For a while it was Kobox and its high-intensity boxing workouts. Then it became boutique ride studios like SoulCycle that had Londoners queuing. The most sought-after waiting list for London’s fitterati in 2024? Pilates — but specifically reformer pilates, whether that’s in 1Rebel’s new state-of-the-art studio in the City, or your local gym.
That’s right: lunging with one leg on a high-spec reformer carriage is no longer just for time-rich west Londoners paying £30 a class for a body like Margot Robbie at mid-morning on a Tuesday. According to Ibisworld, 117 new studios opened across the UK between 2022 and 2023 and the capital is at the epicentre, with a 150 per cent increase in Google searches for pilates in London over the past five years. Everyone from Third Space to Ten Health to FS8 (F45’s new pilates-focused sister brand) is now struggling to keep up with demand.
James Muthana of Momence (a Y Combinator-backed tech company that is the platform of choice for reformer pilates studios) says that over 100 new reformer studios launch with them every quarter; Core Ldn in Richmond says visits rose by 67 per cent, between last November and February; Karve in Kensington says it always has a waiting list; and Luke Meessmann, the owner and instructor of Absolute Studios in west London, says his chain is opening a third outpost in Queen’s Park in response to demand at existing studios in Parsons Green and Kensal Rise. Membership reportedly spiked post-pandemic and the trend “hasn’t really stopped since”, says Meessmann.
So why the sudden boom? That a historically costly way of working out is booming during a cost of living crisis certainly makes the trend all the more surprising. But experts believe a large part of reformer’s appeal is that Londoners have finally got wind of its secret, long whispered across Hollywood: that it’s a fast-track to strength and toning. Plus, we’re desperate to offset our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and the reformer bed is notoriously effective relief from the back pain and discomfort that comes with sitting for eight hours a day.
Waiting lists were already soaring before Harry Styles was spotted on a reformer bed at Exhale Pilates in Primrose Hill (Kate Moss and Sadie Frost are regulars). And since the titan of pop added his name to the growing list of celebrity pilates fans (Adele, Ayda Field, Jennifer Aniston, Madonna and Lady Gaga all swear by it), popularity has naturally gone stratospheric. Styles also highlighted another of the reformer’s draws: its popularity with all genders. Men are an increasingly common sight in the capital’s reformer studios, particular in the run-up to marathon and triathlon season.
Indeed, it’s not just for A-listers. Even at such a premium price (classes in London range from £25 to £40-plus), the popularity of reformer pilates among busy everyday Londoners shows no signs of slowing down. Online searches for pilates rose 124 per cent from 2022 to 2023, with Yelp predicting that it will be one of this year’s top wellness trends following a 71 per cent increase in year on year searches. PureGym also spotlighted it as the fitness trend of this year in its latest global report.
There are two other important factors when considering how reformer pilates has taken hold. The first is that we’ve realised that maximum intensity isn’t the only way to work out and get fit. Yes, it might make us feel the burn, but it also is quite stress-inducing.
With so much burn-out and adrenaline-induced workouts, people have become more savvy about not stressing their bodies out so much.
Gabi Noble, founder of Exhale Pilates, explains that “with so much burn-out and adrenaline-induced workouts, people have become more savvy about not stressing their bodies out so much — and reformer pilates offers an extremely rewarding, but low impact, workout.”
Second, there is the promise of relieving pain. London has always had a broad spread of options for general movement — but none specifically addressed posture and strengthening quite as effectively.
Meessmann says that reformer pilates is uniquely placed because “it’s all about strengthening the body, stabilising muscles, and encouraging controlled mobility of the spine and limbs in an effort to restore balance”.
Instructors are keen to emphasise the element of recovery from injury. Louise Jackson at Pause Yoga and Pilates Studio in Leyton says “our on-site physio treats people who’ve been injured doing things like running or playing football, and the treatment plan almost always includes pilates”. Similarly, Core LDN founder and physiotherapist Claire Mills tells me that “from a physiotherapy point of view, using the reformer pilates as a form of rehabilitation is a game-changer.”
Pilates was developed by the German trainer Joseph Pilates, who was held in an internment camp on the Isle of Man during the First World War. While there, he was inspired to develop a system of exercises using apparatus. The idea was to strengthen both body and mind via alignment, core work, and overall conditioning. He took his method to New York, and it gained in popularity. For many years, pilates was mentioned in the same breath as yoga on account of both disciplines being low impact and said to affect the mind and body in equal measure, but we are now realising that they are entirely different exercises, each with their own devotees.
A survey conducted by Health and Fitness Education found that 70 per cent of fitness enthusiasts in the UK would now pick it over yoga. It’s also outstripping HIIT and Zumba by quite some margin, receiving five times as many searches online.
The cost of reformer pilates here can be a barrier to entry: prices are high for both class attendees (single classes in a group situation can be up to £30, depending on where you practise, with one-on-one training being significantly more), and for studio owners (Claire Mills informs me that each machine comes in at a hefty £3,600, and that’s before factoring in the instructor’s fees and the costs of the space).
Some converts who need their reformer fix but find class prices prohibitive have invested in machines for home use, reasoning that over time cost per use works out. One such brand is Flexia [FlexiaPilates.com], which cleverly weds virtual instruction with the reformer apparatus — think Peloton, but make it pilates.
Founder and CEO Kaleen Canevari tells me that on launching in April 2022, a $500 spend on digital ads generated over $140,000 in pre-sales, suggesting appetite for the exercise would parlay into a successful business. It has. Expect more to follow — studios, classes, at home machines, brands designing gear especially for it. Reformer pilates isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
