Studio Upstate, shown here on Tuesday, Jan. 13, is outfitted with Pilates reformer machines, aerial silks and poles for a variety of classes for all fitness levels.

LAKE PLACID — A fitness boutique is carving out a space for itself in sports-oriented Lake Placid with unique class offerings catering to all levels and abilities.

Perched on the second floor of 2663 Main Street and facing the Olympic Oval, Studio Upstate is outfitted with Pilates reformer machines and poles, with aerial silks hanging from the ceiling and mud room that is especially handy in the winter months.

Zoe Brown, owner and instructor at the studio, said that when she moved to the area in 2019, the small community of Lake Placid offered her a unique opportunity.

“I was in such a fortunate and unique situation to have the opportunity to be the only Pilates studio here,” she said. “Because if you’re in other states and other communities, there’s probably neighboring Pilates studios within five or 10 minutes of each other.”

However, Studio Upstate has much more to offer than just Pilates. Brown has a panoply of disciplines in her fitness repertoir — from yoga and Pilates to aerials and fire dancing. However, she said pole dancing was her first love, having practiced it for 14 years.

Studio Upstate owner and instructor Zoe Brown is shown in her studio on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Brown’s journey with pole dancing began when she saw a Groupon for a class nearby. She went with her sister and after one class, she was hooked. She immediately bought a pole and installed it in her basement.

Brown was drawn to teaching because she wanted to create these kinds of spaces for other people. She loved being a student in the pole community, a group of people she has always found to be fun and encouraging.

“I adore everything about the pole community. I love the support of all of the people, and I love that it felt like my first time that I had permission to be strong and to be sexy,” Brown said. “To have that in such a supportive environment, just was life changing for me.”

However, there aren’t a ton of ways to get certified in teaching pole, so she went a more traditional route when it came to teaching, first getting a yoga fitness certification in 2015. She started teaching and was eventually juggling classes at up to six studios at a time, but found herself wanting more.

In 2019, Brown moved to Lake Placid and geared up to open her studio in March 2020. The advent of the pandemic delayed her plans and she was able to open — albeit with restrictions that meant she could only teach a few people in the room at a time — in October of that year.

Now, with a cadre of loyal customers and a growing business, she is happy to say that Studio Upstate weathered a time of isolation and emerged with a new community.

“I’m so glad that we thrived through it,” Brown said. “I don’te even want to say we survived — we totally thrived through it.”

Something for everyone

Since opening, Studio Upstate has gained four instructors in addition to Brown, each with their own background and specialties. This is something Brown thinks helps them cater to a broad range of people.

Brown emphasizes their classes are intended for everyone, regardless of level or ability. Her clients range from Olympic athletes — the sliding teams do private lessons with her during the off-season — to people coming off of injuries and women who are doing prenatal or postnatal training.

Chelsi Wright, 41, of Saranac Lake was pulled along by a friend who wanted a buddy to try something new with.

“Going into any sort of new space, especially not knowing what you’re doing or what’s expected of you, is so intimidating,” Wright said. “You walk in there, and it’s like a home. There’s this camaraderie.”

Laura Rafferty, of Lake Placid, took her first pole class at Studio Upstate in January 2021. Four years later, she’s still going strong. She earned her Pilates certification last fall and has also started teaching pole classes.

“It definitely took me out of my comfort zone,” Rafferty said. “I knew I would feel kind of awkward and uncomfortable — and I did — but even before the first class was over, I was comfortable in this space.”

Transforming body and mind

Wright has struggled in the past with health problems that caused a lot of pain, but two years after regularly doing Pilates at Studio Upstate, her pain is gone. She says practicing Pilates has completely changed her relationship with her body, which has spilled over into other parts of her life.

“You have to be patient with yourself,” Wright said. “And that definitely transfers into your day-to-day.”

For anyone who might be intimidated, especially by pole or aerials, Brown always makes sure to offer options. She can have people with mixed experience levels and abilities in one class.

Rafferty also wants people to know that they don’t need to have any experience to come to a class. She even worked out and taught through most of her first pregnancy. She now has a five-month-old and was still teaching classes until about two weeks before her baby was born.

Pole dancing has helped Brown change her mindset toward her body.

“I’ve treated myself a lot more kindly since I started pole,” she said. “What I like about this is there’s no box. It’s breaking all of the boxes and breaking all of those stereotypes.”

Wright said Pilates has transformed her relationship with her body and she can now do things she never thought would be possible.

“It taught me to really appreciate my body and what I am capable of doing,” Wright said. “I have a lot of health issues, so sometimes it can be a little tough to love yourself. Being in there and being around the positivity and the you-got-this kind of vibe, as a 41-year-old woman, it changes everything.”

To learn more about Studio Upstate, visit tinyurl.com/4bntb7nx.