If you've searched for a Pilates class near Shoreditch, you've probably noticed studios split into two camps: mat-based classes and Reformer classes. They share the same principles – controlled movement, core strength, breath – but the experience of each is genuinely different, and it's worth knowing what you're choosing before you book.
Mat Pilates: bodyweight, floor-based, flexible
Mat Pilates uses your own bodyweight, gravity and small props like resistance bands or a Pilates ring. It needs almost no equipment, and it forces you to control your own alignment and pacing without a machine helping you. That self-control is valuable, but it also means beginners sometimes struggle to feel exercises correctly until their core strength catches up.
Reformer Pilates: the machine moves with you
A Reformer is a sliding carriage attached to a frame by a set of springs. The springs add resistance you can adjust instantly, and the carriage guides your range of motion – part of why a lot of first-timers find Reformer classes easier to follow than mat classes, even though the machine looks more advanced. You get a full-body workout – legs, core, arms, back – in every class, at a resistance level suited to you.
Why we chose to be a Reformer-only studio
KY Pilates in Shoreditch is a dedicated Reformer studio – we don't run mat classes. That's deliberate: it lets us focus entirely on the equipment, keep class sizes limited to the number of Reformers we have, and give every client hands-on setup and correction rather than splitting attention across two different formats. If you've done mat Pilates before, the Reformer will feel familiar in principle and different in practice. If you've never done either, most of our members start on the Reformer with no mat background at all.
Which one should you choose?
If you want a no-equipment option you can do almost anywhere, mat Pilates has its place. If you want a guided, full-body workout with adjustable resistance, hands-on instruction, and a format built around small classes, Reformer Pilates – and specifically, a dedicated Reformer studio – is the stronger starting point for most beginners in our experience.
Curious what a class actually looks like? See our Reformer Pilates in Shoreditch page, check class times, or go straight to booking your first session.
