Heather Shaw, owner of Exquisite House Pilates & Wellness. (Photos by Ianne Salvosa)
A local pilates instructor is moving her practice out of her home and into her first full-time studio.
Heather Shaw’s Exquisite House Pilates & Wellness will open on June 18 at 13829 Village Place Drive in Midlothian, offering pilates, barre, TRX and Brrrn classes in private or small groups, as well as a functional nutrition program.
Shaw has been practicing pilates for about a decade and opened her own independent studio at her home two and a half years ago.
She said she’ll hope to compete in a crowded field of pilates franchises and large group classes due to her personalized approach to fitness and small-group setting.
“I want to take what I know, what I love with a passion, and put it into a space where people are getting as much individualized attention,” Shaw said.
Two of the pilates reformers at Exquisite’s new space.
The new studio is equipped with three reformers, which are pilates apparatuses with a moving platform, along with three pilates chairs, a barre, a Cadillac reformer and a Brrrn Board.
Shaw said she is the only business in Virginia with a Brrrn Board, a sliding board for cardio and speed-skating style exercises.
The new space will support about 100 clients in class sizes of three, and Shaw said she plans to eventually expand to six reformers to serve a total of 250 clients. She hopes to hire three to four instructors within the next year and a half.
Exquisite House’s one-on-one sessions start at $75 per hour, with session package options available. It also offers subscription group training charged monthly ranging from $240 per month for eight classes to $360 per month for 12 classes.
Other pilates studios in the area include Club Pilates Midlothian, which charges $29 for one beginner group class, and Pure Barre, which charges $35 for one group barre class.
Shaw said since her business is not part of a franchise, she can be more flexible with her pricing.
“I’m kind of striking a nice balance…where it’s not cost prohibitive for my clients, and then where I need to be profitable,” she said.
The Cadillac reformer at Exquisite’s new space.
Shaw said she moved her practice out of her home to expand her client base and eventually settled on the Village Place location due to what she sees a resurgence of small businesses in the area. Her neighbors in the center include Capital Ale House.
Shaw found pilates about 10 years ago as a way to heal her own body from chronic fatigue and autoimmune disease, which she’s lived with since she was a teenager. She has since applied the combination of pilates and functional nutrition to her own practice after working in Los Angeles for about 30 years.
Exquisite House charges $125 for a nutrition consultation, and subsequent nutrition courses range from $1,000 to $3,000 for eight-week to 24-week programs.
The June 18 launch will be Shaw’s “soft opening” for the business, since many people are out of town during the summer, but she plans to hold a grand opening in the fall. Until then, she plans to master a new software system so she can offer on-demand classes by the end of the year.
“I want people to come in, take a class, walk away and be like, ‘I never want to go anywhere else.’ That is the immediate goal between now and the open house,” she said.
Heather Shaw, owner of Exquisite House Pilates & Wellness. (Photos by Ianne Salvosa)
A local pilates instructor is moving her practice out of her home and into her first full-time studio.
Heather Shaw’s Exquisite House Pilates & Wellness will open on June 18 at 13829 Village Place Drive in Midlothian, offering pilates, barre, TRX and Brrrn classes in private or small groups, as well as a functional nutrition program.
Shaw has been practicing pilates for about a decade and opened her own independent studio at her home two and a half years ago.
She said she’ll hope to compete in a crowded field of pilates franchises and large group classes due to her personalized approach to fitness and small-group setting.
“I want to take what I know, what I love with a passion, and put it into a space where people are getting as much individualized attention,” Shaw said.
Two of the pilates reformers at Exquisite’s new space.
The new studio is equipped with three reformers, which are pilates apparatuses with a moving platform, along with three pilates chairs, a barre, a Cadillac reformer and a Brrrn Board.
Shaw said she is the only business in Virginia with a Brrrn Board, a sliding board for cardio and speed-skating style exercises.
The new space will support about 100 clients in class sizes of three, and Shaw said she plans to eventually expand to six reformers to serve a total of 250 clients. She hopes to hire three to four instructors within the next year and a half.
Exquisite House’s one-on-one sessions start at $75 per hour, with session package options available. It also offers subscription group training charged monthly ranging from $240 per month for eight classes to $360 per month for 12 classes.
Other pilates studios in the area include Club Pilates Midlothian, which charges $29 for one beginner group class, and Pure Barre, which charges $35 for one group barre class.
Shaw said since her business is not part of a franchise, she can be more flexible with her pricing.
“I’m kind of striking a nice balance…where it’s not cost prohibitive for my clients, and then where I need to be profitable,” she said.
The Cadillac reformer at Exquisite’s new space.
Shaw said she moved her practice out of her home to expand her client base and eventually settled on the Village Place location due to what she sees a resurgence of small businesses in the area. Her neighbors in the center include Capital Ale House.
Shaw found pilates about 10 years ago as a way to heal her own body from chronic fatigue and autoimmune disease, which she’s lived with since she was a teenager. She has since applied the combination of pilates and functional nutrition to her own practice after working in Los Angeles for about 30 years.
Exquisite House charges $125 for a nutrition consultation, and subsequent nutrition courses range from $1,000 to $3,000 for eight-week to 24-week programs.
The June 18 launch will be Shaw’s “soft opening” for the business, since many people are out of town during the summer, but she plans to hold a grand opening in the fall. Until then, she plans to master a new software system so she can offer on-demand classes by the end of the year.
“I want people to come in, take a class, walk away and be like, ‘I never want to go anywhere else.’ That is the immediate goal between now and the open house,” she said.