★ 5

Carmel is very professional, knowledgeable, and warm. As a former dancer, she is highly aware of different types of potential injuries and always provides careful guidance. I trained with her for the past two years, and she helped me correct my posture and body alignment a lot. Unfortunately, I had to stop because I permanently moved away from Chicago—otherwise, I would definitely continue with her classes. Finding another instructor as good as Carmel has been really difficult!

Source: Google

★ 5

I met Carmel back in 2019, when I was at my lowest. I had injured my tailbone and was unable to do any physical activity that I loved. I honestly didn't think I would ever get back to being out of pain, much less going to the gym. I had seen countless physical therapists, chiropractors, and doctors and no one could help me. As a last ditch effort, I thought I would try structural integration.

During my first meeting with Carmel, I cried because I was so frustrated that I couldn't do anything I loved and I could barely sit for more than a few minutes at a time. Carmel was the nicest human being and took the time to listen to me and understand what was going on. Instead of going through her structural integration program, we started basic simple movements. I saw her 3x/week for almost 2 years.

It was a slow process but week by week I started to get better. I clearly remember going in one day and realizing I had not been in pain for a whole week. Carmel did what not a single other person in Chicago could do for me, she got me my life back!

I can't recommend her highly enough.

Source: Google

★ 5

Carmel is fantastic. She watches my body and knows what the problems are before I mention them. Her sessions are never "cookie cutter", they are specifically molded to my needs and she recognizes those, often , before I do.

Source: Google

★ 5

Source: Google

★ 5

Carmel has confident and sensitive hands and deep knowledge of the body. I have had a couple of sessions of Structural Integration and experienced wonderful changes. Highly recommend.

Source: Google

★ 5

5 Stars is not nearly enough to leave as a review for Carmel from Core Revolution, she deserves 10 Stars. Until 10 months ago, I had never heard of either.

My back started to bother me in college 20 years ago and it has slowly gotten worse. I have tried everything from buying mattresses, massages, different yoga styles, buying $1000+ chairs, using standing desks, and even bought an inverted table to hang upside down. Some of these things gave me temporary relief, but my lower back pain ALWAYS returned. In addition to all these gimmicks, I also had access to the very best medical care as my father is a prominent orthopaedic surgeon here in Chicago. After getting an MRI, it was deemed my case wasn’t bad enough to warrant spine surgery yet so even the medical community didn’t offer me any solutions. My lower back muscles were so tight from doing the work my core should have been doing all these years, they were in a permanently contracted state squeezing my bottom 8 vertebrae together, like a disc fusion surgery would have done. I finally came to the conclusion that it was worth investing $100 per week to avoid future spine surgery so I googled “Pilates near me” and found Carmel whose studio was coincidentally one block from my house.

For the record, I have worked with other pilates teachers and they were all good, but Carmel stands alone. She is a rare find, truly a needle in a haystack who acts with integrity and dedication to her profession. She continues to improve upon her knowledge of Movement Therapy and Structural Integration. She has a thorough understanding of how the muscles, fascia and ligaments of the human body connect and move together. This deep understanding allows her to teach you the best techniques which will maximize your progress. Most importantly she truly cares about your health and will rejoice in your successes as she has with mine.

After working with her for 10 months, my lower back pain is almost gone. I’m bordering at the point of not having any back pain when I get up. My spine feels like it has gotten younger by 10-15 years. In addition to my significantly improved spine health, my core is way stronger. Last week I actually got a compliment on my posture which has NEVER happened in my life…. EVER! More importantly I’m on the verge of having something I never thought was possible…. a six pack lol. As far as I’m concerned, there should be a shrine in every pilates studio around the country with a picture of Carmel on the wall and the inscription below should reading “Goddess of the Core”.

I would also like to comment on Louie's one star review below. No exercise studio or gym refunds purchased workouts, this is not Best Buy or Costco. The one thing he should have done after sustaining a back injury was treat the classes he bought like gold and go to Carmel religiously until his back healed. I would be happy to take those classes off his hands at full price so I can start going to Carmel twice per week. His review is ridiculous and he should be embarrassed of himself for writing such an erroneous and petty review.

Finally, I leave you with this one all important truth; in the world of pilates, there is a saying that you are as young as your spine. For centuries, people have been searching for the fountain of youth. There have been many movies made about this including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade which was about the search for the greatest treasure in the history of mankind, the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail would give anyone who drinketh from its cup eternal youth. Well good news Y'all, I found it... It’s right here in River North at 650 North Dearborn Street on the second floor. If I were you, I would check out Carmel at Core Evolution…. she may just change your life like she did mine.

Source: Google

★ 5

Carmel is terrific to work with. When I started working with her I had chronic knee pain from an injury. She has helped me correct imbalances and re-engage weak muscles. I have been pain free and balanced for over 2 years. I get stronger and stronger with each session. She is knowledgeable, caring and works hard for her clients. She tailors each workout to the client and they are very effective. I highly recommend working with Carmel.

Source: Google

★ 5

I first came to Carmel’s studio over two years ago. I was in pain from my back and hips and unable to be as active as I wanted to be. I have done private and duet sessions with her over the last two years. I find her to be extremely knowledgeable, compassionate and trustworthy. My core is stronger and I am able to travel and hike. She takes time to understand your body and always has a plan for moving forward. The individualized nature of her instruction is key and she is constantly studying to gain additional knowledge. My time with her is by far the best Pilates experience I have ever had. I am confident that with her help, I will continue to get stronger and remain very active as I age. So glad I found her!

Source: Google

★ 1

She basically stole from me! I pre paid for 10 sessions and am now unable to do pilates because of a back injury. I emailed Carmel (owner) 3 times for a refund of the pre-paid package. She ignored me for several months and then refused to refund my pre payment. There are better people in the city.

Source: Google