What is a Pilates reformer?
A low bed with a carriage that slides on rails, attached to springs, with a footbar at one end and two long straps at the other. You lie, sit, kneel or stand on it.
What do the springs do?
They resist you or support you depending on the exercise, which is why the same movement can be made easier or harder in about two seconds.
Is reformer Pilates safe?
It is low impact and fully adjustable. Pilates is not a formally regulated industry in the UK, so the thing that makes a class safe is the instructor's training and the size of the room — which is why reef caps classes at the number of machines.
How many reformers will reef have?
Ten.
What is Reformer Pilates?
A padded bed that slides on rails, held by springs, with a footbar at one end and straps at the other. You push the carriage away and control it back, so your muscles work in both directions with no momentum to hide behind.
What is the difference between mat and Reformer Pilates?
Mat Pilates uses your body weight on the floor. Reformer Pilates adds a moving carriage and springs, which can make an exercise harder by resisting you or easier by carrying a limb through a range you could not manage alone.
Is Reformer Pilates better than the gym?
It is different work rather than better work. A gym loads a muscle; a Reformer makes your whole body stabilise while it works, because the bed is moving under you. Plenty of people who lift heavy come out of a first Reformer class shaking.
Is Reformer Pilates the same as yoga?
No. Yoga holds positions and works on flexibility and breath. Pilates works on controlled, repeated movement through the core, and a Reformer adds spring resistance to it.
Is Reformer Pilates suitable for complete beginners?
Yes, and most people in any class started as one. A Reformer is adjustable, so the same exercise can be made easier or harder in seconds. Start with an instructor-led class, tell them it is your first time, and they will set your springs for you.
What happens in my first session?
You arrive early, an instructor sets your springs for your body, and the class runs roughly as footwork, core, legs and glutes, arms and back, then a long stretch. Everyone is lying down looking at the ceiling. Nobody is watching you.
Will I ache afterwards?
Usually less than you expect after the first class and more after the third, and it tends to sit in the neck and shoulders if you tensed. Tell your instructor and they will change it.
What should I wear to Reformer Pilates?
Leggings or slim joggers, a fitted top, and grip socks. Avoid anything with zips or buttons that can catch in the springs, and tie long hair back. Baggy shorts make it hard for an instructor to see your alignment.
How often should I do Reformer Pilates?
The NHS recommends muscle-strengthening work on at least two days a week, and names Pilates as one way to do it. Two Reformer sessions a week covers that on their own.
Do men do Reformer Pilates?
Yes. Professional footballers, basketball players and tennis players train on a Reformer, and the man who invented the machine was a boxer. The springs do not care who is lying on the carriage.
Am I too old for Reformer Pilates?
The springs can carry a limb through a range your own strength cannot reach yet, which is why one machine suits a runner in their twenties and someone in their eighties. Tell your instructor about anything that hurts before you start.
How many Reformer machines does reef have?
Ten or more, in one quiet room, with a screen at the foot of every bed. The final number is confirmed when the building is finished.
Can I do Reformer Pilates on my own, without a class?
Yes. You book a machine rather than a class time, pick from more than 800 guided sessions on the screen at the foot of your bed, and the audio plays in your own headphones. That is the point of the planned 7am to 10pm window: you come when your day allows.
Why has Reformer Pilates become so popular?
ClassPass has named Pilates the most booked workout in the world three years running, with Reformer bookings up 71% in 2025 and more than 15 million reservations that year. There are now 1,978 verified Pilates studios in the UK, and every one of them offers Reformer.
Is Reformer Pilates good for a bad back?
Published research on Pilates and lower back pain is linked in full on our evidence section so you can read it yourself. We make no medical claims. If you have a back problem, speak to your GP or physiotherapist first and tell your instructor before your first session.
Why is it spelled Reef with two Es?
Reformer is the machine. Reef is the way we teach it at reef. Same apparatus, same principles, our environment, our technology and our standards.
What is the Reformer Pilates Manual?
A free 42-page guide: the machine taken apart, the springs explained, your first 50 minutes minute by minute, every common worry answered, and every statistic sourced at the back. It arrives by email straight away and costs nothing.
How do I book?
Pre-booking opens in November, ahead of opening in December 2026. The fastest way to hear first is to download the free manual, which puts you on the founding list.
