Offering one-on-one pilates sessions, duets, and small group classes
I always dreamt that I would open my own Pilates studio with a coffee shop out the front!
Relocating to Newcastle from Western Sydney with her husband and two children, Laura Mason has finally turned her dream into a reality with the collaboration of a personalised pilates studio inside Dudley's favourite coffee shop; Maxy + Mimi.
Focusing on building close relationships with her clients, Laura offers one-on-one pilates sessions, duets, and small group classes. By limiting the number of clients in a room she is able to become more familiar with her client's bodies and abilities.
“It’s difficult to find private pilates classes in Newcastle, some people may feel discouraged and unsure stepping into a class of 20 people. Where here I can solely focus on you and you can feel comfortable and have my undivided attention.”
What made you want to open Unwind Pilates?
“Bringing the community together around what I do. I want everyone to know each other, not feel intimidated, or uncomfortable, and I want to know everyone’s bodies and see it change.
“I just love helping people, I love when they leave and they say, ‘Oh I feel so much better now!’ - That’s when I know my job is done.”
How did you score such a perfect space!?
“My husband and I started to come down to Maxy + Mimi for coffee when it first opened as we live close by. It came up in passing conversation that I was a pilates teacher, and Jemma [the owner] said she was really keen to lease the studio as she had spare space up the back.”
Unwind Pilates Studio officially opened April 6, but Laura’s history in pilates starts much earlier than that. Fuelling her love for Pilates for the past 8 years and teaching for 5, Laura has worked for some well-known studios such as Leeon Studio Pilates, Momentum Pilates as well as subcontracting to various studios around Sydney city and the eastern suburbs.
Moving back to Newcastle in 2016, Laura took some classes at various local studios, then by December 2017, she had managed to collect enough equipment to start running her own Pilates business from her home. Calling this, Pilates with Laura, she offered mat classes and a mums and bubs session for women who wanted to bring their babies along.
Just after welcoming her second born into the world, Laura began to prepare to move the studio from the house into the cafe. As a mum of a newborn, Laura knew she wanted to incorporate mums and bubs sessions into Unwind Pilates Studio.
Located at the back of Maxy and Mimi Coffee Shop, the studio is currently opened Tuesday- Thursday, and in addition to the mums and bubs classes, Laura offers private classes, duets, small group, equipment based classes.
“I want to push for that local vibe and like I said, keeping to that local movement. I love that Jemma and I have that share of clients between the coffee shop and my studio. So I want to build larger public awareness and promote the idea of people having a coffee and a chat after a class.”
