She and co-owner Cam Drummond had been living in California for five years when they decided they wanted to make a change, Slapnicka said. So they quit their jobs, took out a loan and started Pure Pilates in October 2013 with a small studio in West Campus.
“It was a hard decision,” Slapnicka said. “I came from strategy consulting for banks, and I was an accountant before that. I have a very Type A personality and always had this view that you had to have a ‘real’ job.”
The Domain location opened in December 2014, and the couple opened their third location last January on South Lamar Boulevard.
Drummond said he grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, so he was happy to support Slapnicka’s dream.
“I was her guinea pig when she was learning how to teach classes originally,” he said. “I thought it was a pretty hard workout.”
Pure Pilates teaches the Lagree Fitness Method that uses the Megaformer machine, which is based on the reformer machine created by Pilates creator Joseph Pilates.
“[The Megaformers] operate in the same way, but they’ve tweaked it so you can do more on it and do it more efficiently,” Slapnicka said.
The machines have a movable carriage with spring-loaded resistance to customize the intensity and difficulty level. Various platforms and handles allow trainers to construct a workout from more than 250 possible exercises that focus on the core, strength, stability, muscle balance and proper form, Slapnicka said.
“The workout I think is one of the best workouts you can do,” she said. “It complements anything. If you’re a runner, a cyclist, if all you do is walk down the street, it is going to do something for your body in a positive way. This is great for people who do CrossFit.”
Because classes are small—no more than eight to 10 people—clients must sign up ahead of time on the business’ website or mobile app.
“It’s a nice level where you get some of that group motivation, which is why a lot of people are drawn to group fitness, but you can get personalized attention,” Drummond said.
Pure Pilates Austin
11011 Domain Drive, Ste. 115, Austin
512-551-9370
www.purepilatesaustin.com
Hours: visit website for schedule
