After my early yoga class I always cycle down the Oostzeedijk to work. Very recently, a sign and new window caught my attention: Pilates Place Rotterdam.
I emailed the studio if I could come over and review the new studio for my website. That’s how I was introduced to two different types of Pilates and this beautiful new Pilates Place.
Spoiler alert: Positive verdict on the classes and the class of the Pilates Place Rotterdam Studio.
More information below.
PILATES I had NEVER done Pilates before. Didn’t know all that much about it, except that it is A LOT harder than it looks. The goal of Pilates is strengthening and stretching your muscles and you work on your core and improve your posture with different exercises. Another important part of this system is the precision. It’s how you teach your mind to control all your muscles, bettering the body-mind connection, according to Joseph Pilates.
On face value Pilates may make you think of yoga. Let me tell you: YOU ARE WRONG. Above all Pilates is a fitness system; it ain’t yoga. It’s great too, but completely different (as I would soon find out.)
Helga makes a sport out of writing/drawing on her chalk board as cute as possible.
PILATES PLACE ROTTERDAM This studio opened in November, owned by Helga Stekelenburg who also owns Pilates Place Oud-Beijerland. Take a look at this gem.
This is what you see when you come in: Left is the counter where you can get water/tea/coffee and pay for your classes. The Pilates Room is behind the glass and to the right is a lounge area, the two dressing rooms and the toilets.
The studio is exactly the way I like to see wellness work-out places. It’s spacious, light, slightly industrial and a little area to sit and chat.
Captain Obvious Alert: The mats for Mat Class
The Reformers
- Address: Westzeedijk 160A, 3063 BK Rotterdam (click for GoogleMaps)
- Rates: Not on the website yet but you can take a FREE TRIAL CLASS to try it out. (I’ve glanced over them and it can’t be a surprise to you but…It ain’t cheap. Good things usually aren’t.** Because the classes are small it’s practically like having a Pilates personal trainer. I’m going to take single classes when I can.
- Dressing Room: Two. Both clean and big.
- Shower: Just the one (per dressing room probably, but I only was in one) but it’s a nice one.
- Lockers: No, sad face! It’s a relatively quiet studio for the time being though, but I can imagine it will be a good idea to have those one day.
- Extras: Cosy sitting area with free tea, water and coffee with magazines. People just sit and stand around there, talking to Helga and each other.
You’re lucky they have these early classes in Rotterdam, I’m a bit jealous 😉 in Nijmegen I haven’t found those yet, earliest bikram classes are at 9 which basically eats up your whole morning. Then again, I mostly do walking and the forest is always there 🙂 also, it’s extra nice during sunrise what with the birds and everything. Hahaha ok during writing this comment I found out what I’ll be doing later this week when I want some early-morning moving my body (can’t really call it exercise…)
Walking -especially in nature- is very nice! They might start doing earlier classes eventually, I think few studios start out immediately with those!
It’s a shame Rotterdam is so far for me, I would love to take these classes!
Klinkt goed!! Ik doe nu nog gewoon pilates in de sportschool. Wil binnenkort eerst eens bikram yoga proberen en daarna misschien hier eens langs.
Ben benieuwd hoe je het vind, zowel Bikram als Pilates!
I love Pilates! It’s the only thing I’ve continued doing regularly for such a long time, 4 years since this month. 🙂
YAAAY voor pilates! Ik vind het echt zo leuk om te doen, maar wel heel erg pittig. (Maar da’s niet erg, dat vind ik juist het leuke er aan.)
En wauw, wat ziet het er ontzettend mooi en sjiek uit. Gaaf. Dat reformer-ding ziet er bizar uit, maar het heeft me wel nieuwsgierig gemaakt. Kijken of dat hier in de buurt ook ergens wordt aangeboden.
Dat ding is echt mijn nieuwe grote liefde. Sore for days, but worth it!
Wow! That studio is GORGEOUS! Too bad I live on the other side of the Atlantic… 🙁
Come on over! 😉
Never go to Pilates Place Rotterdam ! The communication way from them is incredibly rude, they have so many “rules” which you had no chance to know until you fall. Helga the owner considers herself a “queen” , she simply shuts the communication channel by saying “this is our rule”, and “Everybody knows “when you ask where you can read the rules…Childish and rude!
Rules for example : you can cancel your lesson 24 hours b4 and reuse credit within 4 weeks, sounds good …But when your subscription due is, the 4 weeks rule is not valid anymore, so you lose all credits. And of course nobody tells you until you are in the class and she told you you are not allowed to attend lesson.