Meet Upward Spiral Studio in Cambridge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Upward Spiral Studio.

Thanks for sharing your story with us. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Evolved from Massachusetts’s first certified Pilates studio over 20 years ago, Upward Spiral Studio was formed in 2009 by Martha Mason, Paula Spina and Bess Whitesel.

Martha apprenticed with and was certified by The Pilates Guild and Romana Kryzanowska, inheritor of Joseph Pilates’ studio in 1968. Martha was the first nationally-certified Pilates Instructor in Massachusetts in 1993 and spent 16 years teaching and running her own Pilates studio, 10 of which included another career: directing and touring internationally with her company, Snappy Dance Theater. She discovered the GYROTONIC® Method in 2001 and has since become a Level 2 Master Trainer in GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® exercise. In 2009, a beautiful partnership was formed with Bess Whitesel and Paula Spina to create Upward Spiral Studio.

Paula, had early experience as a gymnast and later with dance. She has been a certified classical Pilates Instructor since 2006 and has completed the Master’s Program with the internationally renowned Pilates Center in Boulder, CO. She has three beautiful daughters.

Bess, mother of two, was a professional dancer (including 7 years with Snappy Dance Theater) and trained with School of American Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School among others. She became classically certified through Power Pilates® in 2003 and is a Level 2 GYROTONIC® instructor.

Has it been a smooth road?
Having an equal partnership among 3 is the best! For one thing, if two don’t agree on a strategy, then the third one makes the decision and we just accept it. We have learned to recognize each other’s strengths and collaborate well together, including all our skill sets to share responsibility and keep the ship sailing smoothly. And keeping a good sense of humor is so important! 2014 was a rough year when our studio was flooded almost 5 feet, destroying much of our equipment, as well as the studio itself. Fellow studios and colleagues reached out to us with donated equipment. Clients not only helped in the aftermath, but followed us to four different locations over that time period. We learned what community really means and being gypsies for ten months, working with less space and equipment, made us more creative as teachers and brought us even closer as a team.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Upward Spiral Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
Upward Spiral Studio is both boutique studio for clients of all levels of fitness and a teacher training facility. Martha is a Level 2 teacher trainer or “Master Trainer” of the GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® methods and holds foundation courses and continuing education courses throughout the year. We also bring in experts from the Pilates realm to conduct continuing education for instructors.

We are most proud of our ability to handle a wide range of clientele, from the elderly to the elite athlete and for our comfortable, easy-going atmosphere. Clients are treated like family. We have a strong reputation for excellent teaching, (instructors averaging 10-20 years of experience) coupled with a keen sense of community. I think that one thing that sets us apart is that our team of about 12 instructors has a good chemistry and in a field that is constantly growing and evolving, we take advantage of learning from each other to keep things fresh. If one of us is traveling, our clients will work with another instructor and benefit from a different pair of eyes. We often hear from clients that they can immediately feel our studio’s special vibe and we are referred to as a “hidden gem” in Central Square. We also have a resident Physical Therapist, Dr. Sarah Ellison Duvall to whom we can refer our clients when their symptoms are out of our scope of expertise.

Pricing:

• GYROKINESIS® or Pilates Mat class $20/15 student rate or $100 per month unlimited
• Group Pilates apparatus $35
• Privates $85/80/75, Duets $55/50, Trios $45/40

Contact Info:

• Address: 7 Temple Street (entrance on Bishop Allen)
  Cambridge, MA 02139
• Website: www.upwardspiralstudio.com
• Phone: 6174912940
• Email: info@upwardspiralstudio.com

Image Credit:
Beth Bauer and candid fun