Pennsylvania Guide and Deals

Sunlight streams into Urbanfront Pilates through the large, second-story windows, reflects off mirrors that cover entire walls, and illuminates hardworking exercisers tightening core muscles. The purple and green studio is home to eight different group classes, led by expert instructors who believe that a strong core is the foundation for full-body health. They walk customers through how to tighten tummies with various pieces of equipment, such as the Tower class's spring-resistance apparatuses or the Xtend class's ballet barre. In mat classes, students use only body resistance and mental images of the Vitruvian Man's hot cousin to aid in chiseling physiques. Dedicated to fostering community within the studio, Urbanfront Pilates hosts teacher training by Power Pilates–trained professionals who help pupils transform their passion into a livelihood.

At the Martier Music Academy, kids can nurture discipline, commitment, and confidence while benefiting from the expert instruction of a professional staff of deft-fingered musicians, such as Joe Grushecky, Pete Hewlett, and the Grammy-nominated percussionist Ron Beitle. Private lessons allow kids between seven and 14 years old to attend weekly half-hour ($100 per month) or one-hour ($180 per month) instructional sessions, and are available for piano, guitar, drums, voice, and performance. Kindermusik classes help boost the development of children ages seven or younger while offering several different programs, including Young Child, designed for kids between five and seven years old ($90 per month for four months).

At North Versailles Bowling Center, bowlers hurl spheroids down well-waxed lanes crowned with a stunning diorama of the nighttime Pittsburgh skyline, taking timeouts to enjoy frosty beverages and cheesy pizzas from the nearby snack bar. Saturday nights are celebrated with glowing lights and music played by a live DJ, and ball hurlers attempt to celebrate the memory of Sir Isaac Newton by temporarily suspending the laws of physics with each roll. When they aren’t racking up strikes on the lanes or browsing Columbia, Storm, and Brunswick gear in the pro shop, visitors watch Pittsburgh sports teams on the lounge's five HDTVs or challenge each other to friendly rounds of billiards or trivia.

Sometimes our dreams are within reach, but more often, those dreams are on the highest of high shelves, beside the BB gun and the cupcakes "for tomorrow." Reach that shelf with today's Groupon, which will stretch your muscles and muscle your stretches into a month-long stretch of intense muscular moves. For $30, you get 30 days of unlimited group yoga classes at Yoga on the Square in Regent Square, a $99 value. The 30 days are consecutive and begin the first time you drop in for a class.

Riverflow Yoga owner Rhonda Uretzky lives and breathes yoga. After 40 years of dedicated practice—and with every member of her immediate family either teaching or practicing yoga—she has come to think of it not just as a workout, but as a way of life. Aided by an experienced team of instructors and sweat-inducing temperatures that work to purge bodies of toxins, Rhonda’s Hot Yoga classes focus on stretches that nurture physical flexibility and foster spiritual exploration.

Riverflow Yoga's studio, located in a former laceworks, features free parking and uses far-infrared radiant heat to boost student's blood flow during yoga sessions. When Rhonda's guiding students through each class’ 26 poses, she elongates spines and unkinks vestigial tails with hands-on adjustments. Her hands, adept and perceptive from so much practice, can feel when bodies are tense; a mere touch can tell her where each student needs the most attention.

Creative Photography by Maya's staff of professional shutterbugs will happily accommodate families, children, families of children, pets, and triumphantly posed statues during the in-studio photo session. The fully equipped studio provides several backgrounds from which to choose. The classic white can be used for a quick passport photo before the entire fam poses for a heartwarming family scene around the Christmas tree in the Christmas Morning backdrop. Likewise, graduates, high-school seniors, newlyweds, and soonlyweds can beam sunnily before a Garden View, Perfect Sky, or slightly less popular Ragnarök backdrop. There are even huge plastic crayons and other foreground props for your giant pet scorpion to wave around as the cameras flash. After your session, you'll receive a DVD containing full-resolution versions of all photos and a photo-release form enabling you to print, publish, and share them.