VITAL STATS

Location: Union Square, San Francisco

Classes Offered: Pilates apparatus, Pilates mat, barre and yoga classes

Why You Should Check It Out: Maiden Lane Studios’ key focus is providing its clients with high quality instruction in a supportive, beautiful environment.  Maiden Lane limits its class sizes to ensure personalized attention to each client. It is also a fully owner-operated studio that takes pride in being actively involved in the community.

Studio Perks: Maiden Lane provides complimentary water, towels, yoga mats and accessories for all clients 

What's hot on Maiden Lane's playlist? Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”

ABOUT THE CLASSES

“Each workout is adaptable to each person, always different, and very importantly, incorporates the mind-body connection component.”

Pilates, their core offering, works the entire body with controlled movements through multiple planes of motion.

The barre program offers a faster, energetic workout set to bumpin’ tunes worthy of your sweat. Barre refers to ballet movements that are traditionally done at a barre, resulting in a lean, toned body. The barre classes here are rooted in the Pilates method and pay close attention to form and detail.

The yoga program is in line with the studio’s focus on moving correctly and safely. Their signature class, Form & Flow Yoga, teaches correct alignment of the body, and builds strength and flexibility, all while incorporating the practice of a mind-body connection. 

ABOUT THE OWNER

Jean has always had a passion for movement, fitness, and health, alongside of an unstoppable entrepreneurial spirit. She started her first business providing vegan baked goods that tasted just as good as their non-vegan counterparts. She realized the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle, which included traditional fitness training such as weight lifting and non-traditional methods like yoga. Later she was introduced to Pilates and barre, which she realized were the missing components she had been looking for. Never in her life had she felt as good as she had while practicing Pilates, barre, and yoga together. Feeling like there was a definite void of quality fitness establishments in San Francisco, particularly downtown and in Union Square, she assembled a team together to form Maiden Lane Studios. 

“My motivation to open Maiden Lane Studios was driven by my disappointment for the lack of a fitness establishment that had the attention to detail and care I was looking for. Wanting to create a beautiful space to bring like-minded people together, we opened Maiden Lane Studios to give the community a place we would want to go to.” 

Owner's advice for first-timers: We love those who are new to Pilates, barre, and/or yoga. It’s great to see people experience their bodies in a way that they never have before. We consistently get the statement, “I feel sore in muscles that I never even knew I had!” Our advice to newbies is, don’t be afraid! Getting into the mechanics of these different movement methods does take time, but it’s worth it. 

The one workout move everyone should master? The plank!! It’s an essential movement that creates stability in your core and back. Planks train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips, and abdomen to work in harmony, while keeping your spine and pelvis properly aligned. Creating strength, balance, and stability in your core helps you move more easily in your everyday life while aiding in the prevention of injuries. 

And, of course, planks assist in creating a more cinched waistline (yes please!) While stabilizing yourself during a plank, you engage the deepest muscle of your abdomen, the transverse abdominis (also known as the corset muscle), which prevents protruding of the tummy. You’ll find us doing planks in all of our classes, with added variations to make it ever so challenging. 

Jean's favorite workout brand? Totally obsessed with Michi: think workout clothing crossed with risqué lingerie!