Pilates Studio (Escholzmatt)

The history Although Pilates has only recently become a household name, it has a long history. Joseph Pilates, the developer and namesake, was born near Düsseldorf in 1880. In 1912, he moved to England, where he took a job as a self-defense instructor at Scotland Yard. When World War I broke out shortly thereafter, Joseph Pilates was interned with other Germans as a citizen of the war enemy. During this time he refined his ideas and trained other prisoners according to his system, especially to take the war invalids under his wing.

After the war ended, Pilates initially traveled back to Germany, where he gained a foothold in dance circles with his training. When he was asked to help the German Reichswehr get in shape with his methods, he declined. He escaped the Nazis and emigrated to the United States, where he opened a studio on Eight Avenue in New York. There, too, the clientele initially consisted of dancers. The method became popular throughout the country by the 1960s at the latest. It seemed that Joe, as he was called in America, had made good friends with the "American way of life." In 1967 Joseph Pilates died at the age of 87. His successor Ron Fletcher opened a studio in Beverly Hills in 1970, which attracted many Hollywood stars. The Pilates boom was launched.

Today, the method is offered to the public from fitness centers to health practices.