EmpowerHer Pilates: A Women’s Studio Built for Hagerstown
Last Updated on 27 August, 2026
How Ericleen Cespedes built an inclusivity-first Pilates studio in Hagerstown while working full-time — and chose WellnessLiving to run it from day one.
It Came to Her While Driving
Ericleen Cespedes was not looking to open a studio. She was driving when the idea arrived, fully formed.
“It literally just came to me. I was driving one day, and I was like… I can do this.”
Hagerstown, Maryland had Pilates options. What it did not have was the kind of studio Ericleen wanted to walk into — one built around inclusion rather than intimidation. She saw women in her town who needed a place to move, feel strong, and belong. The existing option did not feel like that place.
“I kind of just want to create a place and a community for the women in my town to feel included… just to create more inclusivity.”
EmpowerHer Pilates is Ericleen’s answer to that gap. It sits at 101 Summit Avenue in Hagerstown, built around a philosophy the studio states plainly: every woman deserves to feel seen, supported, and powerful in her own body.
What EmpowerHer Offers
The studio runs boutique Mat Pilates classes with intentional class sizes. Small groups mean every student gets real attention. Two signature formats anchor the schedule.
Mat Foundations introduces the fundamentals of Pilates. Breathwork, form, and core stability come first. It is designed for women who are brand new to the practice. Mat Sculpt builds on those foundations with full-body toning through slow, controlled movement targeting the core, arms, and lower body.
Reformer classes are on the roadmap. Ericleen is starting with four reformers and will add capacity as demand grows. The schedule includes evening options for clients who work standard hours. No class at EmpowerHer requires a client to already know what she is doing.
The atmosphere is deliberate. Calming tones, warm lighting, and curated playlists run through every session. Ericleen built the space to feel grounding rather than performative — a place where a woman can show up exactly as she is.
Why Ericleen Chose WellnessLiving
Ericleen is building EmpowerHer Pilates while working full-time at a blood bank. She arrives at the studio from around 4 p.m. onward. A front desk assistant and one certified Pilates instructor handle operations before she gets there.
That staffing reality shaped what the platform needed to do. Clients had to be able to book and pay on their own. Waivers needed to live on client profiles rather than getting filled out at the door. Equipment-aware booking had to cap reformer classes at the actual number of machines available.
WellnessLiving gave her all of it. Online memberships and class packs cover four-class, eight-class, and unlimited options for both Mat and Reformer formats. A hybrid membership spans both. Cancellation policies are set and enforced automatically — Ericleen defined them clearly: classes must be canceled at least 12 hours before start time.
The booking system also integrates directly into her website, which her cousin is building. Clients can move from class schedule to payment without leaving the page. For a founder managing a studio solo for much of the day, that self-serve flow is not a convenience. It is the business model.
What Hagerstown Gains
Women in Hagerstown who wanted boutique Pilates in a genuinely welcoming space had one option before EmpowerHer opened. The experience did not reflect what many of them were looking for.
Ericleen Cespedes noticed that and built something different while holding down a full-time job, hiring certified staff, and designing a space with enough intention that the lighting and playlists are part of the brand.
The women who walk into 101 Summit Avenue will find small classes, qualified instruction, warm lighting, and a founder who built this because she believed they deserved it. That is what EmpowerHer Pilates brings to Hagerstown — and it did not exist there before.
Want to follow along on their journey? Check out their Instagram!
Ready to bring your dream Pilates studio to life? See how easy it can be and book a free, no-commitment demo with WellnessLiving today!
