💛 Pilates Sol: A Pittsburgh Story Since 2010
Founded in 2010 by Marcie Callan and Kristen Londono, Pilates Sol has proudly served as downtown Pittsburgh’s first and only free-standing private Pilates studio. Now led by former client-turned-owner Kim Stokes, our studio has been a quiet but powerful force for over 15 years — helping hundreds of clients build strength, mobility, and confidence through personalized, one-on-one Pilates.
What makes us different? Private instruction is all we do. No group classes. No distractions. Just you, your goals, and a dedicated instructor who truly sees you. Our boutique setting offers a calm, supportive space where you can breathe deeply, move intentionally, and reconnect with your body on your own terms.
Clients come to us for results — and stay for the experience. Whether you’re recovering from an injury, managing stress, or simply want to feel better in your body again, Pilates Sol is designed for individuals who value expert guidance, genuine connection, and lasting transformation.
We’re more than a studio. We’re a reset.
💛 Meet Kim Stokes
I found Pilates for a very sophisticated reason: I wanted to be more flexible and yoga pissed me off.
Pilates made more sense to my body. The exercises felt familiar from playing sports when I was younger, I liked that Pilates Sol was private, and I had one incredibly ambitious goal: I wanted to touch my toes.
Seriously. That was it.
It took about two years, but eventually I could. More importantly, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with Pilates.
It became my therapy.
I loved the movement, the method, and the fact that Pilates could meet me wherever I was. Sick, tired, energized, traveling—whatever life looked like that day, there was something I could do.
I realized this was something I could use for the rest of my life.
So, naturally, I got certified.
That's become a bit of a pattern in my life. When something genuinely helps me understand myself, my body, or life a little better, I want to learn more about it. That's how Pilates led to yoga, meditation, coaching, and other certifications—and how travel and life experiences have become just as important to the way I learn.
My path to owning Pilates Sol wasn't exactly a straight line either. I taught Pilates, stepped away while juggling graduate school and multiple jobs, and eventually came back to help at the studio.
Then I learned the studio was for sale.
At the time, I was doing a lot of work on myself and trying to figure out how to create a life outside of the traditional 9-to-5. Something I was actually excited to wake up and do.
The opportunity felt like one of those moments when life puts something directly in front of you and you have to decide whether you're going to pay attention.
I did.
I purchased Pilates Sol, made it through COVID, and today this little private Pilates studio in Downtown Pittsburgh is still here and going strong.
But Pilates Sol has also grown with me.
I don't believe there's one right way to be healthy, happy, successful, or to live a good life. We're all different humans having different experiences and figuring things out as we go.
That's really the common thread behind everything I do—whether we're working together through Pilates, having a conversation about life, or talking about where in the world you want to go next.
I'm not here to tell you what your life should look like.
I'm here to help you reconnect with yourself enough to figure out what works for you.
Looking for private Pilates in Downtown Pittsburgh? Pilates Sol offers appointment-only, one-on-one Pilates at 945 Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Every session is personalized to your body, experience, and goals.