This is the question we get most from people booking a first class, and from groups trying to brief everyone at once. The answer is shorter than you would expect.
Grip socks: optional, and worth having
We do not require grip socks. Plenty of people train here without them.
That said, most regulars end up buying a pair. The carriage moves, the foot bar is metal, and a little traction makes some of the standing and kneeling work feel more secure. If you already own some, wear them. If you do not, come as you are and see whether you miss them.
If you are organising a group booking, this is the one thing worth mentioning in advance — not because it is mandatory, but because people like knowing.
Close-fitting beats loose
Wear something you can move in that is close enough to the body that your instructor can see your alignment. That is the whole reason for it. In a class of eight, a good instructor is reading your ribs, your pelvis and your shoulders constantly, and a baggy shirt hides all three.
It has nothing to do with how you look. It has everything to do with whether the correction you get is accurate.
Leggings or fitted shorts, and a top that stays put when you are upside down, which you will be at some point.
What to leave at home
Zips, buckles and hard fastenings. You lie directly on the carriage. Anything rigid on the back of a garment becomes obvious within about four minutes.
Loose jewellery. Long necklaces swing. Rings catch on straps.
Anything you have to keep adjusting. If you are pulling a top down every time you invert, you are not thinking about your breathing.
Gum. Not clothing, but worth saying. You spend a lot of a reformer class on your back and chewing is a real choking risk.
What to bring
A water bottle. That is genuinely it — grip socks if you own a pair, but nothing else. Everything else is here.
What actually matters more than any of this
Arriving five or ten minutes early on your first visit. That is the window where your instructor sets your reformer to your height, shows you the springs and straps, and hears about the shoulder you are working around.
Turn up in perfect kit at exactly the start time and you will spend the first ten minutes catching up. Turn up early in an old t-shirt and you will not.
More on how the studio runs is on the guidelines page, and the FAQ covers most of the rest.
If you are briefing a group
For bridal parties and group bookings, we send you all of this in one message to forward on. It saves the eight separate texts. Details are on the bachelorette and group classes page.
New to the studio? Two classes for $50 includes a full equipment orientation on your first visit.
