Nestled into Palo Alto’s Midtown Shopping Center is the plaza’s newest addition: RockSalt Pilates. Advertised as an “addictive” reformer pilates workout that blends cardio, light weights and resistance training, RockSalt opened this location in August 2025.

As an AVID Corepower YogaSculpt attendee, I was ecstatic to see a new local workout studio open. For some context to preface my ratings, I’ve been going to the gym for the past two years and come from a background of cheerleading, long distance running and weightlifting.

RockSalt offers three types of classes: Strength, Stretch and Sweat. According to their website, Strength and Stretch classes are suitable for first-timers. For my first class, I signed up for their Strength 50-minute class at 8:00am.

Studio Design – 8/10

Immediately after stepping into RockSalt, I loved the studio setup with custom-made LED signs, a small merchandise stand (selling branded Lululemon apparel), an organized rack of weight and ~10 reformer machines. Beside each machine, there was a Lululemon Yoga Mat and a magic circle to use during exercises. However, the studio has a large glass window that faces the rest of the plaza, meaning that anyone walking by could watch me take the class — not ideal, but tolerable.

Price – 6/10

The first class is only $20, which is a good price point for a trial class. However, a single class beyond that is $42, although they offer class packs for discounted class prices. But, a 10-class pack here costs $389 (~$39/class), which is more expensive compared to other studios such as Corepower Yoga ($315) and Solidcore ($359). The classes are not insanely expensive, but there are definitely more affordable options out there.

Class Enjoyability – 3/10

The class was broken into 3 (ish) segments: abs, legs, and arms. However, I wasn’t a big fan of the pacing and repetitive nature of the class. A lot of the movements were unilateral and repeated for 4-5 sets. While there were layered exercises, I grew bored with repeating the same side plank series 6 times.

The reformer machine is fun to experience, but after the first ten minutes, my excitement to use it faded. Compared to my experience in Corepower Yoga, where we rarely do the same movement for more than two times and frequently switch between exercises, I felt bored extremely quickly. Also, the instructor didn’t do the exercises with us which may be fine for some, but as a first-timer, I got a little confused with how to do the right movements.

Class Difficulty – 6/10

It’s important to note that this specific rating will vary between people and class types. The Sweat class is likely harder, so I am speaking solely about the Strength class here.

Reformer pilates is typically easier on our joints compared to running or weightlifting, which I appreciated as someone with weak joints. But, the class was easier in both difficulty and endurance than what I normally experience through Corepower Yoga or the gym. Some moves were harder than others, but the majority of the difficulty came from the fact that we repeated the same exercises so many times. For some, this may be a positive — however, if I am spending $20 on a class and an hour of my time, I want to feel like I’m challenging my muscles and getting a solid workout.

Vibes and music – 5/10

My instructor wasn’t super upbeat and didn’t make me feel crazy excited during class. She was really nice about giving people shoutouts (saying things like ‘Great job, Sophia!’), but beyond that it was pretty calm. The playlist felt like a generic upbeat pop playlist, which I think could’ve been elevated by throwing in some house music.

Overall, I think RockSalt is a good class for beginners or people who are getting back into exercising after not working out for a while. But, for athletes or people who have been working out for a while, I wouldn’t recommend it based on its price point and class quality. I think reformer pilates is a great way to workout, but my experience at RockSalt wasn’t my favorite. Personally, I won’t be integrating these classes into my routine, but I’m sure it’s a great fit for someone else.