London’s Most Exclusive Pilates Studio Has Finally Opened to the Public—and I Was One of the First To Try It

Lauren masaoka doing pilates on a cadillac machine at pilates in the clouds.

I have many thoughts on the rise of ultra-exclusive Reformer Pilates studios in London (and beyond). Suffice it to say, I’m not generally a fan. As someone who has regularly attended Reformer classes for close to a decade, I’ve been delighted to see Joseph Pilates’ method go from niche to mainstream, and benefited from the lower prices, widened availability and countless new studios that have come with it.

But on the flip-side, something else has crept in alongside that accessibility: a glossy, exclusionary rebrand that feels increasingly at odds with the method’s original intent.