How To Choose Pilates Apparatus For a Small Studio Space

So, you’re thinking of opening your first small Pilates studio?

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Whether that’s in your home or you are renting a small commercial space, it’s incredibly important to think about what equipment to purchase.

Not only is good Pilates equipment expensive, the apparatus you purchase has a huge effect on your class or session offerings and that in turn will determine what type of clients you teach. This can make or break your success as a Pilates instructor.

That being said, it’s always possible to sell some of your equipment again and purchase a different model if your needs or your clients change in the future.

 
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In This Article:

Do You Prefer Teaching Groups or Privates

What Type of Clients Are You Teaching

Tips For Making The Most of Your Small Pilates Space

Choose 2-in-1 Apparatuses

Do You Prefer Teaching Groups or Privates

What excites you more: teaching a room full of energetic clients or focusing on one person at a time and developing deep connections with your clients?

One is not better than the other, it really depends on how you want to spend the rest of your teaching years.

Group Class Focus

If you prefer teaching group classes, then the obvious thing to do is purchase multiple pieces of the same apparatus. In order to create a supportive environment for people with varying abilities within the group atmosphere, I encourage you to accessorize heavily.

By stocking up on pillows and cushions, towels and bars, blocks and handles of various density, size and shape, you’ll be able to adapt the exercises to each individual client. 

Most Pilates studios offer group Reformer and/or mat classes. Purchasing as many Reformers as you can fit into your space is the natural choice.

Adding Towers to the Reformers increases your exercise repertoire tremendously. Luckily you don’t have to make that investment right away in the beginning. Towers can be added easily after a year or two.

Instead of a Tower attached to a Reformer, you could mount springboards on the wall space between the Reformers and place mats in front of the springboard. This way you don’t have to add and remove the conversion mats and you can quickly switch from Reformer to Tower exercises.

By choosing Reformers without Towers, you could consider going with the type that stacks or can be stored upright, which allows you to use the now available floor space for Chair classes or Spine Corrector classes.

• Peak Pilates MVe Reformer can be stacked 4 high
• Balanced Body Allegro Reformer can be stored upright; just make sure your ceiling height accommodates this
• Balanced Body Allegro 2 Reformer can be stacked or stored on its end
• STOTT’s SPX Max Reformer can be stacked or stored upright

Some chair models can also be stacked as well as these foam Spine Correctors or baby arcs:

• Peak MVe chairs can be stacked 5 high
• Balanced Body’s Exo Chair can be stacked 2 high, with the top one upside down, so upholstery meets upholstery
• Balanced Body’s Pilates Arc or Clara Step Barrel Lite are light enough to be stacked easily by one person. The same counts for Baby Arcs.

Stacking Reformers will require someone’s help. You can always ask the client that’s leaving or arriving to help. Make sure to only let a client help who is strong and healthy enough to lift the Reformer with you. And don’t forget to teach them to lift from their legs and core, instead of their arms and back.

A Reformers that stand up on their end might be maneuverable by one person, but they are still heavy.

Either way, it does require time and effort to transform the room. If your schedule switches back and forth between types of classes a lot, this could end up being a lot of work for you. I highly recommend not doing it alone all the time to avoid burnout or overuse injury.

When purchasing arc barrels, I would highly recommend purchasing different shapes! Instead of getting 6 Pilates Arcs, I would go with 3 Arcs and 3 Clara Step Barrels. Or 6 Arcs and 3 Clara Step Barrels, if it’s in your budget. Why? Because different body types need different shapes or equipment. Tall and/or stiff clients will prefer the Pilates Arc. Shorter and/or flexible clients will do better with the Clara. By having three extras you can offer the perfect apparatus to each of your clients. Quick note: I wouldn’t go the other way round. Many people can’t deal with the steepness of the Clara Step Barrel. 

The same is true for props. Make sure you accumulate firm and soft foam rollers, balls of different sizes. I know that color-coordinating your props makes the space feel more organized, but people like and tolerate different things. I used to be happy rolling on a thin yoga mat and lying supine on an extra firm foam roller and then I turned 45 and everything changed.