Small groups, great results, and Japanese calm. Interview with Ania and Patrycja from Pilates Flow Wrocław.

“Does a studio with 4-5 reformers make financial sense?”

Instead of theorizing, we headed to Wrocław. We visited Pilates Flow studio and talked about it with owner Anna Szczerba and trainer Patrycja Wyrzyńska.

The girls set up their studio with 4 Allegro 2 reformers and Wunda Chairs. They dropped mass group classes in favor of working in small teams and combining training with maximum mindfulness.

Want to know how to structure a schedule so that 4 stations turn a profit for the studio, and whether it’s a good business idea? Let’s head to Wrocław:

[Iza]: Hello from beautiful Wrocław. We’re at Pilates Flow studio, where groups of just four people mean every detail of movement gets attention. With me are Anna Szczerba, founder and heart of this place, and Patrycja Wyrzyńska, an instructor whose athletic background could honestly be split between several people. Hi girls.

[Ania], [Patrycja]: Hi. / Hi.

[Iza]: Ania, I’ll start with you. Pilates Flow is a very intimate place, focused on quality. Where did this idea for a studio even come from in your head, and how did Pilates end up connecting with your life path?

[Ania Szczerba]: It definitely wasn’t one single reason, it was more of a process. And I’ll admit, a bit selfishly, that… it came from my own need [laughs]. A need for change, a change of pace, a change in pressure, the fact that my earlier training routines were draining my body more than supporting it. I started doing Pilates a long time ago, I think maybe about 10 years ago. And that’s when I saw, really discovered, that movement can be intense but gentle at the same time. And that the work can be… can be deep, but without strain, without overload.

[Iza]: Patrycja, your CV is really impressive. Let me read a bit of it here, because I have: a graduate of the Academy of Physical Education, a sprinter who ran the 100m at the Polish Championships, and more recently, a Runmageddon participant. Tell me, how did a sprinter who loves that kind of extreme challenge and adrenaline suddenly find her place in calm, controlled Pilates?

[Patrycja Wyrzyńska]: Honestly, I was physically active constantly, even as a little girl. At the start it was track and field, for several long years. Then at university, at the Academy of Physical Education, so also various other sports. And really, it was during my studies that this passion for Pilates was born, and it flowed smoothly into Pilates, so it was very natural… I’m still, as I said, physically active, so…

[Iza]: So it all connected nicely [laughs]. We live in times when there are thousands of training options out there. Tell me, girls, what real benefits come from regular Pilates training?

[Patrycja]: I think it’s really strengthening those deep muscle groups.

[Ania]: Definitely. Better posture, more flexibility, and I think that with the lifestyle most people lead these days – sedentary, hips locked up, knees bent and closed, chest closed off, head tilted forward – all that creates tension and contractures. Pilates… I think anyone who’s ever been to even one Pilates class has heard their teacher say: lengthen your arms, lengthen your legs, stretch out, grow taller. That’s exactly to help our posture straighten out.

[Patrycja]: Yes, clients also often come in with back pain, and then after a few consistent sessions they say the back pain has gone away, so Pilates really does work somewhere in there [laughs].

[Iza]: Right. You work with Balanced Body equipment, the Allegro 2, but also Wunda Chairs, which we’re actually sitting on right now. Tell me, chairs often intimidate clients, they’re often a bit scared of them. Do your clients enjoy classes on them, or not so much?

[Ania]: The chairs are very demanding, more demanding than reformers, maybe partly because they’re less well known. But yes, I think clients enjoy them, they want to try. And if someone is really committed to themselves, to developing their body, wants to get to know their body’s capabilities better, they’ll want to try working with the chair too.

[Iza]: You’re a studio that goes a bit beyond just exercise classes. For example, you organized an event called “Japanese Evening.” Where did that idea come from?

[Ania]: That’s a very simple question, because the other business I’ve run for over 7 years now is, as I like to call it, a day spa. A day spa inspired by Japan. It’s Yasumi, you might know it, since Yasumi is a franchise. Yasumi means relaxation, calm, vacation. We thought we’d combine Pilates, combine classes that would give women a sense of relaxation, because these were very gentle movement sessions. We’d combine them with a lesson on Japanese makeup removal and a Japanese facial, neck, and décolletage massage ritual, so they could do that massage for themselves at home. And Magda, the physiotherapist who works with me at Yasumi, is also a Pilates instructor and works here at Pilates Flow too, led that session and showed a 20-minute massage. I think the women were happy, that they took away benefits they can now use at home.

[Iza]: And how did that kind of event affect how people perceive your Pilates Flow brand?

[Ania]: It was definitely something different, something that doesn’t happen every day, because we’ve already organized a few different events, and we try to do it every so often, so it feels like a special occasion. There’s coffee, tea, homemade cake, we get to sit together longer, talk, get to know each other better. And I think we also get to know each other’s interests or passions, or that other side – combining Pilates with physiotherapy, with a Japanese stress-relief method, which gives you that comprehensive kind of self-care, body care, because I think manual therapy, touch plus movement, plus Pilates, gives the best results when it comes to our bodies, to easing various spine-related issues.

[Iza]: Right, let’s talk a bit about the industry. Choosing a Pilates studio today is actually a pretty tricky task, because there are more and more of them. What should a client pay attention to when walking into a studio, to know they’ve found a place that will genuinely take care of them comprehensively?

[Patrycja]: I think it’s the instructors. Above all [laughs].

[Ania]: Yes, I agree.

[Patrycja]: Above all, what the classes are like, what selection of classes there is. How many classes there are, timing-wise too, whether there are enough of them. That’s how I see it.

[Ania]: Yes, I think it’s the instructors’ experience, whether they’re connected to Pilates in their own daily life, whether they train themselves, and also how big the groups are. I think those are…

[Patrycja]: …groups of four definitely make things easier for the instructors too, which can also contribute to the clients’ comfort.

[Iza]: Patrycja, you’re actually an instructor here. What do you struggle with most in the everyday work of a Pilates teacher?

[Patrycja]: I think clients come in here with all kinds of different stories and different goals, and I think the biggest struggle is that some clients expect results right away. But Pilates is an activity that requires consistency, a lot of patience to notice the effects, because we’re really working the deep muscle layers, so I think that’s one of the challenges of being an instructor.

[Iza]: And from a business owner’s point of view, what’s the biggest challenge?

[Ania]: I think it’s that I don’t teach these classes myself day to day, and yet I’d still like to get to know these clients. I often come to the girls’ classes to talk with the people who visit us, who train here, to learn about their expectations. Because I’d also like to be, um, part of the life going on here, in this place. I’d like to stay on top of everything. And of course to rise to every challenge, which isn’t always possible, but as much as I can, I always listen to clients when they call or message on Instagram, I’m always the one who answers [laughs], so I’d just like everyone to feel good here, to feel seen, and I think together we do everything in our power to make that happen.

[Iza]: And if you had to give one piece of advice to future investors in the world of Pilates, what would it be?

[Ania]: I think they should think about whether they want to be an investor, or also a Pilates teacher. It’s sometimes hard to be both. If someone wants to become a Pilates instructor, they definitely need to focus on really good training, go through that training, and see whether it’s really what they want, what they enjoy, what they’re passionate about. If so, they can absolutely go down that path. If not, the first thing I’d do is hire instructors who could help me choose the equipment, help me get through the whole opening process. Because if someone is just starting out and doesn’t know the industry, it can be hard, and it’s worth doing it right.

[Iza]: Right, and why did you decide on the Allegro 2?

[Ania]: I chose the Allegro 2 after a very long search. I think this equipment meets a lot of clients’ needs. It’s easy to use, safe, compact, and it’s very comfortable to work on. Besides that, it’s very Instagram-worthy [laughs]. I don’t think that’s the most important thing, but it is also nice to train on equipment that looks good, that fits the interior, but above all, quality mattered most to me. Quality, and the company being well-known, having a service department, having the ability to call at any time with any question and knowing I’d get help, get an answer, that my clients are simply safe.

[Iza]: Listen, girls, thank you so much for this conversation. Pilates Flow shows beautifully that strength and calm can go hand in hand, whether you just ran a 100-meter sprint or you’re only just starting out with any kind of physical activity. So we warmly invite you to Pilates Flow in Wrocław. Be sure to check out their Instagram too. And check out our website if you’d like to read more about the Allegro 2, the Wunda Chair, and our other equipment: www.balanced-body.pl. And be sure to subscribe to our channel for more inspiring interviews and stories from the world of Pilates. Thanks again, and see you soon!

Looking for equipment or inspiration for your studio?

Combining passion, knowledge, and top-quality equipment creates a space clients genuinely enjoy coming back to. And it doesn’t matter whether you run intimate sessions on a handful of reformers or have a much larger space at your disposal. It’s always the people who make a place special.

If you’re planning to open your own studio and are looking for reliable equipment – like the Allegro 2 reformers or the versatile Wunda Chairs found at Pilates Flow – visit our product page. Write or call us, and we’ll help you choose the solution that’s perfectly tailored to your needs.

Visit Pilates Flow in Wrocław:
www: https://www.pilatesflow.pl/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/pilates_flow_wroclaw/
Address: ul. Grabiszyńska 200B, 53-235 Wrocław
Phone: 514 854 845