AITA for not unlocking the door at the pilates studio?

A Redditor recounts a dilemma at a hot pilates class, where their late coworker was locked out after the session began. The instructor had locked the door for the class, and the Redditor, unsure about disrupting the session, chose not to let their coworker in. This decision sparked tension. Read the full story below.

‘ AITA for not unlocking the door at the pilates studio?’

I recently invited one of my coworkers to a hot pilates class. It was both of our first time at this studio. The class started at 12 noon. At 11:55 I was already set up in the studio and I texted my coworker to ask if she was close.

She said she was 5 mins away. At 12:05 she still had not arrived and the pilates instructor locked the door to the building and started the class. My friend texted me at 12:10 telling me the door was locked and to let her in.

I did not feel comfortable leaving the class to go unlock the door as I assumed the instructor locks it for a reason and it was my first time there. I told my friend the class had started and I couldnt leave. After the class my coworker had texted me telling me she was mad at me for not getting up and unlocking the door for her. But how can she be mad at me when SHE was late? AITA???

Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

aj_alva −  NTA. From my understanding Pilates requires a certain amount of concentration. The instructor locked the door because it is not the kind of thing you would want people walking in and out of. Being that it was her first class, she should have made it a priority to be on time. In my opinion, leaving her outside saved you both from potential embarrassment and bad first impressions.

Federal__Dust −  NTA. Most workout studios have this rule in place and once 5-10 minutes has elapsed from the beginning of class, doors are closed and people aren’t allowed in. This allows the instructor to be fully present for the beginning of class and for everyone to settle in instead of getting distracted by someone walking in and setting up.

You’re not responsible to check your phone every 30 seconds to see if your late friend has arrived. It’s not your studio, it would be extremely rude for you to unlock the door.

QueenHelloKitty −  Info: door was locked to avoid interruptions but you texting back and forth was OK?

Walktothebrook −  NTA. It was not your door to unlock and you could not disturb the instructor mid class to unlock the door. There is an old say, snooze you lose.

FairyCompetent −  NTA and you shouldn’t have still been in your phone after the start of class. You shouldn’t have seen her text at all.

PrairieBunny91 −  NTA. I teach yoga. Class begins on time and I lock the doors. I get that things happen and we all run late from time to time, but I need to be respectful to the entire class and their time, which means not delaying the class and not allowing people to interrupt. I also admittedly would not be very happy if one of my students disrupted class by getting up and unlocking the door for a late student.

scandlily −  I regularly attend Pilates at my local studio, and as everyone else said, the door is locked to prevent others from coming in late and causing a distraction. I would NEVER walk out of class to unlock a door — if you did, chances are the instructor would ask you to leave and lock it again behind you.

That class is everyone’s else’s time to exercise and decompress; interrupting that because of one person’s poor time management skills is wildly unacceptable. You’d probably also be banned from returning.

RaineMist −  NTA. If your coworker didn’t want to be locked out, she should’ve been there on time. The instructor probably locks the doors to prevent interruptions in the class.

Ok_Homework_7621 −  NTA. YTA for using your phone, though. Put it on silent in the future, no vibration. The rest of the class is also paying to be there and don’t need the distraction.

Miss_Judge_and_Jury −  NTA. Most studios wouldn’t even let her join. Theres a warm up to prevent injury and 10 mins late results in her missing that and it not being physically safe to join. Your friend needs to learn better time management or complain to herself in the mirror for being late.

Do you think the Redditor was right to prioritize the class rules and stay put, or should they have stepped out to help their coworker? How would you handle a situation where someone’s tardiness affects group dynamics? Share your perspective below!