Method: A Sweat Studio engages in SPEDA mini-grant program to provide individualized instruction for Pilates clients

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of profile pieces about the 2024 Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) mini-grant recipients. SPEDA awards four $2,500 mini-grants annually to businesses with plans to innovate and expand their operations.

Tuck your shoulders. Engage your core. Find your neutral spine. Breathe.

Anyone who has taken a Pilates class recognizes these steps. Whether practiced on a mat or a reformer machine, there is a method to this system of exercises developed by Joseph Pilates. It is intended to strengthen the mind and body as each exercise, repeated three to five times, flows from five essential elements: breath, cervical alignment, rib and scapular stabilization, pelvic mobility, and utilization of the transversus abdominis.

Staying true to the Pilates method is central to benefitting from the practice. But the same can be said for holistic health — practicing a regular method of movement and self-care is crucial to achieving it. This idea, in part, inspired the name Method: A Sweat Studio for owners Michelle Gambill and Sarah Leigh, and it inspires them each day to share their passion for health and wellness with others inside their downtown Somerset facility.

“At Method, our mission is to foster a supportive community where we welcome individuals of all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels,” Gambill said. “We work together toward a common goal of living a healthy and well-rounded, balanced life. Nutrition and fitness are inseparable partners on this journey to our better selves. We are committed to empowering our clients through fitness classes that challenge and inspire, and through wellness education, services and products that leave our clients feeling their best.”

Gambill and Leigh met in 2018 while exercising at a different facility in Somerset. Upon becoming neighbors and quickly learning about their shared passion for fitness, health and wellness, the two decided to combine their expertise. They leased what is known as the old YMCA or City Fit building on Maple Street — a building they have since purchased and are renovating — and Method was born. 

What began in one small room with only three Pilates reformers and various props quickly grew to occupy the entire building. Method now offers seven reformers, a weight room, a cycling room, a group Fitness room, an infrared sauna, an in-house massage therapist and a large retail space. Today, Leigh, Gambill and their team of instructors serve more than 500 clients with a robust class menu for men and women, young and old — most days, every hour on the hour.

Clients can expect to sweat inside this downtown studio, with a variety of classes and intensity levels that provide a cardiovascular and strength workout. But “sweat” has a few different meanings to Gambill and Leigh that have all been incorporated into this space. 

“We both believe there are multiple ways to sweat,” Leigh said. “We both saw the need for variety in our own workouts, and wanted to create a space where one could come and get the full experience under one roof. Whether it’s an intense HIIT or cycle class, a slow and controlled Pilates class, or a Barre class where you use smaller muscle groups, your body needs it all.”

The duo also believes there are multiple benefits from sweating. Gambill and Leigh both live with auto-immune conditions and have educated themselves on the importance of pairing proper detoxification, variety and consistency in exercises, as well as integrating massage therapy into their daily routines. They are passing along this knowledge to clients by offering an infrared sauna and massage therapy at the studio and clean and nutritional products that help clients properly fuel their bodies.

“Our overall approach to fitness is achieving true wellness through proper instruction in a variety of exercises with support in nutrition, detoxing and massage to be your best self,” Leigh said.

Individualized instruction, especially in Pilates, is also an important part of the menu but has been challenging in this space with the high volume of group classes. To help provide this instruction, Gambill and Leigh applied for and received a Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) mini-grant to purchase their seventh reformer. It is housed in a separate room designated for private sessions, so it does not interfere with the group class schedule.

“Now, we can have private sessions and group classes going on simultaneously, reaching more clients in the community and adding to the overall revenue of our small business,” Gambill said. “The opportunity SPEDA’s mini-grant afforded us is invaluable, not just to our bottom line, but to our clients’ bottom lines as well — many of them need modified sessions due to injury or illness, and others simply want that one-on-one instruction. It’s one more way we can help clients build a method of wellness, and we are grateful for that support.”

Support has come far and wide for Method, which Gambill said has been rewarding for this female-led business. 

“We have received tremendous support from both men and women in the community, which means so much to us both,” she said. “We hope to inspire the next generation of young women in Somerset to do the same one day.”

Leigh and Gambill are paying forward that support by investing in their facility to weave it into the fabric of Somerset’s revitalized downtown. In addition to updating the exterior and transforming the building from one story to two, they are building out a new, larger space for Pilates to offer eight reformers in group classes. There will be new spaces for cycling and Barre, and perhaps the most exciting addition: four new office spaces for massage therapy, aesthetics and health and nutrition coaching, allowing clients to expand their health and wellness routine in one place.

“These renovations have us so excited for the future of our studio,” Gambill said. “If you haven’t visited Method, we welcome you to our community, where we hope you’ll feel comfortable taking the first step to building healthy habits that create consistency and wellness in your life. We will help you develop a method for success.”

Meet the owners: