Surviving My First Class at DOSE Hot HIIT Pilates & Yoga in Memphis

For all you fellow beginners out there, if I can make it through a Hot HIIT Pilates session, so can you! Here’s how my visit went.

DOSE Hot HIIT Pilates & Yoga may sound familiar to you. You may have seen their Sunset Pilates & Yin Yoga series on the rooftop at Beck and Call which has packed a crowd.

From the moment I walked into DOSE, I knew this wasn’t just any fitness studio. Located in the historic Medicine Factory, it gives a great industrial feel and look but yet still accomplishes having a spa-like atmosphere that’s immediately calming. 

I was handed a mat towel as I checked in and secured my things in one of their custom personal lockers. A white board welcomed me and a few other first timers which immediately made me feel better that I wasn’t going to be the only newcomer. 

A shower awaited for post-workout refreshment—so needed after the sweating I was about to do.

DOSE has an infrared-heated studio, designed with a raised floor to reduce workout impact. The infrared panels are a game-changer, providing a gentle heat that boosts immune function, aids in circulation, and even helps detoxify your body.

Let’s get to that main event: the workout. Queue the sweat.

DOSE offers all sorts of classes like hot pilates, an inferno version with weights & bands, hot power vinyasa yoga, slow flow, deep stretch and mobility, restorative yoga with sound healing, and more.

I went with the inferno hot pilates with weights and bands for my first class. I had a vision where everyone in a pilates class was going to be super unrealistically fit but it was a room full of normal people in all levels of athleticism which again was so appreciative and welcoming for me.

“It's a full body workout, incorporating pilates principles with a high intensity environment,” owner Joseph Lewis said.  “Dose's community is really a great reflection of Memphis. In any given class, you can find first timers, all ages, all backgrounds, and all fitness levels modified for where they are that day.”  

Although I went in not knowing anything about pilates but the instructors are descriptive and supportive enough in a way that makes it easy to follow along and scale down as needed. When things get challenging, which it will, you can drop the weights and bands.

What I appreciated the most about the class is how it kept moving. If there’s a move that I wasn’t good at (most of them lol), it didn’t get me discouraged because as quickly as it started we were off to the next series. Don’t worry–there is plenty of rest built in too.

After what felt like the toughest (but most rewarding) workout, came the best part. A nice cool face towel to lay down and recalibrate with before hitting the showers.

For anyone looking to dive into Pilates or try something new in their fitness routine, DOSE is the perfect place to start.

GO THERE:

DOSE Hot HIIT Pilates & Yoga
85 Virginia Ave W.
Memphis, TN 38106