The Santa Monica expansion of Pvolve opened its doors on August 1 at 3110 Main Street, with a grand opening occurring on September 21. Launched in 2017, Pvolve has been quickly gaining traction due to its workouts focusing on low-impact, functional movement. The company also has a Hollywood heavyweight in their corner, as Jennifer Aniston officially partnered with the brand in 2023.
Running the Santa Monica studio is Paige Gilson, who picked up the Pvolve method as a way to both stay fit and strike up conversations with new friends. Gilson stated that the "modality" of the workouts sets Pvolve apart from "anything else on the market."
"Basically, it uses functional movement to mimic how your body moves in everyday life," Gilson said. "So a lot of the workouts that we [typically] do are kind of on a 2D plane of motion, whereas that’s not how we live our lives. So that’s what Pvolve [does], it has a lot of moving forward, backwards, side to side, totally on a 360 [degree] plane, because that’s exactly what our bodies are used to."
In looking for her next career path, Gilson was seriously considering having her own studio before finding out Pvolve was open to franchisees. Moving to Venice two years ago, she was determined to bring the workouts to the Westside.
"I feel like I already made up my mind before I reached [out] … I knew [Pvolve] was going to be the choice … I love the workout, I believe in the workout, I like doing the workout," Gilson added. "In a market like LA, where it’s already so saturated with fitness concepts, having one that does have its own method is what’s going to make it stand out. That’s what’s going to make it not only successful, but [it’ll be] something that will be around for a very long time."
The lone class offered at the moment is the "bread and butter" of Pvolve, the "Strength & Sculpt" workout. The signature class fuses low-impact exercises with Pvolve resistance tools in order to add strength, mobility and stability. The company’s resistance tools include the patented "P.ball" and "P.band."
The P.ball is a workout ball with a resistance band that goes around it, able to be used to strengthen inner thighs and glutes, as well as improve hip mobility. The P.band is a resistance band between two glove-like contraptions, allowing for work on the arms, back and shoulders.
Starting off with the core class, Gilson explained, allows locals to start off slow before adding in more cardio or weight training to the regimen. In early November, the studio will introduce its cardio-focused "Sculpt & Burn" class, followed by a progressive weight training course in early 2025.
Though running a smaller, 1,900 square-foot studio space, Gilson takes full advantage with ample equipment and a lobby area for amenities, including a beauty bar with products from R+Co and Public Goods.
Stating that those taking the workouts probably need two or three classes to "truly understand the method," Gilson said Pvolve is offering a three-for-one class deal in order to test the methods.
"People have been loving it, we’ve been having really full classes," Gilson said. "We have some amazing members [and] we have more signing up every day. The classes are getting so full that I almost can’t even take the class, so that’s a good sign."
To find out more about Pvolve’s workouts and equipment, visit pvolve.com.
thomas@smdp.com
