Lagree Fitness Studio on Broadway: Megaformer Santa Monica

If you want Lagree from the source rather than a licensee, the Megaformer Studio at 416 Broadway in downtown Santa Monica is one of the few rooms in Los Angeles County that Sebastien Lagree co-owns himself. The room holds 18 Megaformers, every class is a 50-minute Full Body Megaformer session, and the studio sits a block and a half from the Third Street Promenade, so a 7:00 am class can end with breakfast near the beach before most of the city is at work.

Lagree grew up in Paris, earned a business degree at Seattle University and moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to act, according to a 2025 Los Angeles Times profile. He paid the rent as a personal trainer in a West Hollywood gym, taught Pilates on reformers, and started rebuilding the exercises around slower, longer muscle contractions. His first commercial studio, Pilates Plus, opened on Melrose Avenue in 2003.

The machines came next. A 500-pound Proformer arrived in 2005, and the Megaformer followed in 2010, roughly 300 pounds lighter and shipped in two pieces so studios could actually get it up their stairs. The current machine weighs 395 pounds and runs more than 10 feet long. The same profile counted about 700 licensed studios in 45 countries, each paying $3,990 a year for the method, which makes the Santa Monica room a rare chance to train where the owner sets the standard.

The studio's own FAQ is blunt about it: Lagree is not Pilates, and the Megaformer is not a reformer. Expect a sliding carriage between a front and back platform, springs underneath that change the load, and handlebars at both ends. Moves are held slowly enough that the shaking starts before the first minute is over, and transitions are quick, so the heart rate stays high even though nothing involves jumping.

Staff describe the target as second-stage muscle failure, which is why the FAQ suggests leaving recovery days between sessions instead of booking back-to-back mornings. Instructors cue form constantly. Charley brings a cheerleading and coaching background and EDM playlists. Sydney has been on the machine since 2023 and lists the elevator lunge as the move that hooked her. On a typical Monday Nicki leads the 6:00 am and 7:00 am classes and Danielle picks up the 8:00 am and 9:00 am slots.

For a first class, the smartest move is to pick one of the slower weekend sessions, tell the instructor you are new, and accept the easier spring settings they suggest. The FAQ notes that every class is mixed-level and that instructors offer modifications for pregnancy or injuries, but asks you to clear it with a doctor first. Most newcomers find the lunges and planks on the moving carriage harder than they look, and the two-week unlimited pass gives enough sessions to learn the names of the stations.

New clients get two intro options. The 3 Class Pack Intro is $59 and expires 30 days after purchase, and the 2 Week Unlimited is $99, paid once rather than as a monthly plan, with a $20 late-cancel fee or a $25 no-show fee if you miss the 12-hour window. After that, a single class is $42 and never expires, a 5 pack is $180, a 10 pack is $330 and a 20 pack is $560. The 10 and 20 packs can be used for guests.

Regulars usually move to a membership. Month-to-month unlimited is $350, the six-month commitment drops unlimited to $299, and a 12-month commitment brings it to $269. Smaller plans exist too, such as 4 classes a month for $112 on the 12-month term. Grip socks are mandatory and sell for $11 for the short black pair or $13 for the tall pair, and the front desk keeps water at $4.

Every reservation goes through the website or the Megaformer app, and spots are tied to a time slot, not an instructor. First-timers must arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for a machine introduction, and late newcomers are not let in once class starts. Returning clients should be on the carriage five minutes before the hour, because the studio releases unclaimed machines to the waitlist at start time.

Cancel at least 12 hours ahead to keep the credit. With 18 machines the room fills fast in the early block, so the weekday 6:00 am through 9:00 am classes and the 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm evening classes are the ones to book the moment the schedule posts. Fridays run only the four morning classes, Saturday adds an 8:00 am to noon run, and Sunday keeps a shorter morning set. The midday noon class is the easiest one to get on short notice.

The entrance is easy to walk past. The studio page lists a door code, 1829#, for the street entry, so save it before you leave home. Drivers should use the city's Parking Structure 4 or the metered spaces on Broadway. The Downtown Santa Monica station on the Metro E Line is about a five-minute walk if you are coming from Culver City or downtown Los Angeles.

Bring a non-glass water bottle and a towel if you sweat heavily, and store your phone before class, since the policy page asks for silenced phones in the room. Shoes never go on the machines, and plain socks are not allowed, only grip socks.

Broadway puts you in the middle of downtown Santa Monica. Walk two blocks toward the ocean and the Third Street Promenade runs north from Santa Monica Place, quiet and almost empty before 8:00 am. Keep going west past Ocean Avenue and the stairs lead down to the Santa Monica Pier and the beach bike path, a good place to loosen up shaking legs.

On Wednesday and Saturday mornings the downtown farmers market fills Arizona Avenue a few blocks north, and chefs from across the Westside shop there. It is an easy reward after an early class: fruit, a coffee and a slow walk back to the car.

Address: Megaformer Studio Santa Monica, 416 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Class: Full Body Megaformer, 50 minutes, all levels with modifications. Intro: $59 for three classes or $99 for two weeks unlimited. Drop-in: $42. Grip socks required. Cancellation: 12 hours.