New pilates studio reforms Central Avenue space in Highland Park

Ready, set, pilates.

Body. by reformer, a boutique pilates studio, has transformed 482 Central Ave. in Highland Park into a cozy, sophisticated environment, and its doors open Monday, Dec. 9, to seasoned pilates lovers, newbies and all levels in between.

“We were very thoughtful with the design of the studio and making it an experience, because [pilates] does become a part of people’s routine,” founder Katarina Savic told The Record. “… We wanted to make sure, when people take our classes, that not only would the classes be good but that the vibe would be good, that the ambiance would be good, that it would be like an outing — that it would feel like when you go to brunch at a really cool place or are just having a [cool] experience.”

Savic, who grew up in Park Ridge and has long enjoyed days in Highland Park with her family, where they are members of the North Shore Yacht Club, is ready for people to see what she and her team have been working on behind the scenes to bring the vision to life.

A businesswoman by trade, she has long been a pilates practitioner. Among her aims with Body. by reformer is to offer an experience that Savic looked for as a fitness consumer, which includes a customer-centered experience that prioritizes ambiance and consistent quality and intensity.

“The classes don’t have traditional levels that are present in some corporate settings,” she explained. “All of the classes are designed to be beginner through intermediate, meaning you can modify up in your exercises. Every exercise starts with its most simple proposition and then it becomes progressively more challenging as you modify those poses, so it’s really focusing on getting a strong foundation and then building up within the class that you’re in.”

A couple times a week, there is set to be an Intro to Reformer class on offer for those new to pilates who want to get acquainted with the reformer and movements in a more casual environment prior to signing up for the other available classes, such as “Balance by reformer,” “Deep core by reformer,” and “Sculpt by reformer.”

The class instructors, Savic said, might be familiar faces to some as a few have taught at other pilates studios in neighboring suburbs.

People can sign up for classes online via the Body. by reformer website or their app. There are monthly membership packages as well as single class options. The first class is complimentary.

Savic said the community response has already been “so positive and warm.”

“Highland Park is such a vibrant community, and people really love local businesses, and they appreciate them,” she said. “So, I just felt like Highland Park was the type of community that would appreciate something local and boutique, and they really do: They’ve shown such an outpouring of support and encouragement. We’ve already become embedded into the fabric of Highland Park, so I couldn’t be happier with the choice.”

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