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Studio Poles… And do you care?!
Things are slow today (days before a holiday always are, the day after is hectic… That’s just the usual)
So I kind of thought maybe I’d spark a discussion to keep things entertaining… (I can’t watch videos with the sound on either 😣)
When you look for a studio to attend (whether it’s as a member or just a drop in class) how much weight do you give to the type of poles they have?
I know people who say “I just want to find a place with 12ft poles” and others who would never chose to go to a studio with 50mm poles. I also know people have very strong preference on pole finish.
I guess I’m asking because I’m going tomorrow to a pole studio with 8.5ft 50mm brass poles. I’m not a huge fan of 50mm… The height I guess is about what I have at home, and I’ve never tried Brass but I’m super sensitive to smells and I feel like my TG is sometimes too grippy (so I can’t imagine how brass feels!) These are def not poles I would chose…
But my pole instructor who I do privates/semi-privates with is on her honeymoon… And as some of you may have read she is probably moving sometime this summer, and having knee surgery… So I’m just trying to prepare myself for the change.
Currently I’m driving 45min-1 hour to my lessons… I chose this studio because they are about the same distance (but in the other direction… Into Pennsylvania)… They seem friendly and unintimidating. Their Instagram seems fun too. I like that they have Friday morning classes. It’s really just to check the studio out… But I did buy a groupon (groupon also had a discount code… So I got 5 classes for less than 2 classes) and It can also be used for yoga classes.
Anyway, I’m excited to try out a “real” studio… Even though I’m still sad abou my teacher leaving.
I’m not sure if I’ll be a regular member of a studio again, but I do want to have a place I can when I do feel like I want a structured class.
Anyway back to the question. How much importance do you place on the poles themselves (obviously no one wants to go to a bad teacher with great poles) but do you care about the poles? Do you even look into it? Or does it not matter at all to you?
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20 Replies
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I don’t place a lot of importance on the poles at a studio- heck, usually I don’t even know what they have before I get there!
The two places that used to be here both had Lil mynx stainless steel, and while my own SS was pretty slippy at home, they always seemed perfectly grippy at the studio! And, I’m not a big stickler for size- I’ve got big hands, so I can grip nearly any size pole!
And, should I learn something while visiting a studio briefly, I can always practice it at home on my powder coated pole, which has endless grip, most of the time!
When I went to Iceland, and danced on the poles at Erial Pole, I had never actually touched a spinning pole before. Boy, was that a crazy ride! But, again, I didn’t know what they had when I got there- I actually don’t even know what they have right now! I just knew that they spin, and that they were a little bit smaller than I was used to.It sounds like a great way to test out going to a studio though! I hope that everything works out well for you. You never know, you might love the poles there, even if you don’t love them anywhere else!
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There’s only one studio in the area I’m at. The first thing I did was call and ask about their poles.
They didn’t know what I was talking about (maybe the person was new…) but eventually I found out they have chrome 50 non spin…
I’m a college student and on a limited budget and I’m not going to spend my money on an expensive studio that is very limited in my opinion.
I have a chrome .45 spin at home so… what’s the point.
I was also weary of their teaching methods and felt it was unsafe as they hired people with virtually no experience… (I asked them about that too) I also saw videos on their youtube page of instructors falling while teaching…
IF I had all the money to blow maybe I’d give it a chance but I got a negative impression.
If I was under the impression that the teachers were awesome maybe I would spend money despite the poles.
I don’t have the cash for a limited studio or the doctors bills when they instruct me into an injury.
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I don’t ever research the kind of poles before I go. I care most about quality instruction I can learn from. But I see how poles could be a factor in deciding whether or not to become a member at a studio.
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I won’t do 50mm poles. I can barely grip 45 mm. 50 will be a waste of my time and make me frustrated . So I wouldn’t go to studio with only 50mm poles. That’s just me. I know I wouldn’t have fun. I won’t do a performance on a stainless steel pole but I would use one in a class setting as long as it’s a 45. 🙂
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I’m home from work now… But I have a continuing Ed class tonight that could be great of a total snooze… But either way keep the responses coming!
I love hearing everyone’s opinions (that’s why I asked). I can see both sides. If I was traveling I may not care to even ask… But since I’m trying to scope out my “local” (ok I don’t know if almost an hour away in a different state is local) options I’m doing more comparing than I think I normally would. I am happy I knew they were 50s going into it so I’m mentally prepared. The owner did say they were planning on replacing a few with 45s in the future… But ya never know if/when that will happen. They were so nice when answering my questions the 50mms didn’t have me running away!
We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. 😳
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I travel a lot for work, and I usually try to squeeze in a pole class or two on trips. The closest place for me to take classes is about 90 miles away, so going to a class is a treat for me. I never even consider what kind of poles the studio has. Do they even list that on their website, or do you have to ask? I guess if I had multiple studios to choose from, and I liked the instructors and the feel of the studios equally, then the poles might make a difference.
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Unfortunately I don’t have many options for studios around here. I guess I get what I get!
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Actually I asked the studio when I shot them an email to see what level/class i should attend. They were super friendly and helpful and that gave me a good impression of the studio. However when I was looking up studios to attend on vacation I was wayyyy more interested in timing/schedule than anything else… and turns out nothing worked with my schedule. But I hadnt even considered pole size or finish when I was looking…
Unfortunately there aren’t many studios near me either… I have 2 that are almost an hour away in opposite directions (the one I go to and the one I’m checking out tomorrow). Then past that there are maybe a few more if I go past an hour and a half (+tolls or train tickets)…
I mean, it is what it is… I’m not going to knock it til I’ve tried it.. maybe the brass stickiness will make up for it being wider?!?
I was really curious if anyone else considers poles. And I’m so happy to hear whatever one thinks on both side of the fence… I think I’m standing on the fence… I’m considering it, but not letting it deter me.
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In my studio, I have a range of poles so that hopefully everyone will find one they’re comfortable with – and everyone’s got their favourites which they get seriously possessive over! We’ve got 38mm, 45mm & 50mm; and SS, chrome & PC. My next pole is probably going to be silicone (holding thumbs!)
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PenelopeAnn: That’s great planning, a lot of studios just buy all the same thing, which has its own advantages but it’s really nice that you have something for everyone.
AllysonKendal: I’m impressed that they were super helpful and friendly. A lot of times when I send similar emails I don’t get much of a response, or I get what is obviously a canned response, like telling me they can’t wait to see me in their first timers class, even when I make it clear this is far from my first time doing pole.
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Ok, so when I first climbed I was like “oh these poles are nice” I’m not sure if it was the grip of the brass or what… But I found shoulder mounting difficult. I’m not sure why. I was fine with moves like split grip Ayesha and butterfly though. Hm.
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@AllysonKendal Do you think maybe the poles were more narrow, like 40mm or 45 (if you don’t usually use a 45)? That could possibly explain why hand grippy moves like Ayesha and butterfly were easier, and that would also decrease the surface area on your shoulder and make shoulder mounts a bit more difficult.
I’m very comfortably situated with my studio at home, but my wife and I were considering taking a trip through the West coast this summer and I was recently looking for studios I could visit. It didn’t occur to me to ask about pole diameter/finish. I’m not sure what finish I prefer – brass seems to work a bit better than stainless steel for me, that’s about all I know, and the difference isn’t huge – I know I greatly prefer a 45 over a 50. Honestly, if a studio had 50s it would be a bit of a turn-off but not a dealbreaker, since I can still work with them and I wouldn’t be there for long anyways. I imagine it would be different if I were leaving my home studio and looking for a different one, but I feel like diameter would be more important than finish in that case (unless it was SO sticky that I couldn’t do drops, like powder coated or something).
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Baby dragon, I know i wrote a lot in this thread so I don’t blame you for missing it, but the place I tried out today had 50mm poles when I’m used to 45.
I didn’t think anything was easier besides my first climb. But everything else was more or less equal, except for the shoulder mounts. :/
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Also trying to get out of superman into like a leg hang was awfully sticky on brass! I forgot to mention that.
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@AllysonKendal …*facepalm* Whoops. I feel silly now =P
Huh, the only thing I could think of is that maybe it was more or less humid on certain days. The usually slightly-slippery SS poles at my studio became ultra-sticky one day because of that. The floor was slippery as hell though O.O We were putting Dry Hands all over our feet that day.
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To me, the size of poles is very important. While I learned on 50mm, they now hurt my wrists. I also have been disappointed by studios that have poles that appear beat up by jewelry, heels, etc or poorly maintained multi-piece poles. The seams have cut my legs and arms!
Someone here mentioned the lack of response they get from studios when making inquires about pole size. I agree that canned responses or a lack of response is not acceptable. Students with questions deserve answers…and that means that the studio’s web site should probably include pole size on their FAQ sheet.
Just one more thought – for people who are always shopping price, I say lowest price doesn’t translate into best pole buy. Often, discount studios do everything on the cheap – from not cleaning their floors (hair balls, dust and more) to having substandard instructors and poorly maintained poles. Taking pole lessons definitely costs $, and when you don’t have a lot to spend, it makes sense to invest it well. Sometimes that means that instead of taking lessons in a group setting, doing a private or semi-private with a friend at a similar level in a quality studio would be money better spent. Also, supplementing lessons with a Studio Veena membership is, to me, a smart way to go.
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Ok so i’m updating….
After going to the 50mm Brass studio twice… I opted not to go last week because I was frustrated (and really tired from a busy week)… I was going to give it another go this week, but I realized they were closed to “raise the roof” Which is great. They are removing the drop ceiling and gaining a few extra feet.
But its a shame because people there are nice… my frustration last week was the pole burn. Yes, the 50mm was not ideal but I don’t even think that was my issue. I’m not used to the brass… and its possible that because its 50mm there is more surface area… but I just found things that should be no big deal for me (like pulling up from gemini and twisting into figurehead) were extremely painful and frustrating. I imagine if we were going like isolated trick practice this would be fine.. but moving through combos was rough. I felt like my skin was not ready for this at all… I imagine it would get used to it, like it did when I first started poling. I just found it frustrating because I knew I could do these things… and she’d walk around and give me great pointers, and I was trying to just say thank you and take in her pointers but in my head I’m like (UGH, WTF, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THIS)
And I think the brass is the issue with why my shouldermount isn’t going well on those poles. I was fine in a V, but think I was having trouble sliding my shoulder down to get my legs fully to the pole… Afterwards, I knew it hurt but I couldn’t tell if it was internal (like a bruise I couldn’t see) or my skin…. But the minute the sun shined on it and it stung I realized it was the skin. :/
Anyway I will go back because I have more classes and I’m interested in trying longer poles! But yeah, I’m not sure if once a week (or every few weeks) is really enough to make it ever get easier so I’m not sure how much I’ll actually go once my class card ends.
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That sounds so frustrating. Is there another class at the studio you can go to? Maybe a lower level or open pole where you can work on tricks individually until your body gets used to the size and finish of the poles.
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Thanks dustbunny! Good advice. The classes I went to were mixed level class… but I might try a pole flow class or something (but thats something I struggle with too, and I’m not sure how trick heavy it is) I guess I’m just not “in love”, like the first time I went to a lesson with my usual instructor (at her home).
But my instructor just had her knee surgery yesterday, but she is feeling ok, and she signed her lease in her appt for another month…. so I guess as long as she is around and feeling better I’ll just try and go to her.
And also I completely redid my pole room so I think I need to just get used to pushing myself more at home. With the occasional class here or there. 🙂
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Hi Allyson – Brass does a number on your skin if you are not used to it. I got awful blisters on my hands from an intensive weekend workshop on brass poles some years ago.
Regarding home practice, I learned pole originally on Skype from on-line lessons. There are lots of pole sisters who would/could arrange for facetime or skype sessions. I know you might be skeptical, but the real time communication from someone who is watching you (and you her) can help break down moves, support each other, give tips, etc. It;s just a thought….I skype/facetime with some of my local friends, but the Studio Veena sisterhood I’m sure would be enthusiastic about the opportunity to cyber pole.
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