ToolBox

This is a beautiful studio, probably the prettiest pilates studio in DC. It’s very relaxing and when the sunlight comes in through the windows, it’s beautiful. The staff have always been very friendly and they have a great range of instructors.
Jennifer B — She is so incredibly sweet. I took my first reformer class with her and she was very informative, helpful and welcoming.
Suzanne — Great instructor who focuses on challenging yourself and she gave some great tips on trying classes with multiple instructors since each one has their own style. She is very keen on listening to your body and doing what works for you, which I always appreciate.
Duncan — He is on the quiet side, but very nice and always open to modifications if you need it.
Pinling — HOLY MOLY. Pinling knows how to push you and I’ve never left a reformer class with my abs so sore. Pinling can take the most basic moves, but make them challenging because she pushes you to hold positions longer and she works really hard to make sure that your form is always correct. Though she pushes you, I’ve never felt bad for not being able to do everything.

We were here for a wedding and this studio is just the cutest hidden gem. Aside from the lack of parking or near the location it would be a cute place to visit. There is public parking a couple blocks away and street parking if you can find it. The Toolbox made such a cute location for a wedding and the reception. The bride did a beautiful job picking the vendors that could pull off a multi-​level venue work for her wedding. The atmosphere is quaint and charming, you could not tell this is a Pilates studio in addition to being an art studio. Five stars for being a perfect wedding spot.

The Space — It’s gorgeous, clean and absolutely an amazing event space. There are 2 floors and the attention to detail in these spaces are incredible. It’s beautiful and works as a fitness studio, art gallery, event space and anything in between!
The Staff — Irina is absolutely incredible. She is a go getter and do-​er and if she is running your event, you are in the BEST hands. She is efficient, kind and overall a wonderful person to work with. You won’t want to leave!
I could not say better things about the staff and space here at ToolBox. Highly recommended and hope to hold another event there soon! A+!!!

I looked into A LOT of venues for our wedding, but as soon as I saw Toolbox I knew it was perfect for us. The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous and I loved the two story layout– we had the ceremony upstairs, cocktail hour downstairs, dinner upstairs, and reception downstairs (we had a little over 100 people). It worked really well for us to have everything in the same space, especially as DC weather can be tricky. As we were on a strict budget, it was important to me to be able to provide my own alcohol, etc. to cut down on costs– this was a no go for most venues we looked at, but Toolbox was fine with it. We loved the privacy and intimacy of the alley and the art/​lighting is amazing. While the alley location (it the middle of the city but so private!) was one of the things we liked the most about the venue, we were sure to send very clear instructions and put a sign on Conn. so guests didn’t get lost. We didn’t do any decorating because the space is so gorgeous. Irina was by far the BEST PART of this venue.
We were hesitant about spending so much on the venue, but working with Irina sold us. She is amazing (literally, AMAZING) at her job and went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly. She might be the most communicative/​responsive/​professional person I have ever met, which was worth the piece of mind alone. If there were any kinks that night, I had no idea. She also had great recommendations of other vendors that were spot on.

I’ve take pilates in many studios around DC, so I have a bit to compare this to, and I like Toolbox. The space is gorgous, and Suzanne provides very thoughtful, helpful instruction on the reformer. I’ve taken pilates classes where I have left aggravating an injury, and Suzanne regularly gives feedback on reformer moves in a way I have never before heard, but that always protect me from further lower back damage. She is a thoughtful and experienced instructor. A couple of small criticisms: it would be nice if there was a greeter down at the front desk. Also, when a regularly teachers is out, the level of instruction can be inconsistent. I don’t mean the quality, I mean the sub teacher often teaches at a higher difficulty level than one comes to expect from that class, which is a recipe for injury. I’d also appreciate more beginner level reformer classes.

My husband and I had are wedding at Toolbox, and were so extremely happy with the entire experience. The venue is centrally located, and spacious enough to easily hold 150 – 200 people. The space itself is absolutely beautiful, and made our wedding feel so personalized and special. Irina is absolutely AMAZING — she is so on top of everything, and thought of every detail for our ceremony. She was a pleasure to work with, and made the entire planning process and actual day so seamless and easy. Highly recommend Toolbox!

I’m going to ignore the fact that it was a task to locate this studio from the outside (and inside — no one is at the front desk/​downstairs, you need to walk up the stairs. Thanks past Unilocal reviews that mentioned this). Aside from those factors, this is certainly one of the most eclectic and gorgeous pilates studios I have ever been to. Class level was not too easy but tough enough to feel some type of burn. My biggest recommendation is to plan at least an extra 15 minutes before getting to the studio for your first time. It will not be too easy to find.

I recently held a large birthday party at the Toolbox. The manager, Irina, was incredibly helpful, upbeat and creative. She helped me create a unique and special night for my friends. My guests felt like they were at a secret neighborhood spot that nobody else knew about. Irina went above and beyond my expectations. The Toolbox is a gem in Washington, DC.

This is the coolest Pilates studio I’ve ever stepped foot in. Though a little hard to find, there is a sign out front on 19^th street (back entrance). You have go through an alley and then you will see the sign for «Toolbox» with red doors. I love that it is an art gallery/​event space on the bottom floor and Pilates studio on the top floor.
The events manager/​receptionist was very sweet and helpful and told me a lot about the studio. Fun fact: the studio owners are Bulgarian.
There is one bathroom downstairs and two upstairs. There are also showers, and cloths provided which is a major plus. There are cubbies in between the two rooms.
One is the reformer room and the other is the mat room. I love the ambiance of this place. Kind of mood lighting with paintings in both Pilates rooms from the gallery downstairs.
I bought a mat class as part of class pass. My mat class only had 4 people which was great since the instructor gave us a lot of personal attention. It was definitely challenging! I definitely will be back and highly recommend this place for anyone looking to do a mat class, reformer, or private lesson.

We absolutely loved Toolbox, and are so happy we decided to have our wedding there. A few things in particular that made it the right location for us:
1) Excellent location, right in the heart of Dupont Circle, but tucked in an alley so you feel you have some privacy.
2) It’s a beautiful space. Two floors, and looks amazing. The pictures on this site look great, but still don’t do it justice. And Irina (see below) will help you to decorate the way you want it to look.
3) IRINA! She helped us to plan and coordinate the ceremony and reception and she is fantastic. It made our lives so much easier knowing that we had a pro on the case.
We are very grateful to Toolbox.

Definitely the most beautiful Pilates studio I’ve been to in DC. A little difficult to find, but just look for the sign on the sidewalk on 19^th, go down the alley and look for the red door. The downstairs has some great art. There are two studios upstairs — one for mat class and one for reformer, chair, etc.
I took a mat class with Kethia. She was both encouraging and technical, and offered plenty of modifications.

I’ve been practicing here for about 6 months and I love the Pilates reformer classes. This studio is the most gorgeous place one could ever wish to work out in. The art work and ambiance really allows
You to become calm and balanced. My reformer practice has really improved since visiting toolbox and I owe that to Suzanne and Carlos who are both awesome instructors.
The studio itself has three single restrooms, two with showers and is a little tricky to find (I always enter through the alley on 19^th).

Not a fan of the 24 hour cancellation policy. The bathrooms are gorgeous, just wish the bag hook wasn’t over the toilet. Would be nice to have somewhere to hang my clothes while changing. The reformer classes are have fantastic teachers with different teaching styles done on a modern metal reformer machine. I appreciated that they gave free water.

I love, love this studio! It is definitely the most gorgeous fitness studio I have ever practiced in. It is definitely really difficult to find. Basically you head east on R St from Connecticut Avenue and take the first right into an alley. It looks scary and dirty and deserted, walk for about 1 minute until you see a stand alone building to your left in the middle of the parking lot/​alley. Downstairs you check in, fill out a waiver, etc. There are studios upstairs — a reformer studio and a mat studio. I have only done reformer classes which are AWESOME. Really great teachers who I have taken at other venues around town though the space here is more beautiful than the other venues. I’ve practiced in the reformer studio while it was raining — gorgeous to see the skylights in the rain. I’m glad this studio is on classpass because classes are super pricy otherwise!

I recently moved to DC metro area from NYC and loved using Class Pass while was there. I signed up for a Pilates Reformer class at Toolbox through Class Pass again and ended up absolutely amazed the professionalism of the staff and especially my instructor Iva. She was very attentive, personable and really experienced! She made me feel comfortable and wanting to come back ! They also have a gallery on the first floor of the building and a nice girl at the reception greeted me and showed me around ! I felt very welcomed and will definitely come back and recommend it to my friends !

Oh Toolbox…
If only I could find enough words in the English dictionary to THANK YOU, Irina, Iva & Alex for such an amazing experience for our wedding this past Friday, April 10^th.
From the very beginning in booking the venue, Irina was extremely communicative and answered all our questions as needed within a 24 hour turn around period.
We ended up booking the 1^st floor for our very intimate party of 65 guests and were able to occupy the back alley way entrance for the food truck. What a great little cove for those who are interested in a city-​feel-​themed wedding.
The exposed brick inside the venue with the amazing dark wooden floors gives Toolbox such a spunk with a speak easy-​feel that is untouchable.
Our DJ placed up lighting in 3 areas of the venue simply to give it an extra touch of color which was perfect in showcasing the art work.
My now wife, and I are so immensely grateful for all the hard work, time and care the owners of Toolbox put into this masterpiece. I was never one for a wedding, but after seeing the results of ours, I am so grateful we chose this hidden little gem in such a busy city.
Irina — Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your professionalism is appreciated and your attention to detail is exactly what we needed. Our special day went without a single hitch thanks to you.
Thank you Toolbox for the life long memories :-)

So I’ve only taken one class here, and am totally basing this review off that class. BUT I’m writing this to save others from the horrible experience of taking a class with Vivian. She’s hands down the rudest, most insulting fitness instructor I’ve ever encountered. After the «beginner» class I took, it took me a solid month to shake off how bad she made me feel about my Pilates abilities and try another class. I felt like she was weirdly targeting me with criticism, but after talking to a friend who took her class, this is apparently a common feeling when she’s teaching. She was literally barking commands and scolding people when they were struggling to get a position.
Since then, I’ve taken other Pilates classes around the city and am confused why this woman is on such a high horse, because she’s not even that good of an instructor.
I’ve heard some of the other instructors here are fantastic, so it’s a shame this woman is hurting their reputation.

It’s hard to imagine a better Pilates venue than a gorgeous art studio. The location is a bit tricky– in the alley behind Chipotle– and when you walk in the first floor of the studio is completely deserted, which is a bit confusing. Just head upstairs and you’ll see the workout spaces and restrooms.
Like any workout venue, the classes are entirely dependent on the instructor. I’ve take reformer classes with Carlos and a Pilates mat class with Vivian. Carlos is the best Pilates instructor I’ve ever had! He is so descriptive and helpful, and really takes the time to make sure each student has correct form and is getting the most out of the workout. I did not enjoy my class with Vivian– I found her rather rude. She was performing the exercises herself rather than walking around the room, and she would basically yell at students who needed corrections (i.e., «Head down!» when you have to raise you head to see what she is doing so that you can copy it). I did not really appreciate this teaching style, especially since it was meant to be a beginner class.

Space is beautiful. I went on a Monday to try Zumba, and it was a fun, fast paced class that incorporated both latin music and hip hop. My one complaint is that there was no one down in reception– the bottom floor is an art gallery, which was deserted, and I went up to the top hoping to find someone and awkwardly hanging out watching the other pilates class. Since I use class pass and you can be charged for late cancellations, I was definitely worried, as there was no sign in process, that I could potentially be charged.
Note to first timers– entrance is in an alley way. If it is your first time going, definitely leave a few extra minutes to find it.

I came here on ClassPass which is awesome btw, but that isn’t what this review is about! It’s a bit hard to find in an alley off of 19^th, but they have a sign on 19^th pointing the way and a bright red door. Downstairs is an art gallery which is nice. There isn’t really a reception, but by process of elimination I figured out to go upstairs.
The space is nice there is a separate room for mat, 3 cadillacs and several reformers and chairs. They have two bathrooms with showers which is a plus if you go to a morning class or want to freshen up before going out. I have been twice. Both times there were only 2 people including me in the class. I’m not sure if that is a fluke or what, but it was great. The first time was with Eva and since there were only 2 of us we did half chair half reformer which was awesome. And it was HARD! I do pilates reguarly and I was really challenged. She was really friendly correcting our form too — big points for personal attention. The second class I took was with Greg in the morning. This time it was a full reformer class. It was somewhat different than what I’m used to, but still good. I will definitely be going back and maximizing my 3 times per month on class pass.