Is Reformer Pilates A Trend?

And why are there so many Pilates studios opening up?

“Do you teach Reformer Pilates?” and “What do you make of all the new studios opening?” are the most popular questions I have been asked in 2026.

My answer isn't straightforward.

As an advocate that movement has the power to improve so many elements of your life, it’s a brilliant thing that there is now more availability than ever of classes to attend and places to move your body. But, facilitating movement comes with responsibility because what people understand Pilates to be, and how they first experience it matters. 

As Pilates is an unregulated industry, anyone can call themselves a Pilates instructor. Anyone can open a studio. Which means the responsibility falls on those of us who trained rigorously - and who care deeply about the integrity of the method - to be clear about what we're offering and why it's different.

“But what’s the difference - isn’t Reformer Pilates better? Harder? The answer to all my problems?”

Well, the reformer is one piece of equipment. One versatile, endlessly useful piece of apparatus - but still just one piece of a much larger jigsaw. Pilates was never intended to be the reformer in isolation, and the reformer was never intended to be Pilates in its entirety. The method is a whole system based on 6 principles: Breath, Flow, Precision, Concentration, Control and Centring. You can experience the method using the apparatus or on the mat. It was designed to be felt, not performed.

As a Pilates Foundation teacher, and a member of the Society of the Pilates Method, I believe in teaching the method holistically, to be experienced.

It isn’t a trend, a phase - it’s a way of moving that will have meaningful, long lasting changes not just to your body, but how you see yourself, how you move through space, and interact with the world.

A way to truly invest in yourself, build confidence, nurture injuries, build the strength, knowledge, and awareness of your body that means you know how to protect it and care for it. 

I’ve been teaching Pilates for close to 10 years. I was trained at a time when people would say “Huh, you’re training to be a Pilates teacher, that’s a bit niche isn’t it?!”, and very few would know what a Reformer was. Every week, I still find something new, or a different way of communicating, interacting with a movement. 

And yes, if you come to an equipment class you will indeed use a reformer, I think you’ll love it too. But when you come to Yellow Pilates, you're getting the whole picture. The roots, the depth, the real thing (ps. With a big old dose of colour and laughter too - I’m serious about you having a brilliant experience, there is no pretentiousness here!)

And if you've tried Pilates before, perhaps you’ve not had the most positive experience, but you’re curious to try again, experience a different way of looking at the method - welcome. That curiosity is exactly the right place to start.