Thrive Pilates

My favorite Pilates studio in Philadelphia!
This place is clean, always reliable, class schedule in online and sign up is very easy through their website.
I guess my only issue is that I wish they had more Pilates classes on the weekends after noon (since I don’t live around Rittenhouse) and to possibly offer better price packages.

My favorite Pilates/​yoga studio in the city.
All the instructors are friendly and the classes don’t disappoint.
I enjoy Colleen and Lauren’s classes on Fridays.
The one vice is that occasionally, the upstairs neighbors have children that run around which gets desire acting during yoga in noon.
I would definitely recommend trying this studio out.

While I’m still a HUGE fan of the pilates classes here, the barre classes just aren’t up to par, especially compared to some of the other studios in the city.
In one class I took, one of the bars was broken. Also, the instructor flew through the sequences and it was really ballet-​heavy, which is probably fine for some, but just not my style. There were many of us in the class giving each other looks like, «What are we supposed to be doing?» throughout class. Afterwards, I felt like I hadn’t even worked out. Maybe I just had an off-​night or something, so I may try another barre class in the future just to compare.
The Pilates morning wake-​up is still one of the best classes offered here, in my opinion!

I don’t have a ton of experience with pilates, but these classes were approachable yet challenging. For the regular pilates, don’t expect to be sweating bullets or anything, but the ab series is killer. It was perfect because I went in the morning and didn’t need to shower after and could straight carry on with my day! No need to bring a mat! Each class is different and the hour goes by very quickly which is why I prefer this to barre.
I also finally got to try piloxing and I LOVED it. Ann Marie was so cute and you could tell she had a ton of dance experience. The class has a boxing, standing pilates, and dance series. The boxing is regular jabs/​punches, kickboxing kinda stuff, the standing pilates is basically ballet (arabesques and the sorts) and the dance part was salsa/​latin dancing. Each series was like 5min, and then we just kept looping through for the hour. It does take a lot of coordination since you’re moving quickly. I saw a lot of girls struggling with this. but DON’T stand in front/​block the mirrors if you aren’t doing it properly! (snobby.sorry) I was sore and exhausted after this super high energy fun class.

I love the Pilates classes here. Chelsea is my favorite instructor — she’s friendly yet firm and her instructions are on point. She’s very good at articulating the sensation you should be feeling while performing the excelsior, and giving detailed instructions on what muscles to engage and how to get you to the correct position. I love that it’s All about how you’re getting into the position not the position itself and awareness of your body.
Signing up is easy, facility is clean, and love the feeling of local business.

I found out about Thrive Pilates through the Unilocal offer, which is a great deal! If you go to all 10 classes, each class is technically half-​off at $ 7.50. Even though Thrive Pilates shares a building and website with Philly Power Yoga, please note they have separate classes. Thrive classes include pilates, barre, cardio kickboxing, sculpt, and more… You can try lots of different classes and then stick with the kind you like!
I took Gina’s cardio kickboxing classes before they were phased out, and Gina is such a motivating and patient instructor, and the workout is really fun unless you really hate upbeat top-​40 music and moving nonstop! Chelsea’s cardio sculpt classes are probably the most I’ve ever had to push myself, but that’s because I rarely tone anything. Everyone follows their moves at their own pace, so you work out as hard as you know you can. Unfortunately the room can get a little crowded with a full class, but you generally won’t kick or bump anyone else (especially if you watch out).
Service is excellent and accommodating! The instructors are all very nice and welcoming. Their website is easy to use, and you need to set up an account online in order to reserve a spot for classes. You reserve classes as far in advance as you want, and then you can cancel up to 1 hour beforehand with no penalty. If the class is full, just sign up for the waitlist — seems very easy to get off as many people end up canceling!
The location is the main problem for me; it seems like every fitness class is in Rittenhouse/​Center City, but I have to commute from University City. They have stand-​by spaces if you live close and want to pop by classes. Make sure to check in before your class, and they also sell water there in case you forget yours.
EDIT: 5 classes in, I can see my abs again!

The best pilates instructors around!

I am an old guy and have been doing Pilates for about a year now in both Aspen and rural Maryland with great results in strength, endurance, and flexibility.
We were traveling and in Philly at the Four Seasons Hotel. The concierge recommended this place for a session. I could not have been more pleased– staff was knowledgeable, professional, and helpful.
I worked with Lauren who was great. I highly recommend this studio.

This Pilates class is amazing. It will definitely whip me back into shape for the summer.

I don’t usually write Unilocal reviews, but I think Thrive/​Philly Power Yoga deserves praise! I’ve been taking classes at Thrive for over a year now and I am very impressed with the caliber of classes offered. My favorite instructor is Chelsea, who is well versed in pilates, yoga and fitness. I tend to get bored easily but her classes have been able to keep me challenged and engaged. I’ve built both strength and flexibility over my time with Thrive, and I’m sad to be ending my membership this summer. (Moving back to the Westcoast) I would highly reccommend this studio!

I started going to Thrive last year when I moved here for graduate school and have been a regular since. I’m one of those people who really doesn’t like working out (but also who likes the results of working out… it’s a catch 22). But since I started at Thrive, I look forward to going to the gym and always am upset if I have to miss classes.
My favorite classes are the cardio ones (Cardio-​Kickboxing, Thrive Cardio Sculpt, etc.). Gina and Chelsea are especially amazing instructors. They are the most knowledgeable instructor’s I’ve had (and I’ve now gone to gyms in Santa Barbara, Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago at this point) and really know how to motivate the class (read: make you really sore the next day) and make it a fun experience.
The size of the gym is also quite nice. They keep the classes small so that you a.) have enough room but b.) can get individualized attention from the instructors. I personally hate it when you’re in a big crowded room and no one tells you if you’re doing it right. I see that some people have had issues with this in their reviews, and it is frustrating when a friend cancels on your for dinner but you can’t get into a Thrive class last minute because it’s full, but overall I prefer the smaller size and attention to what you get in larger gyms.
I highly recommend this gym if you like taking classes!

I must admit i thought the barre class would be comparable to Pure Barre (i was wrong) and so when i saw the gilt deal i bought it and convinced a few friends to get it as well. Thrive is a no frills and very basic but the classes they offer are good for those interested in Pilates. i was on the fence about 3 stars but the bulk of the classes ive taken were with Chelsea and she is legit. Her classes made me sweat, ache and want more all at the same time.
I did one cardio class and found it ti be strange.
The studio is small, but clean. My package is up and sadly i wont buy more classes but if i was ever asked to recommend a pilates studio in the city id mention Thrive for sure

I went to this place for the first time during Unilocal’s In It To Thin It and took a cardio sculpt with Chelsea, which was a great workout.
Since then, I’ve been back for some Barre Stretch and Sculpt classes which are a good change of pace — but they vary greatly from instructor to instructor. Jae’s class is much more of a traditional ballet class at the barre and Chelsea’s is much more of a ballet-​BASED class, while holding 1 lb weights in your free arm (uhm, these actually do hurt after awhile) while you do a never ending series of squats, plies, etc. I was definitely sweatier in her class, but like the other one too. (They are just different). Both ended with some pilates based mat work.
I haven’t taken kickboxing, but my friend LOVES it, so it must be awesome.
It’s a small studio and gets hot in there. They have reformers available for private lessons as well.
I’m signed up for some pilates mat classes and a butt/​thigh class which I’m excited about trying. I’ll keep ya’ll updated.

I’ve been coming to Thrive for a little over a week now, and have tried 4 of their fitness classes. My favorite BY FAR has been Gina who teaches kickboxing classes 3 days a week.
I really like the quality of the teachers — they are all very knowledgeable about how the body works. All of they are super friendly and address you by name, even if it is only your first or second time attending their class.
A few complaints:
1) The «waiting area» of the studio is *extremely* small. Right now its spring/​summer so people arent bringing their jackets to class, and I hardly have anywhere to store my tiny purse and shoes. I cant even imagine how much of a clusterf*** this area is in the fall and winter when everyone has to store their jackets as well.
2) The studio itself also gets extremely hot. There are a few fans located here and there around the studio, and they have a portable air conditioner, but they dont do much in terms of relieving the heat in the studio. I have heard a few girls say «I just hate coming here in the summertime, because its so damn hot», and I can totally see how that might be true.
3) The studio is very small, and they do both barre classes as well as cardio classes. The barres, however are not built-​ins in the wall, but rather they are portable barres that are hosted along the back wall of the studio room. In the kickboxing classes that I take, can get very crowded and I sometimes end up in the back of the room, and have ended up kicking the barres when I kick back.
This studio also has online sign-​up, and late cancel policies, which I like as well as it keeps me responsible to actually show up.
Overall, I really like the classes the studio offers and their instructors. I do get a little anxious when the classes are full, as the personal space/​person is a little tight, and I feel like I cant do all of the exercises properly.

I first came to Thrive thanks to a Living Social deal and I am now officially addicted to Pilates. I am the type of person who HATES working out so it’s good for me to be in a class environment where I can’t really slack off. Pilates is perfect if you’re like me because half the time you don’t even feel like you’re working out because 1) you’re laying down and 2) it’s fun! It’s not until the next day when I can barely walk that I’m like geez, I guess this is working.
I haven’t taken a class I haven’t liked here and all of the instructors are awesome (I think at this point I’ve taken at least one class with all of them)! They all have different styles, but are so knowledgeable and not afraid to give corrections. Take the Beginner’s Mat class with Colleen, she is my absolute fav! And if you want your ass seriously kicked, take a class with Chelsea or Lauren.

So far I’ve only taken a couple classes, but I am loving it. The work out is perfect, it’s hard and you will be sore, but it’s not so difficult that you feel like giving up.
The instructors are fantastic, especially Gina, who can glance at you from across the room and tell you exactly where you’re too tight. She really does have a great understanding of anatomy.
I’ll be back again and again, I can’t wait!

I am a group classes junky, but until now I was never loyal to any studio in town. I bought Thrive 6 classes special package and between Gina and Chelsea’s classes got totally addicted to this place.
Gina’s class is out of this world too. This woman is full of contagious energy and makes working out so much fun. She’ll exhaust you, but you won’t want the class to end. Chelsea’s classes are very fast pace and challenging and honestly, I already feel a change in my body. She’ll get you in shape with a big happy smile.
I also like the fact that they have late night classes daily which work perfectly with my schedule and that everyone there is super nice (staff and members). I really wish that they will consider to open a second location in South Philly area, but until then, the drive and parking are totally worth it!!!

Purchased the Unilocal deal for this place and thoroughly enjoyed my experiences! The only reason I have not returned is because the location is less than ideal for me.
I had 5 different instructors and all were super sweet and great at encouraging everyone. Perhaps my only complaint is that the classes can get a little crowded — a bummer for pilates and kickboxing (for the former, I felt the instruction wasn’t as attentive as it could be and for the latter. well it’s just a little difficult with that many people around you).
If you live in the Rittenhouse area, I still highly recommend this place!

I’ve gone here for 3 classes so far on a 6 class Google Offer deal. I may not make it back in time for the end-​of-​August expiration date, which is a little bit of a bummer. I went to the Thursday barre boot camp class with Lauren, which was OK. She’s a very nice person, but I think I was expecting a class that was more based around the barre, either in a ballet class sort of way, or in the way that Pure Barre/​Lithe use barre. It ended up being a lot of strength exercises away from the barre, which were fine, just not what I expected. I think a lot of places are trying to piggy-​back on the barre fitness trend (which PB does best in my opinion), and I think this class would be better off marketed as just Boot Camp, since barre barely entered into it.
I went to back-​to-​back Saturday classes too. One was Barre Stretch and Sculpt with Jae Hoon, a (guy) professional dancer/​Pilates coach. It was basically like the first part of a ballet class, which was cool, because I haven’t taken a ballet class in about 6 years, and I found that I actually missed it. It’s more «straight» ballet than PB/​Lithe, which was a nice change. Jae Hoon actually stresses proper ballet technique as a dance teacher would in a ballet class, so that was cool. It’s also accessible to beginners, though – he only gives major corrections in form to those who seem to have a background in ballet, I think. He’s very entertaining, so that was fun.
He wasn’t scheduled to, but actually taught the next class (Pilates Wake-​Up) as well because that instructor was running late. It was a good class, basically your typical Pilates class. I like that the instructors here are all very well-​trained in Pilates and do not hesitate to correct your form in the exercises. They all seem very passionate about Pilates and fitness, which bumps them up a star for me. One downside is that the classes don’t really fit in with my schedule (my work day ends at 4), so that’s partially why I won’t be redeeming all the classes in the deal.
Overall, I would, and have recommended, Thrive to others. One neat thing is that they’re partners with Philly Power Yoga, which is on the 2^nd floor, so you can get your Pilates and Yoga at the same location, if you like both. Also cool is that both locations have special Unilocal offers, and occasionally offers on other sites.

This is my first review, which is a testament to how much I like this studio. Despite the name, they don’t only have Pilates classes, but a nice mix of low-​impact (read: good for my bum knee) but high energy options for those of us that are easily bored. I tried my first barre class at Thrive, and felt it all over the day after. The cardio sculpting classes walk the fine line of muscle exhaustion and leave me feeling like I’ve had a great workout after. Best of all, time passes quickly, so when the hour is up I’m still mentally checked in, and I look forward to going back, which is a lot more than I can say for running by myself.
I’m not a regular yet — I go about twice a week and have only been going for three weeks — but the staff is always friendly and responsive to questions. They encourage you and gently correct your form sometimes, and the class sizes are smaller so I always feel like I’m getting what I paid for. It’s very female dominated for the Curves-​type crowd, which is comfortable for me.
All in all, this is a studio that delivers good classes at a reasonable price, especially for a city. For someone who wants to get back into shape without the pain of pounding the pavement, I really recommend it.