The best pilates studios in Greater Manchester

Starting out as one of the coolest gyms in London, with studios located in only the most painfully hip of neighbourhoods, BLOK chose Ducie Street Warehouse in Manchester as their first location outside the capital. Decor-wise, it’s more like an industrial Berlin nightclub than a gym – all exposed brickwork, steel beams and polished concrete. They offer loads of different classes, but pilates is a big part of what they do, from mat classes to reformer ones – in fact, they’ve just created a shiny new studio especially for this purpose.

With studios in Cheetham Hill and Circle Square, Restart Reformer Pilates are a huge presence in the city centre’s fitness scene, offering a comprehensive range of classes ranging from getting to grips with the basics, to high-energy sessions, to classes designed to help you rest and restore. Soon, they’ll open another space on Deansgate, billed as the ‘first AI-enhanced pilates studio’, where robots show you your stats and help you improve your workout. So if you’re someone who likes your workout with a healthy dose of tech, this one might be for you.

Located in Stretford, Embrace Wellness is the project of former olympic gymnast Ellie Downie, who has turned her sporting prowess into a fitness studio as pretty as it is welcoming. A serene space full of Scandi-inspired design, you’ll find knowledgeable and supportive instructors who really know their stuff. You can pick a package based on how many sessions you want to do a month, and then simply book onto the classes you want to do. Where else in Manchester can you say you train with a famous athlete?

An exercise studio paired with a cafe serving all sorts of juices, salads and ginger shots, The Health Lab is the platonic ideal of a new age ‘lifestyle space’. Set over three floors on the corner of Newton and Dale Street in the Northern Quarter, this place isn’t just style over substance though. They offer one of the most comprehensive ranges of workouts and healing practices in the city. There’s reformer and mat-based pilates led by incredibly knowledgeable instructors, as you might expect, but you can also practice in a studio bathed in infrared light, which is reported to have heaps of benefits like improving sleep, mobility and reducing pain.

Pilates is known for not always being the most affordable way to workout, but RE:SCULPT in Ancoats offers an intro offer of three classes for £49 which, in the grand scheme of pilates, is really very good. They specialise in strength workouts on the reformer, so if your goal is to get really strong, in a really active environment, then this is the studio for you.

With studios in Alderley Edge, Altrincham and the Northern Quarter, Runway have both the city centre and the suburbs covered. They offer loads of different styles of classes, which focus on different goals like strength or alignment, and if you can’t always make it into one of their studios you can watch one of their online workouts at home – no machine required, obviously.

Primarily designed for spinning, RYDE is a moodily-lit and stylish studio that specialises in high-energy classes which are challenging, but leave you feeling deliriously good about yourself. You can supplement your cardio-heaving spin sessions with focussed, 45 minute pilates, yoga and barre classes. Hidden away just off St. Anne’s square, it’s ideal if you want to fit in a city centre workout before work.

Running small or individual classes in the heart of Altrincham, Sabai is another effortlessly gorgeous space that’s all about feeling good as much as getting in a good workout. They offer pilates classes on the mat and the reformer, as well as the lesser-spotted tower (a machine which uses resistance and springs to help improve core strength and stability). Just next to the iconic market, it’s a great place to have a wholesome start to your weekend, and their occasional breath work, meditation and sound bath sessions are worth checking out too.

With a place in Alderley Edge and another in Altrincham on its way too, Studio 34 is a reformer Pilates studio as sleek and stylish as they come. You can book onto sessions focussed on your upper, lower or whole body. They also offer retreats to the Peak District, if your budget allows. If you like your workouts in serene, minimal surroundings with a big dose of positivity, Studio 34 might be the spot for you.

Making positive habits doesn’t just have to happen at the start of the year, and if you’re looking to form some YOU Mind, Body & Soul is a bit of a one-stop shop. Run by three sisters who are committed to creating a positive and welcoming space for self-improvement and positive lifestyle changes, YOU Mind, Body and Soul is a pilates studio up in Whitefield that opts for a holistic approach to wellness, which means as well as working really hard physically, you can grab a green smoothie after your workout, and have an all-round lovely time in their well-curated space.

Based in a characteristically Mancunian former mill building just off Oxford Road, Ashiya is a comprehensively trained pilates instructor who works with everyone from complete beginners to professional sportspeople. All exposed floorboards, industrial fixtures and bold artwork, this is a really beautiful space with a distinctive personality. As well as teaching on the reformer machine and on the mat, Ashiya also offers tailored, one-on-one classes on the tower, chair and step barrel – specialist pieces of kit Joseph Pilates designed himself to vary up your practice. Ashiya also offers mat classes on Zoom, and has a whole back-catalogue of on demand classes for subscribers. Simply put, there’s something for everyone.