9 Pilates Studios To Visit For A Toned, Sculpted Body
This low-impact workout can help improve muscle tone, flexibility and strength. If you're dithering over where to go, check out these studios, including new kids on the block
By Shazrina Shamsudin -
Fitness trends come and go. And while fitness programmes like Pilates have been around for almost a century, it appears that it’s not losing steam in the list of fitness trends and it’s going to stay for the long haul.
For the unacquainted, Pilates is essentially a low-impact workout that improves your strength, flexibility, coordination and overall fitness. But, aside from the physical benefits, Pilates also offers a bevy of mental health benefits too. It requires a mind-muscle connection to carry out the movements and helps to coordinate your breathing with how your body moves. As a result, it improves your cognitive function and slows age-related declines in brain performance.
Now, with that being said, the fitness industry in Singapore has seen a spike in the number of studios cropping up across the island. Whether you’re into mat or reformer Pilates, there’s a Pilates studio at almost every corner of the street that caters to your every need.
To help you narrow down some of the best places to visit, ahead, we’ve sussed out some of the latest Pilates studios in Singapore that are worth checking out to get toned and sculpted.
All the way from Hong Kong, Flex Studios has opened its new space at Palais Renaissance in Singapore. Led by Founder Heather Thomas, the studio offers premium small group and private Pilates classes alongside professional teacher training
For the unacquainted, Classical Pilates refers to the original teaching methodology, preserving Joseph Pilates' foundational principles, while contemporary or modern styles of Pilates encompass variations and inventions of the original movements and sequences. Flex Studio offers a wide array of classes for you to choose from including prenatal, beginners', trio sessions, and private sessions.
Flex Studio is located at 390 Orchard Rd, #05-02 Palais Renaissance, Singapore 238871. Visit the website here for more information.
Led by experts, Her Wellness Club offers tailored one-on-one services, group classes, and transformative workshops. But besides offering Pilates classes, members also enjoy access to a private kitchen with chef services and vibrant social events. The club stands out for its diverse offerings, including specialised Pilates lessons led by Audrey D’cotta, addressing women's health concerns from PMS to menopause and they even offer programmes cater to pre/postnatal, working women, and (peri)menopausal stages. Here, you'll also find nutrition services, curated by accredited dietician Jaclyn Reutens, featuring healthy yet delicious meals and informative sessions. Besides that, there are mindfulness activities, in collaboration with the Center for Mindfulness, that offer evidence-based practices for mental well-being.
Her Wellness Club is located at 123 Penang Rd, #07-13 Regency House, Singapore 238465. Visit the website here for more information.
Ally Singapore may not be the newest kid on the block having opened its spin classes in November 2021, but it recently launched its new Reformer Classes blending Pilates and spin under one roof. The studio, located a stone's throw away from Telok Ayer MRT, on the second floor of Manulife Tower, boasts a dreamy aesthetic with a well-lit and spacious lounge that's roomy enough for members to congregate and mingle with one another before and after their sessions.
Zooming into the Pilates classes, here, they have a designated room that can hold up to 12 members, of which you'll be guided through a 50-minute Reformer session. However, if you're looking to work on specific parts of your body or if you'd like to have a personal solo session, Ally Singapore also offers you that option and they even have a private room equipped with a cadillac reformer, barrel and more.
Once you're done with your workout, be sure to swing by the Neighbourhood — Ally Singapore's very own refuel bar to get some pre- or post-workout power shakes, specialty coffee and light bites. On Fridays, the studio also hosts its very own Champagne Fridays, where members are treated to a complimentary glass of bubbly after the last class on Friday evenings. Talk about finding the right balance right?
Ally Singapore is at 8 Cross St, #02-01/02 Manulife Tower, Singapore 048424. Visit the website here for more information.
Whether you're an amateur or a pro, this studio accommodates to members of all fitness levels. With accessible locations ranging from Bukit Timah to East Coast and River Valley, The Moving Body is a beginner-friendly place to check out if you're still new to Pilates. They have starter sessions for newbies, and mat and reformer sessions if you're more confident to take your training up a notch. For those who want a little more of a challenge, you can sign yourself up for a Reformer HIIT session, which essentially combines dynamic exercises on the Pilates Reformer with the use of weights such as dumbbells and kettlebells, plus some circuit-style training thrown in.
Some of the classes that you can find here include:
- Reformer Starter: A basic introductory class that aims at teaching you the fundamental movements and principles for each movement method
- Reformer 1 to 3: Beginner to advanced level classes that focus on improving your core strength, mobility, daily function and prevent injuries.
- Reformer HIIT: A high-energy, full-body Pilates workout that will get your heart pumping and your core burning
The Moving Body Group is located at a few locations including Bukit Timah, East Coast and River Valley. Visit the website here for more information.
Deciding between going for a Pilates session or your manicure? You can now have the best of both worlds (and more) over at VIVA. Located in the heart of Sentosa Cove, this one-stop destination encompasses a Pilates studio, a hair salon, and a spa of its own – so you can do your hair, get your manicure, pamper yourself with a luxurious facial and squeeze in a quick Pilates session all in one place.
For its Pilates programme, VIVA offers an extensive range of classes for you to choose from. Some of these classes include:
- Tone & Lengthen: A full-body workout class that’s perfect for all levels of fitness. Work every muscle group with slow and controlled movements and sculpt your muscles with the Reformers and towers.
- Sweat & Burn: Break a sweat and work on your glutes with this sweat-inducing workout that focuses on improving your core, glutes, and arms.
- Pre Natal: Work on retaining and developing your strength with this exercise that not only keeps you healthy but also preps you for birth and the physical demands your body will experience after.
- Post Natal: if you’re looking to get back on track with your fitness routine after giving birth, this class is perfect for you. It works on regaining your strength through safe exercises that engage your core, aid in strengthening your pelvic floor and promote long-term stability in your joints.
- Cardio Blast: Using Pilates cardio tramps, this full-body workout will help to increase your metabolic rate and efficiently improve your coordination and flexibility.
Viva is located at Sentosa Cove, 31 Ocean Way, #01-22/23, 098375. Visit the website here for more information.
True Group’s Yoga Edition at Millenia Walk recently opened its doors earlier this year and as part of its opening, the newly revamped yoga sanctuary sees the addition of Pilates reformer classes, one-to-one training studios, as well as new stretch and relaxation areas, to their suite of offerings and amenities.
Some of the classes that you can find here include:
- Pilates Matwork – Beginner Friendly: Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, this class is perfect for all fitness levels. With a low to moderate intensity, the class teaches you to work on your balance and control of the body, while improving one’s posture and balance. It also helps increase one’s strength and flexibility, particularly of the abdomen and back muscles.
- Pilates A.B.T – Intermediate: Suitable for those who are new to yoga, gym-goers or those who are nursing injuries, this mat-based Pilates class is great especially if you’re looking to work the core muscle of the body, including the deeper muscle of the abdominals, back, shoulder blades and buttocks.
- Group Reformer – Achieve stronger muscles, increased metabolism, core stability and mobility in this Group Reformer class. Great for low-impact recovery and injury rehabilitation, this class also helps to improve your balance and flexibility, and build strong and flexible muscles.
Yoga Edition is located at 9 Raffles Blvd, #02 - 63 Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596. Visit the website here for more information.
Australian fitness brand Strong Pilates has just announced its highly anticipated debut in Singapore, as it looks to roll out about 11 studios across the city-state over the next three to four years. Unlike your usual workouts, Strong Pilates’ focuses on tying resistance Pilates with cardio, creating the perfect full-body workout in just 45 minutes via the purpose-built Rowformer and Bikeformer. For its classes, you can expect to find a range of daily classes ranging from the upper body, to lower body, or even a combination that offers a high-intensity, low-impact, full-body workout.
Strong Pilates is located at Tanjong Pagar @ OUE Downtown. Visit the website here for more information.
Set within the lush greenery of Dempsey lies FlyProject's first-ever Singapore outpost – FlyReformer. Featuring state-of-the-art Reformer machines, this new studio offers three different types of classes ranging from the classic FlyReformer Flow to the FlyReformer Tone. Open to all, here you’ll be guided through a fun-filled 50-minute session in which you can expect dynamic movements and isolated muscle holds that are sure to make you feel the burn.
- FlyReformer Flow (Beginner): Flow exercises involve simple and straightforward movements with a maximum of one added layer in each exercise.
- FlyReformer Sculpt (Intermediate): If you’re looking for something with a little more challenge, consider going for the Sculpt classes. It focuses on sculpting your body, through complex and dynamic movements with up to 3 layers in each exercise.
- FlyReformer Tone (Advance): Take things up a notch and opt for the FlyReformer Tone classes if you’re planning to work up a sweat. In this class, you can tone your muscles, through layering exercises that target the same muscle group. This increases the repetitions and the level of muscle burn.
FlyProject is located at 75E Loewen Rd, Tanglin Camp, Singapore 248845.
Visit the website here for more information.
Easties this one’s for you. KX Pilates announced its opening this April and it will be located in the heart of Siglap. A first foray into Singapore’s fitness industry, this new studio was first founded in Australia in 2010 and it continues to expand both locally and overseas. As part of KX's unique Reformer Pilates programme, you can expect to find classes that work on strengthening your muscles, increasing your flexibility and balance, as well as improving cardio endurance. Combining traditional Reformer Pilates principles with progressive techniques, KX curates full-body workouts designed to challenge everybody.
KX Pilates is located at 93 Frankel Ave, Singapore 458220. Visit the website here for more information.
This article was originally published on Her World.