New Pilates Studio Opens Its Doors in Ballston | ARLnow.com

A new pilates studio has just opened its doors in Ballston, led by an instructor who formerly taught classes at a now-shuttered studio in Shirlington.

Praxi Pilates started offering classes over the last few weeks after moving into a space at 4141 N. Henderson Road late last year, owner and lead instructor Carey Galst Cavalcante told ARLnow. The studio is located in a mixed-use building off of N. Glebe Road, near the neighborhood’s Harris Teeter store.

Cavalcante says she’s been teaching pilates since moving to the D.C. area from California back in 2012, with the bulk of her classes located at the “My Thrive Pilates” studio in Shirlington.

But when the pilates chain shuttered last spring, closing locations in Courthouse and Falls Church as well, Cavalcante said she started “looking for places to continue teaching” and increasingly became convinced that she should simply strike out on her own.

“The majority of my clientele had lived in Arlington, North Alexandria, those kinds of areas, so Arlington made sense,” Cavalcante said. “And this new space is a little bit hidden, but it’s really ideal.”

Cavalcante concedes that the 3,400-square-foot studio lacks “street presence,” considering that it faces a courtyard off the street, but that makes it ideal for participants looking to center themselves during classes.

She’s already offering both group and private classes in the space, with reformer, mat and circuit pilates on offer.

“We’ve got a good group together from the other studio already, simply because many of these folks have known each other for many years and come to class together,” Cavalcante said. “Now, we’re just trying to build from there and get clients in the door.”

To that end, Cavalcante plans to hold an “open house” for curious potential clients. The event will run from 1-4 p.m. on Jan. 27.