The Ultimate Studio Glossary

Walking into a Pilates studio for the first time can feel a bit like stepping onto a sci-fi (or 50 Shades) movie set. There are springs, straps, loops and beautiful wooden structures everywhere you look.

If you just started your Welcome Pass, take a deep breath! You don’t need to know what anything is before your first session, that’s exactly what our teachers are here for. To help you feel right at home, we’ve broken down our premium equipment into what you’ll see in our group classes versus what we use to customise your 1:1 Pilates sessions.

What You’ll Use in Group Classes

These versatile pieces are the core of our group class experience, designed to give you an incredible, full-body workout alongside a community of fellow movers.

1. The Reformer

The Reformer is the most famous piece of Pilates equipment, and our Resista Niche models stand out for their ultra-smooth glide and sleek design.

• What it does: It features a sliding carriage attached to a frame by springs of varying tensions, alongside a system of ropes and pulleys.
  

• Why we use it: It is incredibly versatile. The springs can either act as resistance to build strength or as assistance to support your body through challenging movements.
  

• Benefits of use: Builds full-body muscular endurance, improves core stability and promotes flexibility that is low-impact on your joints.

2. Spine Corrector arc

This specialised, ergonomic arc barrel is our absolute secret weapon in group classes against the physical toll of modern desk posture.

• What it does: It features a low, curved incline designed to cradle and support the back during targeted, mat-based exercises.
  

• Why we use it: It allows us to safely open up your chest and shoulders while challenging your abdominal control against a curved surface.
  

• Benefits of use: Supports your spine in all directions, opens up a tight chest, improves overall posture and helps alleviate chronic lower back stiffness.

Beyond the larger pieces of equipment, our group classes utilise an array of targeted props to add variety, challenge and support.

• What they do: These are portable, tactile tools (like resistance bands, weighted balls, or foam rollers) to offer feedback, resistance challenge and support.

• Why we use them: In our Mat, Barre, Dynamics, and Release classes, we use these props to add intensity, assist with proper alignment, or facilitate deep myofascial rolling.

What You’ll Use in 1:1 Pilates Sessions

If you step into the studio for a personalised 1:1 session, you get access to our full suite of clinical apparatus. These tools allow your teacher to completely customise a program tailored to your movement goals.

3. Cadillac Trapeze

Often called the "Cadillac" because Joseph Pilates designed it to have every luxury feature imaginable, this impressive apparatus looks like a canopy bed frame over a padded table.

• What it does: It features a high, stationary padded bed surrounded by a metal frame. Attached to this frame are independent springs, a push-through bar, a roll-down bar and a trapeze swing.

• Why we use it: Because the bed is fixed, we attach springs directly to the straps, or the bars from various heights and angles overhead. This allows us to guide your body through precise movements using the springs to either assist your weight or add direct resistance.

• Benefits of use: Improves spinal mobility in all directions (bending, extending and twisting) using spring-supported bars, corrects side-to-side muscle imbalances by working limbs independently against separate springs, and allows for safe, gravity-assisted stretching.

4. Combo Chair

Don’t let its compact size fool you, the Combo Chair provides one of the most athletic, challenging and rewarding workouts in the studio.

• What it does: It consists of a raised, padded seat with a foot/hand pedal connected to adjustable springs. The split-pedal design allows your limbs to work together or entirely independently.
  

• Why we use it: It is the ultimate tool for functional, upright training. It forces your left and right sides to work evenly, making it impossible for a stronger side to overcompensate.
  

• Benefits of use: Significantly enhances balance and coordination, and builds incredible upper and lower-body strength.

5. Ladder Barrel

The beautiful combination of a smooth, curved barrel surface and solid wooden ladder rungs makes this a client favourite for improving spinal health.

• What it does: Unlike most Pilates equipment, the Ladder Barrel uses gravity and your own body weight for resistance rather than springs.

• Why we use it: The curved surface perfectly supports the natural contours of your spine, allowing us to safely guide your body into deep extensions (backbends) and lateral stretches.

• Benefits of use: Relieves tight back and shoulder muscles, increases flexibility in the spine and hips, and builds deep, functional core strength.

Experience the Benefits

Whether you are joining us for a group Reformer class or diving deep into your movement patterns with a 1:1 Pilates session, our teachers are here to introduce you to our specialised equipment so you can enjoy the full benefit of Pilates.