Emilee Prado
WHY DID YOU WANT TO OPEN POWER PILATES?
I fully believe in the benefits of Pilates for everybody’s body, whether it’s tween, teen, adult, male or female.
WHAT KINDS OF CLASSES DO YOU OFFER?
On average, we had 68 classes a week prior to the pandemic — sometimes over 70. We also do privates and semi-privates. We do post-rehab as well for private clients. So a typical day starts either at 5:30 or 6:30 a.m.
WHAT DID YOUR JOB LOOK LIKE BEFORE COVID-19?
Prior to the pandemic, we took midday breaks for a couple hours to clean the studio and then break for whoever is instructing at the time, whether it’s myself or my other instructors. We start back up in the afternoon, and we go into the evening.
WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED AT POWER PILATES SINCE REOPENING?
We have stations for 12 people at a time. However, I decided to set up with every other station, so we have six clients at a time for group classes. I felt that was more responsible for everyone, both the community and us, because then we are 7 feet apart.
WHAT ABOUT CLEANING?
As far as the cleaning goes…it’s extensive. Everyone wipes down their machine after they’re done with their workout with 99.8% wipes that are made specifically for the equipment. Once they’re done, we then go around and we redo them, we reclean them. In the meantime, we switch the block off to the other equipment, so we use odd machines, then even machines. This way the first has time to dry while we use the second set.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST DAY BACK IN THE STUDIO LIKE?
It was absolutely phenomenal. I was shocked when I looked at the numbers of people who had already signed up. It was quite the full day, at the lower rate of people, but quite the full classes.
WHAT IS THE ENERGY OF THE STUDIO?
We’re the studio — prior to the pandemic — where when you walk in, you get a hug. If you’re open to it, we have a hug for you. We really care about our clients. We care about what we do and we know the benefits. We bring people together, and it’s a great community that we’ve built.