For a $50+ class should you be wiping down the reformer?

Let me be very clear about something, because the comments on my recent reel made it obvious that a lot of people heard what I said and understood something completely different.

I am absolutely capable of wiping down a reformer or a mat. I will NEVER not do it. I will always use an extra wipe if I need, because the thought of working out on someone’s dirty mat gives me the heebie jeebies. There’s also something weirdly satisfying about taking that little cloth and giving the carriage a good wipe before I leave. It’s part of the cool-down ritual.

So when I said “if you’re charging luxury prices, I expect a luxury service,” the conversation was never about whether I *can* wipe down a machine. It was about what $55 a class actually buys you and what it *should*.

Let’s talk about what people actually said.

The comment that really crystallized the disconnect when someone wrote: *”This is embarrassing. Can you literally not wipe down your own equipment? Spending the money on a good teacher and amenities makes sense. Wiping down your own equipment literally only takes a couple seconds.”*

With respect, you proved my point while arguing against it. Yes, it only takes a couple of seconds. So if it’s that quick and easy for me, imagine how easy it would be to build that into the studio’s post-class protocol if *they’re* already cleaning the space between classes anyway. The labor argument doesn’t hold. Wiping down reformers between clients is table stakes for a business charging premium prices. That’s not a burden, that’s the job.