Pilates and yoga studio Rare Body Studio moves into larger space in downtown St. Pete

A local yoga and pilates studio, Rare Body Studio, recently relocated to 276 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North in downtown St. Pete

St. Petersburg residents who would like to build their core strength and mobility with Pilates or yoga; or even refresh their bodies with a nice cold plunge or infrared sauna treatment might want to check out Rare Body Studio's new 4,000-square-foot facility in downtown St. Pete.

Previously located at 900 Central Avenue, the new space is situated at 276 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, between Ekeko Gallery and the former Coney Island Grill. Jessica Dwyer of Dalton Wade represented the landlord and Betsy Shafer of KW Commercial represented the tenant in the lease transaction.

Rare Body Studio recently had a soft opening and has planned a grand opening party for April 6th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm that will include live music, food and beverages, chair massages, Invigorate IV's and permanent jewelry making by local artists.

Rare Body Studio's group reformer Pilates classes are capped at eight people to allow the instructor to give more attention to each student.

Rare Body Studio, according to their website, offers a variety of reformer Pilates, hot Pilates, and yoga packages.

New students are given a variety of options at discounted rates: Two group classes for only $45, one week of unlimited group classes for $85, or you can try a one-on-one reformer session and five group classes for $215.

Group reformer sessions are capped at eight people and hot mat classes are capped at 10 people, which allows the instructor to give more attention to each student.

Reformer Pilates, for the uninitiated, involves the use of a machine that uses spring resistant strength training and mobility work. Hot Pilates and hot yoga classes are also available using only infrared heating system for extra benefits.

The business is owned and operated by Colette Delangre, who, like many New Yorkers during the COVID-19 pandemic, relocated to Florida. She owned her own studio in the Big Apple but was forced to shutter it to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

"Everybody was leaving the city," she says.

Colette Delangre, owner of Rare Body Studio

At first, she thought her move to Florida would be temporary, but then "one month went by, still can't open my doors; two months went by, still can't open my doors; and three months went by — that's when I started to get clients emailing me letting me know they are moving out of NYC for good. So even if I was to open my doors back up in NYC I would have been starting with fewer clients. That was my opportunity to also make the move out of NYC and start over in a whole different state."

New York's loss, though, is St. Pete's gain. Cold plunging has become more popular as people on social media tout its purported health benefits, which include relief of joint pain and inflammation. Some evidence suggests it might even help alleviate depression.

Also, athletes in many sports have long turned to cold-water therapy as part of their post-game routines, though the medical science related to the practice is not yet 100% conclusive.

"People are really interested in the cold plunge," Colette says. "What's nice about the system I’m getting is that I can gauge the temperature. Maybe you don't want to dive into 39-degree water. You can start at 50 or 45 and work your way down. I have to work my way down, because it's intense."

Rare Body Studio's lobby features a retail area offering a variety of workout gear

Colette says the sauna and cold-plunge facilities will be right next to each other, so customers can go from hot to cold. Both chambers can accommodate two people, so customers can experience them with their partners or friends.

"Athletes also need Pilates, so I think that will help get a lot of athletes in here," she adds. "Also, we live in a very hot city, so who doesn't want to dive into a cold tub?"

Colette seems to have been destined to wind up in St. Pete. She's originally from Asheville, North Carolina, but says she had her heart set on moving to either New York or the Sunshine City. She chose the former, obviously, because she was single with no children and viewed it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"But then Covid happened," she says. "I love New York, but I was also getting kind of burned out on that whole lifestyle — the hustle and bustle of it all. I wanted some more downtime and outdoorsy stuff, and St. Pete was perfect."

Rare Body Studio is now open at 276 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North in downtown St. Pete. For more information, visit Rare Body Studio's website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram .