The Dailey Method

Have been going here for more than a year and have seen great improvements in long lean muscle, better posture, good balance (which I recently tested out by taking a surf lesson).
I like that most instructors really care about correcting your form, as the form is the most important here.
Even though the exercises are basically the same, I have yet to hit a plateau… the thing is, you can make it as easy or as hard on yourself as you want (go lower in your squat, lift higher in your low seat curve…), so I am still always sore the next day or 2, no matter how frequently I come.
Andrea and Parvin are my favorite instructors :)

My first class with ClassPass! I purchased ClassPass last night and I was able to reserve this Barre Class right away! The whole process was pretty convenient and easy.
Upon arrival, the receptionist had already prepared a registration form with my name on it. She was very welcoming and friendly. After I filled out the form, she showed me where to get the towels and the women’s lounge, which has lockers, shower, and bathroom. There are about 12 lockers and they all come with an electronic lock free-​of-​charge! You can change the combination yourself once you locate an empty locker. It’s definitely a plus to have these lockers so I don’t have to worry about my valuables at all during class. Besides the towels and shower, there are also mouthwash, lotion, and hair-​dryer.
I had my Barre class with Nora. She is really nice and encouraging. She was also very helpful with adjusting my posture and form. Most importantly, she was patient. However, beware! This class is pretty intense as it is a full-​body workout. I love how it works on the inner thighs and abdominals a lot. I recommend trying this class if you are looking for a low-​impact, full-​body workout. They have many locations throughout the SF Bay Area so that makes it really convenient!

Being an avid barre class participant, I decided to up my game and try out Dailey Method’s Interval class. Whoa. This class in intense!
At times, you may feel like you’re in total muscle failure, but you just keep going! I really enjoyed the Interval class with Mackenzie today. She is very with helpful with form, and modifications if needed.
Five stars for DM and Mackenzie!

Yesterday was my first basics class and it was awesome. I’m not someone who works out often (or ever) but age, gravity and being surrounded by super fit ladies everywhere has forced my hand.
I was very nervous about being in a class with people who are regulars but everyone was very welcoming (even though I was crammed into my teen daughters fitness clothes and probably looked a bit odd.)
The class was hard but the hands on guidance was great and there were all levels of people in the class so I wasn’t totally awkward.
I’m not sure how long it will take me to master the pigeon pose, honestly I looked like a pigeon hit by a car pose but I’ll try again.
I’m sore today and thought I deserved a big pizza for my efforts but passed when I remembered my image in the mirror shaking and looking like a little sausage.
Thanks for the great class ladies I’ll be back as soon as I can lift my car keys again to get there!

way better than any other barre class. i used to do bar method and they were rude, bitchy and there was no community. dailey method has way more active stretching and I feel like their instructors are more educated instead of just yelling at you to go down lower. I try for 3 days a week and 1 interval class (faster paced). I’m excited every time I go and while it’s the same basic format each time they change up the different moves and are great about correcting your form. it’s also awesome while pregnant and esp after! erin, the owner is very accessible, caring, knowledgeable and community focused. She’s always making improvements (new countertops, carpet etc).
Highly recommend The Dailey Method for strength/​core workout!

This is one of the worst work-​out experiences I have ever had. I have been doing pilates reformer once a week for a few months, so I thought I could branch out into other types of barre work-​outs. I told the instructor and receptionist I was new, and then they never spoke to me again.
When it was time to move to the barre, there was no room! I didn’t move fast enough to get a spot (since I was new and didn’t know what was going on), so they stuck me in a corner where I couldn’t see myself or the instructor!
The room was dark, smelled musty, and was way too crowded. I will NEVER go back. .. I paid $ 100 for unlimited workouts for the first month, and I walked away. Try Poise down the road, or even Menlo Yoga. At least at those 2 places they guide you through your first lesson and try to make it a good workout.
Spare yourself.. . there are better options in Menlo Park than this place!

The Dailey Method chooses not to be a good member of their Menlo Park neighborhood community. Their employees are lazy and park on the side street where children play vs. parking in their designated parking lot just feet away. Neighbors have brought this concern to TDM attention and they just don’t seem to care or have any interest to do anything about it! Wow! Really!!! Sad.

This is somewhat of a workout co-​op — people work both the front desk and the child care areas for free classes. I started with Bar Method and agree with one of the other reviewers that the teachers are far more exceptional and the workout more comprehensive with each of the muscle groups. The owners at the Bar studios to which I belonged (San Mateo/​Palo Alto) are very hands-​on and it showed as the studio ran like a well-​oiled machine. The only downsides to Bar Method were the classes really fill up even in advance (because they’re so great) and they don’t offer child care.
The Menlo Park Dailey Method seems like a cluster of confusion. The people working the desk don’t seem to understand the billing system nor do they have any investment in customer service. When I had a question regarding billing, to which the person running the front desk didn’t have an answer (and most notably was rude about it) I was told the owner doesn’t really come in, doesn’t allow her number to be given out and only an email address was given to me. The owner, Erin, did respond quickly vIa email and was initially apologetic, but showed her true colors when I asked for a refund of half of the unused unlimited trial package:
Trial package for 1 unlimited month is $ 100.
I took four classes within two weeks before asking for the refund.
My expectation was a $ 50 refund.
Erin felt it was reasonable to charge full price for 4 classes amounting to a $ 12 refund.
To me, that doesn’t seem reasonable or like a very good business practice.
At this price point I would expect a comprehensive workout led by skilled teachers. I would also hope there is a clean and spacious environment. (I agree with another reviewer that the studio is cramped and the bathroom is particularly tight and a little smelly.) Finally, why is this not a friendly and accommodating atmosphere by the people who work there (whether it is for free classes or otherwise?!) The singular advantage of this studio is that they offer child care, but I will not support this business.

Great workout for core strengthening and toning all over. The instructors are really well educated on the body structure and muscles, etc, modifications for injuries, and the exercises. Depending on the instructor, you can get specific tips on your form, which is IMHO, one of the most important aspects to any workout. They could do a lot more of this.
I’m a fan of dancing for working out, so this is a little boring, but most of the instructors have decent playlists, so at least you can get into that.
One of the best things they have going is a daycare room for those mom’s who want to work out. And they do trades for classes, too, so you can work the desk or daycare in exchange for classes. It’s a great service.

I travel to Palo Alto for business almost weekly and wasn’t able to settle into a regular workout routine. I recently discovered the Dailey Method in Chicago and when I realized there was a studio close to my hotel, I decided I had to try it out after work.
The studio is very small, but it’s nice. I took classes w/​both Sarah B. and Daisy and thought they were both excellent. I’d highly recommend both instructors!
I’m so happy I can keep up with the Dailey Method while traveling for work now. I’ve seen major results in as little as 2 months. Can’t wait to go back.

I’ve been to a few classes at Dailey Method and they’re good but could be more consistent. Some of the teachers dont’ seem to have as much training on how to explain the movements and I spend half those classes watching the more experienced people do the exercises instead of focusing my own posture in the mirror.

I love the Dailey Method! I’ve been going about 2 to 4 times a week for about a year. I have to say that I really struggle in the class because it’s a lot of mental work, but I do see positive results when I go!
The only con is that it’s expensive ($ 20 normally, but as low as $ 16 dollars a class if you buy the large package), so I try my best to find deals or to cut back one class a week.

The Dailey Method itself is FABULOUS. I’ve never had greater success with anything. However, I don’t love this location as much as I hoped I would. I had previously gone to the Novato location. I’m a girl who hates exercise and avoided it at all costs up until I went into that studio. I literally cried when I had to leave. I showed up in Menlo Park and was not as impressed. The studio itself isn’t as nice as Novato. There is virtually NO natural light in the studio which makes it much much harder to feel… ‘alive’. The bathroom/​changing area also wasn’t as nice as Novato and I was surprised by that.
I have to admit, I don’t feel like I fit in with the women here. Everyone seems a little more judgmental and uppity. Nothing overt or ‘rude’ but just not fun and welcoming. The area is obviously very affluent and I come from a less-​than-​affluent area not too far away. It was kinda the same in Novato but I never felt out of place there. I just feel like if I don’t have any kids and don’t have a 3 million dollar home then I am not really able to converse with these women. I’m sure that’s slightly unfair, I haven’t met everyone and of course, as I said, no one has been ‘rude’ per se. It’s just a feeling of superiority that’s in the air and I just wish everyone could kinda relax and be themselves. What can I say, it’s just an energy thing and if you don’t care about that then disregard.
My main issue with this location is the PLETHORA of teachers. I think there was about 5 teachers in all in Novato… something like that. After 14 classes, I had the same teacher only three times… because I went out of my way to plan to have them again. I couldn’t believe it. Most teachers at this location are obviously going through the motions and giving the cues when they need to be given. Not one matched the level of commitment and positivity that Maggie (in Novato) did EVERY day. For me personally, it was so motivating to have a teacher I knew, who brought SO much of herself into that hour, gave it everything she had and was genuinely supportive and positive. It is absolutely what kept me coming back to the Novato location.
Now that my unlimited month is up here in Menlo Park, I’m not feeling like I miss it and want to go back and I’m upset about that. I was so excited to get back to class after moving… after thinking I’d turned into someone who loves exercise… turns out, the right energy is everything.
If you don’t care about knowing the teacher, the teacher being supportive and invested, feeling like the other women aren’t being snobby and having no natural light then this is a great option. It’s expensive but it works and there’s plenty of class times to choose from.

The Dailey Method changed my life in so many ways, and so much of that is thanks to the Menlo location! Thank you for all you do, miss you guys!

Highly recommend, and I was definitely skeptical at first.
I ran long distance (5ks-​half marathons) for years, and while running is a great leg/​cardiovascular workout, it doesn’t do much for core or upper body strength. I also started to notice little aches and pains in my mid and upper back, likely from having poor posture.
Now, 6+ months after taking a class or two per week, I can finally do pushups (never before have I been able to, in my entire life), I can successfully lift my roll-​aboard luggage into airplanes’ overhead compartments, and those little aches and pains in my back have disappeared.
I think the crowning joy of all of this is having better posture: I know I am sitting up taller and straighter because I had to adjust the rear-​view mirror in my car for the first time since buying it (in 2006).
DO IT.

This place is amazing. I’ve been going for about 2 months and I love it; it’s addicting! The workout focuses on small movements working on your own strength and flexibility. I never thought I could move so little and have it burn so much! I’m over weight and was nervous for my first class thinking I couldn’t do it. But it’s much like yoga where you make the position your own and work within your own strength. Over the past 2 months I’ve lost 20 pounds (also running 3 times a week) and I can tell I can hold the positions longer and more deeply.
I’ve taken classes with 6 or 7 different instructors. They have all been fantastic and helpful. However, my favorite instructor has been Carmen. It’s the little things like making sure she shakes the hands of new people (not just to Dailey Method but also to her) and spending time after class to take questions from the new people and help with questions on positions. If you are new to Dailey Method I would highly suggest taking a class with Carmen.

This location is having a special right now for $ 150 for 10 classes until ¹⁄₂₁. I believe the expiration is one year from the date of purchase and you can go to the Los Altos location as well. I had a couple of classes left so I went back on Saturday after a long hiatus. It kicked my butt! It’s now Monday and my core and arms are still sore (a good sore even though I was not doing all the positions right). You will work out the most muscle with the most little movement (perfect for a minimalist like me!). They exhaust the muscle and stretch it and get muscles that you don’t normally exhaust during a cardio or dance class.
This is basically like a personal training session in a class setting — you still get personal adjustments in an impeccable facility but have an opportunity to discover and struggle on your own to figure it out. After class, I noticed that I was sitting up straight and taller with my sit bones against the seat while driving and the soreness of the muscles reminded me to grab a salad instead of a burrito for dinner.
Highly recommended!

I’ve been coming to the Dailey Method for almost two years (so this review is long overdue!) and can’t say enough good things about it. The facilities are spotless and bright; there are towels/​showers and lockers for people who go straight to work and hand towels for sweating right outside the studio door.
The workout you get at Dailey Method is one that you do not fully appreciate until the next day (although you definetly feel the burn while in class!) My body has truly changed since I started taking classes. My arms have definetly gotten much more toned and i think my «seat» looks lifted :) The instructors (including Erin, the owner) are fantastic and are really good about going around the room and helping to correct people’s forms.
Overall, a total thumbs up!

I have been going to the Dailey Method for about a year, and I have never felt better! Before the Dailey Method, I regularly took strength training classes at the gym, but never fully got the results I wanted. I also have chronic back pain, and had routine visits to the chiropractor. A few months before my wedding, I wanted to try something different to see if I can fit better into my dress. A friend highly recommended the Dailey Method (she goes to the Berkeley one), and since one just opened near my work, I went to check it out.
After 3 months of going consistently, I was able to lose the infamous pesky five pounds and was able to fit into my wedding dress beautifully :) An unexpected «side effect» was I stopped going to the chiropractor regularly. I didn’t need to anymore! All the core work and stretching helped my back significantly.
Since both Menlo Park and the newer Los Altos studios are between my work and home, I do go to both locations and instructors teach at both. The studios are clean, have ample parking, and are very welcoming. All the instructors I have had are awesome. However, I am a little bias toward my regular instructors just because they teach at the times I usually go (Thank you Emily G. and Carmen!). Finally, thank you Erin and TDM team for making me stronger, leaner, and more healthy!

I’ve been taking these classes 2 – 3 times a week for five months, and I started noticing strength and flexibility improvement after the first week. The workouts exhaust every muscle in your body, and really make you sweat. At first, it was just because I was out of shape. Now, it’s because I have improved my positions, which makes them more challenging.
I admit that I wasn’t losing inches right away, but I’ve been getting toned, and gaining flexibility and strength continually. It took about four months before I found I had shrunk a couple sizes in my waist and legs (now if only it could make me taller …). These results despite a two week hiatus when I was sick, and another two week hiatus for vacation.
The facilities are clean and stylish, and they provide child care for a small fee.
No other workout has ever held my interest this consistently for this long. For me, the reason I stick with it is because the community of women, including instructors, staff and clients, are so fun and supportive, and the workouts continue to be challenging (because you’re always working in your deepest muscle contractions). Oh, and I guess it helps that I get genuine compliments from family and friends.