Laura is absolutely fantastic! She is thoughtful, extremely knowledgeable, kind, and always makes sure that you are comfortable. She provides an amazing full body workout and helps you work with your body at your own pace. She first teaches you the basic fundamental exercises and how to use of the equipment but Laura's classic pilates instruction quickly develops a real awareness for your own body. You will learn to work with ALL the parts of your body (including the brain!) and even the transitions between exercises are important to keep the work one seamless continuous flow. And yes, you will sweat! It's quite obvious that Laura absolutely loves pilates and the great respect that she has for the classic pilates really shows. Also, the studio is clean, airy and has lots of natural light, and conveniently located in downtown Davis. 100% recommended! read more

Yesterday I had my first ever Pilates lesson and today I'm thinking what kind of timeline I need to put in place to become a Pilates instructor. This place is legit! I had a lesson with owner Laura Cotler, and it was one of the most eye-opening workouts. She spent a lot of time going over the fundamentals of breath work, alignment, and getting me comfortable with the equipment. It was a great mix of feeling like I could actually do some cool stuff already (shoulder bridges, anyone?) and realizing I was like jello in muscles I didn't even know I had. I really like Laura's teaching style, in fact she reminded me of my former ballet instructor. She was very confident and has an eye for detail that seemed intuitive. I can be kind of a sensitive flower when it comes to one-on-one training and she kept it relaxed and focused without pressure. She seems like a real person and not a crazed workout Barbie. She also addressed every one of my concerns I had that other yoga instructors, even physical therapists had blown off, like ankle pronation and hyperextension in my knees. I also love the free long sleeved stretchy black logo T-shirt I got with my first lesson! I wore it around town the rest of the day and felt super svelte. Some other cool things: 1. The studio is open and light with cork floors and feels and looks very clean. 2. Bathroom is clean and well-stocked. 3. Free 3 hour parking in the garage directly behind the studio. 4. Unlike yoga where everyone has to be silent squirrel, Pilates studios often have a couple private lessons and classes running at once without creating distraction. I don't like to do my workouts in silence. Makes me nervous. Unlike the gym though, everyone seems very focused on their own work. No "how you doin'?" 5. I bought a package deal for private lessons which saved me some dough. 6. Online booking for classes and private lessons. I scheduled another private lesson with Laura for next week and I'll be counting the days! read more

As a former dancer with hip and shoulder pain, I've been taking Pilates classes for about 15 years and this is as good as it gets. The instructors are amazing, so ready to help you regain strength and balance. Took one or two classes during the holidays at the home pad, and every time I felt great, sleeping better, walking straighter, yes! The instructors at Lift Pilates are dedicated, extremely well trained folks. I took one class with Sonjia and loved her energy. Looking forward to another trip to see mom, and a trip to the studio. read more

I had Pilates training with Laura for the last couple of months. It was great experience and solid exercises for me. I have really tightened ligament within my legs. Classic Pilates helped me to stretch my legs and body. Very comfortable environment in the studio and friendly conversations with Laura. I would strongly recommend Lift Pilates if you are looking for private training. read more

I attended 3 classes with a groupon. I was unable to use the full 8 classes in the allowed time, because the groupon was for mat classes only, and their schedule is somewhat limited on days I am free. Owner/instructor Laura is clearly good at what she does, but not as good of a teacher as I would have expected. I have taken countless fitness, yoga and dance classes for the last 20 years, and would say that she is good at keeping a class moving, but not at truly teaching. Another teacher, Sue, was much more in touch with her students needs and very good at understanding what they needed to hear or see in order to improve. If her classes were more available to my schedule, I would have gone more. The studio is very clean and green, and parking is convenient. read more

I've had a great experience with my groupon purchase for Lift Pilates. I had never done pilates before, but the mat classes really teach you the basics and get you started on the right track. I have been to 4 or 5 classes and I always feel like I learn new things and am progressing in each class. I think I will definitely continue once my groupon sessions are gone. read more

If you are looking for a Pilates studio. You have come to the right place. Laura and Sue are great instructors. They keep us motivate and they are very helpful as a teacher and as well as personal level. I greatly admire. read more

I started at Lift over a year ago for a variety of different health issues. I am in my mid-thirties and have had multiple surgeries that limited my range of movement, compromised my energy level and was just hurting my quality of life. I was impressed from the moment I emailed Laura. Laura's responses back were caring, understanding and encouraging. She scheduled me with Sonja and it has been such a wonderful experience. Sonja makes sure I am challenged every week and on track to meeting and exceeding my health and fitness goals. I feel so much healthier and back to my pre-surgeries self. My posture is better (my catholic school nuns would be proud) and for the first time in my life I have definition in ALL the right places (a nice side benefit for me). All the instructors are very nice, receptive and so knowledgeable and skilled in their profession. I recommend this to anyone looking to start a workout routine that truly helps your quality of life and improves your overall health and wellbeing. One final point: I really HATE working out (as a rule and life mission really). It was never my thing and could never stick with an exercise program for more than a few months. The fact that I have stuck with this for over a year really should say something about this studio and its team. read more

I purchased a Groupon good for 8 mat pilates classes at Lift. I'v cashed in on 3 classes so far and have really enjoyed them. One instructor named Sue is particularly good at facilitating a challenging yet flowing mat class. The space is beautiful and comfortable. Would have liked it if the vibe was a bit friendlier on my first visit ... maybe it just takes time. read more

Lift Pilates offers some great classes taught by skilled instructors. Rachel always has a great attitude and a smile on her face. Her barre pilates class is a one hour full body workout that will tone your entire body. If you are looking to tone and shape your body, Rachel is your girl and Lift Pilates is the place to find her. Studio is small but clean. Located in an office building with a nice view from the studio windows. I travel 20 minutes to visit Lift Pilates from Vacaville. read more

I had been looking for a good Vinyasa yoga class in Davis for a couple years and was so happy when I finally found Rachel at Lift Pilates! Her class is exactly what I had been looking for! She provides an amazing workout that strengthens and tones the entire body. Rachel is a great instructor that listens to her students and tailors the workouts to meet their needs. She is extremely knowledgeable about yoga and pilates and knows how to make her classes both fun and challenging at the same time. read more

Lift Pilates deserves their high rankings for best pilates studio. While I can not comment in comparison to other studios as I am a first time pilates student, I can say that it has helped me reach my goals of increased mindfulness/paying attention to my body, reducing pain, strengthening and lengthening my body, improving my sleep, and in general taking better care of myself. I didn't expect to lose weight, but I did in 5 private sessions (I noticed that I had lost weight by the second session). I think the weight loss was more due to my increased awareness of myself, my body, my posture, and simply recognizing when I was full during the course of a meal. While it is expensive for the private lessons, Laura is an amazing instructor, one full of wisdom. Her time was well worth the cost. She custom-tailored exercises to help me strengthen specific muscles of my neck and shoulders which helped me to simultaneously relax muscles which needed to be lengthened, and strengthened the opposing muscles. The result was less neck/upper back pain for me, and better posture due to greater awareness throughout the day of my body's position. She is a calm and wonderful teacher, patiently cueing me through the various exercises, sometimes using analogies or creative descriptions to get me to understand what she wanted me to accomplish. Pilates is really fun, for someone like me who used to be a martial artist and misses being present in my body doing something physical which builds strength, flexibility, grace, and precision. I really love the intimate, yet airy and spacious studio, and working with Laura. I highly recommend Lift Pilates. read more

I have been doing Pilates for 10 years. I take 2 semi-private classes each week with Sue Morris. What a fine teacher She explains the moves using images and clues that make sense and are easy to follow. She is sensitive to her students and goes to great effort to keep my classes stimulating and fresh. And challenging ! The studio is spacious and pleasant. Cork floors Balanced body and stott equipment. Automated billing and class reminders. Lift is a great studio, especially for the serious. My life is so much better with Sue in it! read more