Inside the Northern Rivers Pilates studio on Keen Street, the revamped space with its high ceilings and open plan look could be described as ‘Berlin meets New York’.

The new local pilates studio has been stripped back to bare bones since the February flood – and the opportunity to create the new studio is something that studio manager Maddi Garlick said was actually a blessing in disguise.

“The bare bones studio is flood proof now,” Maddi said.

“When we got back in to clean up the mud, we ripped out the roof and loved the high ceilings with the open beams at the top.

“We even knocked out the back two rooms to create one big space for the studio.

“It’s given us heaps of space and we are opening a new second floor studio up the top now.”

Maddi said it was all thanks to the help of family and friends that the family-owned studio got back on its feet after the flood.

“Everyone came and gave us a hand and my dad is a carpenter who reused the old timber cut out of the ceiling. He made removable panels to cover the walls – and the panels can be hosed off if another flood comes.”

Generosity

“We also lost our equipment – even though we moved it to a warehouse in East Lismore, because the warehouse went under too. Everything we put in the upstairs mezzanine also went under.”

But thanks to the generosity of the national pilates community, the studio was able to reopen.

“We got donations from lots of different studios in Australia and a pilates studios in Brisbane held a gofundme to help us purchase equipment again – we’ve been lucky,” Maddi said.

Renowned pilates teacher

Maddi’s mum is renowned pilates teacher Kimberley Garlick.

Kimberley founded Northern Rivers Pilates when their family moved to the local area 15 years ago.

“My mum started doing aerobics and teaching in 1995,” Maddi said. “She was the first in Sydney to teach group pilates sessions and has had many pilates studios since then.”

Before the family moved to the Keen Street studio, they were located on Magellan Street for 11 year, above Timezone.

New upstairs studio open day

Now expanding again, the new upstairs studio is set to open on September 3 and fitness classes will be held up there.

Maddi said an open day on September 3 welcomes people to book in to try mat, barre and reformer classes for free between 9am and 12pm.

“We have a booking system and people need to book in advance for the limited spaces,” Maddi said.

Why try pilates?

“Pilates is for everybody and anybody, aged 10 to 100-years old,” Maddi said.

“It’s not just about having a strong core – even though that’s a part of it.

“You also need to have spine mobility. The founder of pilates, Joseph Pilates says you are only as young as your spine is - you need to move, flex and bend.

“Pilates is versatile and for all bodies. Our downstairs studio is going to focus on rehabilitation where people use the equipment, while upstairs will be for group classes.

“My nan is 76 and she’s a pilates teacher too. She is a good example of how pilates can help you as you age.

“She is an inspiration and she’ll be at the open day.”

The studio will be open for classes every day from 6.30am to 11.30am, then 3.30pm to 7.30pm. Private consultations can also be booked.

The studio has teamed up with massage therapists Kevin Privett and Christian Munoz from Olè Wellness.

“They rent a room in the studio and have created a beautiful and blissful space for massage and craniosacral therapy.” Maddi said.

To find out more about classes or booking a session, you can contact Maddi on 0413 090 265 or visit the website https://northernriverspilates.com.au/

You can also visit Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialnorthernriverspilates?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=