Real Pilates Montauk is celebrating its fifth season. The studio will host an anniversary party on August 22 and will be open through the end of the year. We caught up with Founder Victoria (Batha) Cuomo, a passionate classical Pilates instructor, to learn more.
Tell us about your background as a Pilates instructor.
I’m a third-generation, classically trained instructor, having graduated from the Real Pilates Teacher Training program in the fall of 2016. I went back to graduate school at Columbia University a few years later, where I received a Masters in Applied Exercise Physiology. I’m a passionate learner and am continually refining and adding to my qualifications with workshops, immersive anatomy classes, and, of course through, Pilates lessons! As a former Divison 1 rower, I try to keep my teaching both athletic and rehabilitative. I want my clients to leave their session feeling better when they walk out the door than when they’ve walked in.
As you embark on your fifth season at Real Pilates Montauk, share with us the journey that led you to open a studio in Montauk.
This is a long one, but the short story is that we moved out to Montauk during the pandemic. My husband and I happened to walk by a building with a “for lease” sign in the window, and I called the number immediately. There was a lot of unknown regarding when gyms would be able to reopen in NYC, so I jumped on the opportunity to open a small little outpost Out East. My first season, I had one reformer, one tower, and one wunda chair — it was barely a studio. I doubled the space and equipment for the second season, and so on. In 2023, I moved into a larger building, which has been a dream. We now offer small group classes and have rounded out our apparatus with nearly all of the classical pieces everyone knows and loves!
Could you tell us about your passion for classical Pilates?
Classical Pilates is what Joseph Pilates created and taught. In my opinion, there’s really only one Pilates, and it is classical Pilates. With the increasing popularity of TikTok, I’ve noticed that Pilates is having a sort of viral moment, but most of what I see out there is so derivative of what we teach — it’s veering further and further from what Pilates actually is. I created the brand “The Pilates Snob” in 2016 as a sort of tongue-in-cheek way to poke fun at not only the fake Pilates that I see everywhere but also as a way for those of us who stay true to the method to be able to shout it from the rooftops with various “Pilates Snob” apparel. A lot of training and studying goes into becoming a classical instructor, and I feel that these derivates can not only be misleadingly ineffective but often unsafe. I also feel that classical Pilates is the most effective workout I’ve ever done — so I’m a loyalist ‘til the end.
What does your perfect day in Montauk look like?
My perfect day in Montauk would start with a stop at Naturally Good for their “Firecracker” juice — I don’t drink coffee and this is a favorite treat of mine. From there, we’d continue to Umbrella Beach for our morning walk with our two golden retrievers. I’d try and fit in some sort of exercise, whether it be a run, a Peloton ride, or some Pilates, and from there, I’d park it at Gin Beach with a good beach read for a few hours. My husband and I have been stopping at the Gin Beach Café at the Angler’s Club on our way home from Gin for mudslides and some apps — their menu is super extensive, and it’s such a nice escape from the craziness in town. We participate in the CSA from Balsam Farms, so we normally cook dinner at home. If we’re feeling like getting out, we love to stop at Montauket or Topside for a drink or cross our fingers that the crowd isn’t too crazy at the Crow’s Nest because we really love the ambiance and food!
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