The House of Movement

I recently took my very first Pilates class last Tuesday at 8am. I had been wanting to take a class here for a while, and ClassPass finally gave me that opportunity as the studio's individual classes are a bit pricey for your average fitness aficionado.

The house is gorgeous. Paintings, sculptures, photographs, chandeliers, hardwood floors, and shiny clean machines. It's certainly a sight you don't quite expect in sleek, bougie Brickell.

But there was an air of unwelcomeness as I walked in. The woman behind the desk was doing something at the computer, and didn't look up or greet me when I came in. Eventually, I got around to checking in and signing the waiver, and she directed me to go through two doors "over there (insert arm gesture)". It was 7:50 though and really, who's alive at that hour? After class however, the only bathroom in the group Pilates room was in use, so they pointed me upstairs, and while there, one of the instructors gave me a "why are you here" look from the open door of the private Pilates room. Definitely felt like I was breaking some unspoken rule by going upstairs to change in a cramped bathroom.

But back to the class: I went through a small dance room with a barre and full walls of mirrors to get to the main Pilates room. The cubbies and bathroom and a tight squeeze to the side, so we the students all waited patiently for each other to put our things away. There were 6 Cadillacs and 6 reformers in the room, and though there was only one window, the room felt comfortable. And it was filled with art.

The small class size made sense after I took this class. The instructor (didn't introduce himself and I don't know his name) was amazing, and made sure every student understood what they were doing, and for the three of us new to Pilates, he offered great adjustments to make sure we were working the proper muscles/not causing ourselves injury. The only part I was uncomfortable with was the foot straps on the Cadillacs - I'm short and not super flexible, so the height my ankle was held up made me feel all out of alignment, and there wasn't an obvious solution. Perhaps that part isn't for me?

Bottom line, the 8am instructor had a great vibe about him. Motivating, just upbeat enough considering the time of day, and made these crazy machines simple for a first-timer.

Classpass is the reason I ended up here. Love to do Pilates and this studio is in a great location.

They loose a star because on some of the most popular classes they do two classes in the same room. Meaning there are 12 girls in a small space with two instructors giving different instructions. Its hard to concentrate and relax because of this.

They have parking up fron and two bathrooms to change in.

I've been eyeing this place on classpass for months now and I finally decided on a 7am Pilates class. Why didn't I come sooner?? Such a pretty place! Parking is free and the place is easy to find since it is a big and beautiful white house. They just opened their doors back in January so everything is clean new and beautiful.

Inside is a little tight moving between a waiting area and the reception however I found it all very cute and homey. They had a table with ice water, a pot of coffee, and tea! Delia was the instructor and I believe she is also one of the owners. I filled out some paperwork, waited for the 6am to clear out and headed to the room.

The pilates room is also small, which I enjoyed because the classes can never be bigger than SIX people! There was the reformer machine which I am familiar with as well as a tall one with four poles which I can't remember the name of. I have no core strength so I really suck at Pilates but I get such a good workout I try to stick to good studios and instructors. Delia has fun, informative and hands on which really helped me perform the workout correctly. I did not leave drenched in sweat but, I'm pretty sore so it's a good workout imo. Everything had such a good vibe, I'm definitely returning!

In love with place. The place is so cute and clean. This place looks like it was a house, it's so beautiful! This studio offers so many different classes; Pilates, zumba, yoga, ballet, and stretching! Not to mention, this studio has free parking, which is incredible in Brickell.

The classes are small and intimate, the max of amount of students are 6. This studio uses the Pilates reformer and the Pilates Cadillac AKA the trapeze table. I love the vibes that the whole studio has; so zen and peaceful. As newbie to pilates, my instructor Sabrina took the time to help me achieve all the moves correctly. She is such a sweetheart. I love the trapeze table because you are able to incorporate a full body workout. The only downside is that I am class pass member, and unfortunately can go 3x a month. Will be back soon!

Took my very first Pilates class and I'm obsessed!!
First of all this place is so cute and has its own parking lot. The staff is super friendly and helpful.
Alejandro was our instructor today and he was AMAZING. I have to emphasize that. I think we were all pretty much new to the class and he gave great instruction. Not to mention he asked if we had prior injuries which I think is so important coming into any kind of new studio. We kept a slow and steady pace but I still managed to work up a sweat. Three hours later and I am definitely feeling the abdominal work we put in.
I can't wait to come back!!!

Good workout, great instructors, interesting studio

Workout: I really enjoy the pilates reformer class here! The class is capped at 6 people which allows for individual instruction and the use of many different kinds of props. I will agree with Amanda P. that while it is a great workout, it is more relaxing/calming than some other reformer classes I have been to. They also offer several dance classes, aqua zumba, and crossfit.

Instructors: I love the instructors here, especially Alex (Alejandro)! He walks around correcting form the entire class which allows for a better workout and ensures you are doing the moves correctly. That is definitely an advantage that this class has over other pilates classes I have attended at other studios.

Studio: The studio is actually in a house which is pretty cool and different. They have a parking lot in the front for easy parking, water and tea in the front, and a pool outside. My one complaint is that because the rooms are close together, the music from the dance classes is very loud when you are trying to do pilates in the room next door. I don't think there is much that can be done about this due to the set-up of the rooms unfortunately.

I took a Bollywood class here and it was SO much fun! Whoa your calves are burning for days after this one! The music was great and the dancing was so much fun, definitely different moves than I am used to so it was challenging.
The only downfalls: The parking is definitely a big issue here. There are only like 10 spots out front and no other parking in the area (that I could find anyways) and the room we did the class in was a little small, I almost got hit in the head a few times from all the jumping around but hey, it just made for a more exciting class :)

I really, really like House of Movement. There's a great variety of classes ranging from Pilates to African dance, Zumba, yoga, and crystal healing all the way to Bollywood dancing.

What I like even more than the classes is the atmosphere of this place. It really feels like a home, and the staff help to create a genuinely warm and inviting ambiance.

Now considering how much I love the classes here, I do need to give one hopefully constructive piece of feedback. Rather than mentioning a specific name, please take a look at the teacher from 6:30 Pilates tonight, May 31. While this teacher was very nice, this was one of the worst classes I have taken in my entire life. It was clear that this teacher was not trained to teach or provide instruction in Pilates and this was the first and only time I felt like my time was wasted here.

Overall, the house of movement is fantastic and 99% of teachers are incredible. I especially love Monique and Alejandro. Thank you for doing a fantastic job and already looking forward to my next class.

Absolutely phenomenal!

As a professional athlete I love a challenge. However, for years I have stayed away from Pilates because of a complete lack of knowledge. I didn't see a benefit, but that was because I was ignorant to what it means to have a truly efficient body.

I stepped into the house of movement for a 7:30 class and was greeted very warmly by my teacher Sabrina. This woman knows her stuff and I must say she is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend a class or one on one session with her. She is very knowledgable, but what tops her knowledge is her excellent way of describing and demonstration.

I am very in shape and have been looking to build my body more from the inside then from the esthetic outside. She got straight to the meat of the workout and got me sweating! As I told her the areas I looked to improve....deep glute, shoulder flexibility and deep core strength she tailored the class personally for me...that shows me talent. Most teachers have a routine and it's not always easy to work in new things especially while teaching the class, Sabrina did this and I was impressed.

The house of movement is high on my recommendations of places to train. It offers yoga, dance, Pilates and massage and I will certainly be back for more.

Great job!

This is the third place I have been to for Pilates Reformer classes and one of many exercise studios I have visited with ClassPass. I went to The House of Movement for a Pilates Machine class.

It is impressive to me that it is a Pilates, dance and other workout studio in its own building directly in Brickell with a good sized parking lot in the front of the building. When you walk in and go to the left there is a small reception area, along with flavored water and tea selections. It looks like there are at least four rooms for exercise classes and perhaps even more rooms than that. As I recall, all of the rooms have wood type flooring.

We went to a room far to the north part of the building. That room has six Pilates reformer machines and six machines for which I don't know the name (it is tall, with four posts and bars along the top). Having been to pilates reformer classes at two other studios in the past I was not sure to expect - I have taken very relaxing Pilates Reformer classes that provide soothing, low intensity exercise and I have taken some pretty hardcore classes where everyone is sweating and you feel like you got an amazing workout. Both are great in there own ways.

The Pilates Machine class at The House of Movement is more like the former. It is slow paced and relaxing, but not very challenging. That said, it seems to be meant to tone and could increase with difficulty as the teachers get to know you more and increase resistance.

Our male teacher we had was very nice and made sure to go around throughout the class to correct our form. Overall, I enjoyed the class and will go back.

The second time I went I thought it was even more slow paced than the first. I wore my Fitbit and, even though I told it to track the class, it did not sense any change in heart rate so it didn't log the hour of exercise. This Pilates Reformer class basically is good when you would have taken a day off but want to stretch and do a little toning.