Opening a Pilates Studio? What to Consider Before Choosing Your Equipment
The number of Reformers you can fit in a room is not necessarily the number you should put
there. Good equipment planning starts with the operating model, the clients, and the space.
Pilates has just been named Australia's leading fitness trend for 2027 in AUSactive's annual
survey of the exercise industry. For anyone thinking about opening a studio, that is
encouraging. It also makes the early decisions more important, because a growing market
brings more studios competing for the same clients.
Equipment is one of the largest and most visible investments in a new Pilates studio. It is
also one of the easiest decisions to make too early.
A floor plan can make a room look deceptively simple: place the maximum number of
Reformers into the available area, build a timetable around them and work backwards from
there. In practice, a successful studio needs more than equipment footprints. It needs
circulation, instructor access, storage, arrival space, safe clearances and room for the
business to operate comfortably.
Start with the way the studio will operate
Before selecting equipment, define the service model. Is the business primarily group
Reformer? Will it offer private sessions? Small groups? Clinical or allied health work? Will
instructors need to move easily around each client? Is a broader apparatus offer part of the
plan from day one, or a later stage?
Those decisions affect almost everything that follows: equipment quantity, configuration,
spacing, storage, staffing and the economics of the room.
Measure the usable room, not just the floor area
The dimensions on a lease plan are only the beginning. Columns, doors, glazing, fire exits,
reception, storage, amenities and circulation all reduce the area available for teaching.
Fitting in as many machines as possible shouldn't come at any cost. A room should allow
clients to get on and off equipment comfortably, and instructors to see, cue and assist
without constantly navigating obstacles.
A studio that feels slightly less crowded can often operate better than one designed around
the theoretical maximum number of machines.
Choose equipment for the teaching model
A dedicated group Reformer studio has different requirements from a studio combining
group classes with private or small-group work. A Reformer-only model can be coherent
and efficient. A Reformer with Tower configuration can add repertoire within the same general footprint. Separate Chairs, Barrels or a Trapeze Table may make sense where individualised teaching is central to the business.
There is no universal "complete" equipment list. The right mix is the one instructors will use
and clients will benefit from.
Plan for instructors as well as clients
Equipment layouts are often assessed from the client's position. They should also be
assessed from the instructor's.
Can the instructor move around the room? Can they see every client? Is there enough space
to demonstrate, adjust equipment, and respond when someone needs assistance? In a busy
commercial studio, those details affect both teaching quality and day-to-day usability.
Commercial equipment is a long-term ownership decision
The purchase price is only one part of equipment cost. Commercial use means repeated
adjustment, movement, and loading. Parts availability, servicing, upholstery, springs, ropes,
wheels and other wear components matter over the life of the equipment.
Before committing, understand what support exists after installation, how replacement parts
are obtained and whether the equipment can be maintained without unnecessary disruption
to the timetable.
Leave room for the studio to evolve
New studios rarely look exactly the same several years later. Timetables change, instructors
develop, client demand becomes clearer, and new services emerge.
Where possible, avoid planning the room so tightly that every future change requires a
complete redesign. A little flexibility in layout, power, storage and equipment configuration
can be valuable later.
Good planning begins with good questions
A more useful starting question than "How many Reformers fit?" is "What are we building,
who is it for, and how does the room need to work?"
Once those answers are clear, equipment selection becomes much more straightforward.
The goal is a space that works well on opening day and keeps working as the business
develops.
Planning a new studio? Talk to HF
Source: AUSactive, Australia's Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2027.
The Pilates Notebook is published by HF Industries, distributor of Balanced Body equipment
in Australia and New Zealand.
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