Business of the Week: Marin Pilates Cycle & BodyWorks

 Every Tuesday, we'll feature a different business and business owner in town as the Business of the Week. Maybe that business exemplifies the Fairfax spirit. Maybe it's been in San Anselmo since before San Anselmo was a town. We'll try to focus on business owners doing good in the community and showcase a range businesses from small boutique shops to service organizations. Is there a business or business owner you'd like to recommend? Click on the "email the author" button and tell me all about them.

Marin Pilates Cycle and BodyWorks

14 Greenfield Avenue, San Anselmo

459-0112;
 www.marinpilates.com

What Marin Pilates Cycle and BodyWorks offers?

Pilates apparatus classes, group and private sessions

Group and private cycling classes

Structural bodywork, massage therapy, reiki

Purified pH-balanced ionized water

Weekend three-hour workshop retreats

Pilates teacher training and events

And Coming Soon: swing classes

Who are they?

Janette Jones and Andy Kristen met when he was in the Mortgage Division of Frank Howard Allen Realtors in San Rafael. He hurt his back running and was told to go see Janette Jones — a miracle worker.    

By the time she had cured his back problems through a series of structural bodywork sessions, they had fallen in love.

Two years ago, when the mortgage crisis happened, they started talking about working together. Andy had already decided he wanted to change careers. With his interest in fitness, especially running and cycling, Janette made him an offer he couldn't refuse: join forces with her in a Pilates studio where he could add his forte: cardiovascular fitness. It would be a perfect fit.  

Janette is a highly-regarded master Pilates instructor with a background in structural bodywork. She has more than 20 years experience in massage therapy and has been teaching Pilates for 13 years. 

Andy's love for fitness throughout his life has translated into becoming a CycleOps Group Cycling instructor. CycleOps offers training based on the amount of power a cyclist is putting out. His clients achieve amazing results whether they are new to spin classes or veterans of the workout.

How long have they been here?

Originally, they shared the space in San Anselmo where Andy formerly had his mortgage office, across from the fire station. Within a short time they outgrew it with too many clients. Most of the clients wanted both Pilates by Janette and Andy's cycling classes. The duo were running out of space.

When Green Fusion went out of business at the Greenfield corner of Sir Francis Drake in San Anselmo, Andy and Janette jumped at the chance to take over that large building. They have now created a beautiful and functional Pilates apparatus studio for Janette, with room in the front for lots of stationary bikes used in Andy's cycling classes. Upstairs was a perfect space for Janette's structural bodywork with several private massage rooms, a shower and some comfy couches for clients to relax. The BodyLoft was born. 

Why are they the business of the week?

Their philosophy is integration of health and physical structure, or, how the body regenerates, based on the person's will to improve their own health and well-being.

The combination of Pilates, cycling and structural bodywork is the perfect synchronicity seldom achieved in a typical health club.

At any time a client can have body work done in the BodyLoft. If a client has already purchased a series of private Pilates classes with Janette, the benefit here is Janette can do either Pilates or body work for that hour. It all depends on how they assess the client is feeling that particular day and what the physical needs or limitations might be.  

"Doing a Pilates exercise won't show the desired results if you don't have the correct posture or if you hurt yourself," Janette said. Through her massage background and study of anatomy, Janette is able to combine her knowledge with her abilities as a Pilates teacher. It is better than just a massage or just a Pilates class -- it is for the whole body!

The studio's Pilates apparatus includes The Reformer, The Mat/Wall Tower and The Exo Chair.

Add Andy's cycling spin classes, where most clients lose weight while having fun, and at Marin Pilates they really cover it all. As a CycleOps Group Cycling instructor, Andy's approach is that in their studio they take everything they do very seriously.

To Andy and Janette, every client is unique. They take the time necessary to understand where the client is on a fitness level, and design a workout specific to that client. In group classes it's easy to forget that not every client has the same strengths or weaknesses. Janette and Andy pride themselves on providing personal training without the cost of a personal trainer.