tLm Travel Studio Summer Series

Dear tLm Family,

So, June 20 was the first official day of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and today is the first day of July. I would say it certainly feels like summer has arrived. I love every season, but summer has a particular vibration to it, a vibrancy that makes me feel a little more alive, as Camus says: “that with me lay an invincible summer.” I’m not really one to set big goals during this season, but it’s safe to say that if I did, it would be to have an invincible summer for sure!

This time of year is great for travel, family trips, girls’ overnights, staycations, and big adventures. I especially love the longer getaways and excursions with my husband and twin boys, but even the shorter bursts of travel, I always make the most of them and have a blast. I love to explore, and no matter where I go or how long I’m gone, there is one thing I’ve done consistently for the past 20 years, and it’s this:

I’ve committed myself to a kind of ritual, one that has many benefits and is super meaningful to me. When I arrive in a new city or country that I’m visiting, one of the first things I do is find a studio close to my hotel and take a barre or Pilates class, sometimes two or three, depending on how long I’ll be there. I’ve been doing a bit of traveling lately, and this time, something felt a bit different. I was struck by an idea that landed immediately, and I decided to take action. Today’s tLm Tuesday News is to tell you more about this idea and why I’ve decided to do it now.

For the next two months (possibly three), in place of the tLm Tuesday News, I’ll be sharing with you a brand new segment I’m calling the tLm Travel Studio Series. It’s part interview, part review, and part travel blog, featuring beautiful studios I’ve been lucky enough to take classes at during my travels around the world. I think it’s fascinating that people from other countries, who speak different languages, can connect and bond through the technique of barre and Pilates, and who are as passionate about this work as I am. I want to talk to them, get to know them, ask them questions, and find out their “Why?” To be honest, I’m surprised this didn’t occur to me before now, but I trust that this timing is perfect.

In this first phase of the series, I'll feature four to six studios that I believe are truly special, and I’ll share the reasons with you. I’ll tell you about the studios, the teachers, the owners, and the ways they approach their barre and/or Pilates practice. The series will feature studios of various sizes from around the world, including Europe, the U.S., and beyond. I’ll be making several stops over the summer, and there’s certainly more to come.

What follows is a little history about why I’m doing this, why now, and why it matters so much to me. I really hope you enjoy it.

I fell in love with Pilates first and barre soon after, almost two decades ago, and they’ve remained my favorite workouts ever since. As both an instructor and long-time fan of this work, making it a point to visit a local studio and take a class or two while traveling has become a treat that I genuinely look forward to. Already this year, I’ve taken some amazing classes in Oslo, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Lithuania. Everyone has been lovely, and I’ve learned some new things that I’m excited to share with you.

I have to say, there is something so freeing about slipping into a new class incognito, no one knowing who I am, that I teach barre, that I train the teachers, that I have a barre business, or that I owned a studio for ten years. I usually tell them after I’ve taken their class, because I love meeting the teachers and studio owners when they’re there. I love diving in with them, asking about their experience with barre or Pilates, how long they’ve been practicing, how they discovered the work, and what they love most about it. When I’ve traveled abroad and taken classes, I have never been met with anything other than gracious openness and genuine enthusiasm. It’s always been easy, sincere, and kind.

I share this with you because there is an unfortunate, little-known truth about this industry that I love. Back in the early days of barre, many studios wouldn’t let you take a class if you taught elsewhere. If you revealed that you were a barre instructor or studio owner, or if they found out, you’d be asked to leave at the very least and definitely prohibited from visiting that studio again. Though this practice has eased up a bit, it unfortunately still happens in some places.

I have never understood this way of thinking. These exercises belong to no one, certainly not to studios that guard them out of some baseless fear or inflated sense of entitlement. Lotte Berk’s original work was always meant to be shared. She wanted that, and so did her daughter, Esther Fairfax, who personally taught me this technique as it was meant to be shared.

On a positive note, Pilates studios never seemed to have that desperation or territorial streak. Teachers and students flocked from studio to studio, learning and collaborating freely. I vowed that if I ever opened my own space, EVERYONE (teachers, studio owners, students, visitors) would all be welcome. So, from day one, tLm has had an open door. With absolute sincerity, it’s a joyous experience for me to share this work and technique with anyone who genuinely wants to learn it. I love that I get to carry on the original method as I learned it directly from Esther Fairfax. In case these names aren’t familiar to you: Esther Fairfax is Lotte Berk’s daughter. Lotte was the creator and architect of barre, and Esther was the guardian and torchbearer of the original work and method. tLm is an absolute celebration of the lineage from which this work originated and how it was intended to be shared with the world. My mission, passion, and commitment remain to carry this work forward and to teach and share it with anyone who wants to learn it.

Barre isn’t just a workout to me. Its roots run deep, its history matters, and its creativity, discipline, community, and technique have a rich heritage that needs to be acknowledged, taught, and shared!

I want you to hear the stories behind the studios I have the privilege to visit. I would like to introduce you to the teachers who inspire me, the owners who dared to open their doors, and the unique ways they came to this incredible work, as well as how they honor its legacy.

Through the tLm Travel Studio Series, I hope to shine a light on how barre lives and breathes around the world and why, more than ever, a global community of teachers and studios makes us all stronger.

Join me this summer as I share what I’ve learned in each new city, introduce you to the people who are keeping barre alive, and celebrate the connections that remind us this work belongs to everyone, all of us!

I hope you’ll stay tuned. There’s so much more to come.

With love, Kelly