the newbie I was, I got lost a several times during my Sessions session.
Difficulty Level: I judge difficulty based on whether or not my mom, who plays tennis regularly (but isn’t Serena Williams or anything), would enjoy it. She would find it difficult, but she would keep up, get a killer workout, and have a pretty good time while doing so.
