Do You Need Pilates Socks?

Are Pilates socks necessary to do Pilates? In some studios, grip socks are mandatory. In others, it may be a personal choice (like at b.Pilates & Fitness). So, what’s the story? Why are there special socks, anyways? Let’s talk socks. 

What did Joseph Do? 

Let’s go back to the beginning. Pilates is a system of movement that was created by Joseph Pilates over many years. He had a very holistic approach to life, believing that it was important to move the body, breathe with depth, get fresh air, have good circulation, and be connected to the earth. He was known to commonly wear only Jantzen swim trunks,usually with no shirt, and would even walk and run outside in the New York winters this way.  

If you search photos of Mr. Pilates or look at the books he wrote, you will see that most often he is barefoot – but not always. There are times that you will see he is wearing little slip on shoes that they say were gymnastics shoes. His clients are seen in photos wearing tights, gymnastics shoes, dance slippers and also barefeet. Most of the apparatuses require bare feet, but he also allowed clients to wear sock-like gym slippers that still allowed the foot to move, bend and articulate to better connect to the apparatus.

My First Pilates Socks

I personally first learned Pilates with barefeet. It was when I went to my very first Pilates conference that many people had Toe Sox (a grippy sock brand with individual toes). I bought my first pair. I remember feeling funny wearing them when I got back home, simply because no one in our local studios wore grip socks. They weren’t easy to find, and if you had cold feet, you would generally wear normal socks and then take them off for exercises that could be dangerous with regular socks. Having Pilates socks at the conference felt like having your Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland and then feeling obviously out of place wearing those ears back at home.

Over the years, I’ve added other grip socks to my sock collection, purchasing some and often getting them as gifts in goodie bags from conferences. Some feel better than others, some grip better, and others fit your fit more nicely. I do quite like the toe sock version because the socks don’t twist or slip. Still, my favourite way to do Pilates is barefoot. I feel like I feel the equipment better and like I won’t slip.  

So, What’s the Big Deal With Pilates Socks?

Prior to 2020, some studios made grip socks a requirement for all clients. If you didn’t have your own, they’d have an array of colours and styles for you to choose from. From one perspective, it could be a way to make a little extra income. From another, it could be about cleanliness. And then… Covid. Many more studios got on board with having rules about wearing socks. They claimed that it was more sanitary, and a lot of studios have this reasoning and policy. 

At b.Pilates & Fitness, I have always had an open policy on socks. I welcome clients to go barefoot or wear regular socks or grippy Pilates socks. Even with grip socks there are some exercises that we will recommend clients remove their sock for (and definitely regular socks) because it’s just more safe and we don’t want anyone slipping. Even when following the brand washing instructions, the grip can start to lose its stickiness.  

You Do You

If you have cold feet all of the time or  you don’t like to show your feet, wear socks! If you run hot, like to feel the apparatus better, or hate socks, don’t wear them! We want you to feel comfortable in our studios. And, when it comes to cleanliness, I feel that any socks could have dirt or  germs just as much as bare hands and bare feet can. At b.Pilates, we clean all of the apparatus after each session and have cleaners come into the studio to give it a deeper clean regularly. So, socked or not, we welcome your feet to Pilates.