Best Pilates Studios in Santa Cruz

Agile Monkey is a Pilates studio located in Santa Cruz that provides group classes and private instruction in the areas of core alignment, breathing, concentration, and balanced muscle development. Students have come to the facility seeking assistance with issues like tendonitis, Carpal tunnel syndrome, hip pain/injury, and sciatica. In addition to clients seeking a comprehensive training program, Agile Monkey offers the Balanced Body certification system for aspiring Pilates teachers. Owner Lisa Graham has more than two decades of training and experience, and she is also a student of anatomy and kinesiology with a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in dance.

Bali Body Pilates is a fitness studio located in Santa Cruz. It comes fully equipped with Reformers, Towers, Arc, Exo-Chair, and Ladder Barrel as well as smaller props designed to target muscle groups and aid flexibility. Owner/operator Sarah Artha Negara has attained the designation of Balanced Body Pilates Master Instructor, and she is a certified teacher recognized by the Pilates Method Alliance. Additionally, she has her ACE Personal Trainer certification, NASM Performance Enhancement specialization, YogaFit credential, and Reiki healing certification. Sarah provides both private and group instruction. Clients have credited her with helping them work through injuries and improve overall fitness levels.

BodyFit Santa Cruz is a studio that provides unique Pilates fusion for clients searching for a challenging and faster-paced way to stay in shape. Co-founders Taryn Buell and Ashley Stripling join with a crew of highly-qualified instructors to meet their clients where they are regardless of fitness level. The BodyFit method fuses elements of barre and the Pilates Method in classes that integrate the use of props. The studio also provides standalone barre, strength training, and Reformer classes in both small-group and private instruction environments. Primary focuses are on posture and alignment, flexibility, and overall health improvement. BodyFit also hosts regular boot camps and special events.

Breathe Deeply Pilates is a studio located in Aptos that welcomes students of all skill levels from throughout Santa Cruz County. Each instructor seeks to provide personalized instruction through a combination of private and semi-private sessions as well as group-based mat and Pilates apparatus instruction. Owner Summer Doty came to the Pilates Method after a snowboarding accident helped her find a way of dealing with her chronic pain. She now offers specialization in prenatal and postnatal instruction, having attained her certifications from the Center for Women’s Fitness. Doty employs a highly-qualified staff with decades of combined instructional experience and specialties that include yoga, dance, and nutrition.

Coastline Pilates is a Santa Cruz-based studio that specializes in building mind-body awareness and improving flexibility, strength, and balance. Teresa Moorleghen is the studio’s owner, founder, and director. She received her master’s degree in kinesiology from A.T. Still University in 2017 and previously attained certifications in Fletcher Pilates, the Pilates Method, and Yamuna Body Rolling. She has more than three decades of combined experience across each of these fields, and her team possesses additional training in the modality as well as dance, ballet, and personal training. Solo and duet sessions are available as are one-on-one classes with the owner and Group Reformer courses.

Joy of Movement is an Aptos-based studio that serves clients throughout Santa Cruz County with a balanced mind-and-body approach to Pilates. Owner Rochelle Gingras has completed three Pilates certifications through Body Arts and Science International. In addition to teaching Pilates, Gingras describes herself as an avid practitioner and student who believes in continuing education and learning from others. She employs a dozen-deep team of highly-qualified instructors with backgrounds in yoga, Zumba, dance, and injury rehabilitation. The studio provides Gyrokinesis and Gyrotonic courses, suspension-based TRX training, postural assessments, and deep-tissue massage therapy as well.

Monarch Pilates is an inclusive studio that conducts in-person classes in its Santa Cruz facility, online home classes. The studio specializes in a unique combination of Pilates, physical therapy, and yoga to help bring strength and body awareness to its patrons. Some of its specialties are prenatal and post-partum therapy, men's pelvic health, balance training, and scoliosis remediation.

Pacific Pilates and Physical Therapy is a studio in Aptos that serves the communities of Santa Cruz County. Owner Jennifer Murphy brings an academic approach to the practice of Pilates, having graduated from Samuel Merritt College in 2000 with a Masters in Physical Therapy and Stanford University with a degree in human biology. She also has completed a manual therapy course under renowned trainer John Seivert. She attained Pilates certification in 2005 through the Pilates Method Alliance, and she has taught the modality for more than a decade. Her practice focuses primarily on manual therapy, soft tissue mobilization, and deep tissue massage. She provides guidance and retraining of movement patterns, postural strengthening, and core stabilization techniques as well.