Beautiful balloon arches set the scene for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting held by The Pilates Room and Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce, Saturday Aug. 16 in Gridley. Pictured from left are Joan Clarke, Eliza Sannar and Cathy Mills. Photo courtesy of Eliza Sannar

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – ‘The Pilates Room’, brought to the community by Eliza Sannar, is one of the newest businesses to join a growing number of locally-owned establishments in historic downtown Gridley.

The 23-year-old Sannar recently opened her doors to the public for a sneak-peek of the newly renovated Pilates studio, allowing curious locals to explore the equipment used in the discipline and ask questions.

“Pilates is a mind and body exercise method focused on core strength, controlled movement and alignment,” said Sannar and that it “emphasizes breathing, precision and purposeful movement.”

Eliza Sannar smiles at the opening of The Pilates Room, where she will offer Pilates classes and aesthetician services. Photo courtesy of Eliza Sannar

While the method can be practiced on a mat, it was originally developed to be performed on ‘reformer’ Sannar tells the Herald. She currently has 8 in the studio. “Reformers are spring-based apparatus (equipment) that both support and challenge the body,” said Sannar. Individuals with physical limitations such as arthritis can benefit from targeted tension exercises of the reformer while experiencing low impact. The draw is that it can tone specific areas while also strengthening the whole body.

With opening The Pilates Room, Sannar has combined two of her passions under one roof, with the intention to ‘level-up’ her clients wellness journey. Not only will she offer group and private Pilates classes at the studio, but professional aesthetician services of facials and eye lash/brow services. Sannar has been a practicing aesthetician in a medical spa setting for 3-years and was inspired to further her journey into supporting client wellness with becoming a certified Pilates instructor through the BASI Pilates Academy.

“The Pilates Room was born out of a simple vision that I felt our small town of Gridley was lacking: an inclusive, welcoming environment where clients feel supported and inspired, focused on wellness – inside and out.” Her motto is, “Where refined movement meets radiant skin.”

The Pilates Room offers access to eight reformers, pictured here, that support the body during exercise movements, while providing low-impact, targeted results. Photo courtesy of Eliza Sannar

Sannar intends to keep her classes small and tells the Herald that Pilates can be started at any level of experience. For those that may feel anxiety in larger settings or may require extra assistance, she suggests private sessions.

With a history in this town herself - she was born and raised here after all – Sannar has put much effort into curating a calm and welcoming space while keeping the original feel of the historic building that houses the studio.

She rallied family for help, and they came.

Her father, Chiropractor and owner of Gridley’s Spin and Sport Gym, Josh Sannar, helped her sand down and re-seal the hard-wood floors, clean the crumbling decades-old brick, and repair a host of other ‘fix-its’. Friends came to help clean, paint and sweep. Eliza’s mother, Shelly Davis, helped her structure and manage the business planning and implementation, while original owners of The Wishing Corner, Grandmother Cindy Davis and Great Aunt Cathy Mills, made sure that marketing was on-point and other details were not missed.

Eliza Sannar smiles at the opening of The Pilates Room, the newest locally owned business to join a growing Downtown Gridley. Photo courtesy of Eliza Sannar

The Pilates Room held its official Grand opening and Ribbon Cutting with the Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce Saturday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m.

The Pilates Room is located at 885 Hazel Street, Gridley and appointments can be booked online at thepilatesroom.com. Pilates classes begin as low as $30 a session and facial treatments as low as $65.

Doors open to The Pilates Room Sept. 4, and an excited Sannar can’t wait.

She said, “I want people to move, I want people to connect with community, and I want people to elevate to their best selves when they’re in the Pilates Room.”