Tiffany Mason, an enterprising Harlemite who believes "wellness and mindfulness are everything," has spent two years figuring out how to open up a Pilates studio in the neighborhood.
Now, after much planning, it's finally here: Harlem Pilates, a welcoming new space at 60 W 129th Street (right off Malcolm X Boulevard) that stands apart for having a total of seven Pilates reformers.
"I was traveling outside of the neighborhood to get Pilates and asking myself, Why?" says Mason, whose background in yoga eventually led her to Pilates.
She began teaching private Pilates classes in Harlem through Airbnb, then started looking for a studio to expand her business.
Mason found it in a Central Harlem storefront not too far from where she lives, renovating the space and adding colorful bohemian rugs and luxe details like Aesop soap in the bathroom.
For now, as the studio gets up to speed, Harlem Pilates mainly offers morning, evening, and weekend classes taught by three instructors. Individual classes start at $37, but drop to $30 if you buy a 10-class pass.
Mason, who is intent on making wellness accessible to the entire community, also plans on offering once-a-week donation-based classes.
As the Harlemite likes to say–and considers making the studio's motto: "We deserve this."
