In London’s wellness culture, slowing down, switching off and ‘making time for yourself’ are becoming increasingly curated — and increasingly expensive.
On a typical Saturday morning, as I made my way through the streets of Holborn to try out a new Pilates class, I found myself reflecting on just how much the concept of ‘making time for yourself’ has changed in London.
Just a few years ago, gyms were the only option for exercise and stretching, but today, specialist Pilates studios offer a different experience.
People arriving at classes with their matcha cups, meticulously designed studios and classes booked up weeks in advance; all of this seems to be transforming Pilates from merely a form of exercise into a lifestyle experience.
The moment I stepped into Rebel1 Holborn, I felt as though I’d stepped into a whole new world. Unlike traditional gyms, this place draws you in from the moment you walk through the door with its striking design, neon lights and elegant atmosphere.
I approached the reception, and I said I’d come for Reformer Pilates. The friendly staff member began explaining the studio and the facilities, and I realised I was in for an experience quite unlike a typical Pilates class.
Then she asked a question I’d never heard before: ‘Do you have special socks for the Reformer Pilates class?’ “Special socks?” I thought. A few seconds later, I spotted the socks on sale right in front of the reception. I hadn’t even been there for five minutes, yet I’d already spent an extra 14 pounds on top of the class I’d paid for in advance.
The strange thing was that this didn’t bother me at all. On the contrary, even this small detail was enough to make me feel special. I was then told that I’d be at reformer number six. The pilates sliding machine had even been reserved just for me.
It was a completely different experience from the ‘use whichever machine is free’ mentality found in traditional gyms. At that moment, I began to slowly realise why people come to places like this not just to exercise, but also to feel better about themselves.
The studio was dark and dim inside. Under the soft blue lights, the entire room was surrounded by mirrors and reformers. It was quite clear that most people in the class had attended these sessions before. Aside from having the “Pilates body” we often see on social media, they had already taken their places on the reformers and were starting to stretch.
At that moment, I felt for a split second as though I didn’t belong. It was as if everyone around me was a regular here. As I looked around a bit more, I realised that everyone was wearing special socks for the studio.
I found my reformer and settled into my spot. Our instructor for the day, Emma, began the class with some stretching. After a few minutes, the red and blue lights started to flicker on and off.
As a 24-year-old woman, I began to reflect on the difference between my childhood understanding of ‘play’ and my current one. As a child, play was a spontaneous, free and natural activity.
Now, for adults, ‘play’ seemed to have transformed into an activity that takes place under dimmed lights, requires a prior booking, and cannot be experienced without setting aside a specific budget.
These days, the price of a single reformer Pilates class in London often approaches that of a gym membership. This raises a larger question: is ‘play’ for adults still something accessible to everyone, or is it becoming an increasingly expensive form of escape?
The moment the lights began to flicker, and the music swelled, I was swept up by the rhythm. We were all moving in unison. It was as though a community had taken the place of people who, just five minutes earlier, had been complete strangers.
In that instant, the space transformed into a meditative environment for me. The chaos of daily life, the tasks that needed doing, the phones and the outside world had all faded into the background for just fifty minutes.
It became clear that people weren’t coming here just for the exercise. For modern adults, the concept of ‘play’ seems to be shifting away from the games we’re familiar with, towards spaces where people can escape from real life, even if only for a short while.
This wasn’t just a feeling I experienced. According to Lucy, a Reformer Pilates instructor in London, one of the main reasons Reformer Pilates resonates so strongly with people is that it gives them a sense of stepping away from the stresses of reality, even if only for a short while.
“For those 50 minutes, it feels as though the outside world doesn’t exist,” she said, which summed up the atmosphere in the class quite well.
People didn’t come here just to get in better shape. Perhaps that was why the atmosphere inside felt so different from that of a gym. People weren’t just exercising here; they were taking time for themselves and slowing down. In this sense, Pilates studios had become less a fitness space and more an escape and a playground for modern adults.
Whilst inside this modern playground, I noticed that many details reflected the wellness aesthetic frequently seen on social media. It all began with the environment itself: an aesthetically pleasing Pilates studio.
Most of the people who came here appeared to be wearing similar sports brands, sporting similar hairstyles, the same socks and carrying similar water bottles.
As Lucy pointed out, the ‘Pilates & matcha’ aesthetic that has emerged in recent years has transformed reformer Pilates from merely a form of exercise into a part of a broader lifestyle.
At the same time, wellness culture – particularly aesthetics surrounding Pilates, matcha, and self-care routines – continues to dominate social media feeds and shape the way young adults experience leisure today.
Pilates no longer seemed to be merely a sport; it had evolved into a visual lifestyle. The interesting thing was that I didn’t feel completely out of place. On the contrary, I was part of that atmosphere.
This new wellness culture, often described as the ‘it girl’ movement, represents a way of life where people invest in their bodies and minds. Perhaps that is precisely why going to a Pilates studio is not merely about attending a class; it is becoming a modern space for socialising and ‘play’ for adults. If the fun of adolescence is nightclubs, then perhaps the ‘play’ of adulthood is these studios.
What stayed with me after leaving the studio wasn’t just the atmosphere. Alongside all the benefits of this experience and the sense of escape it created, there was also a cost.
These modern ‘play’ spaces may offer people the chance to slow down and stay present for a moment, but are they accessible to everyone? Can everyone turn this into a weekly routine? When you consider that even a single reformer Pilates class in London requires a certain budget, it becomes difficult not to question how sustainable this lifestyle really is.
Many people may want to embrace this ‘Pilates girl’ aesthetic and lifestyle, but not everyone can afford to do so several times a week. That’s why these studios seem to offer more structured escape experiences for people with a certain income level, rather than serving as a spontaneous ‘play’ space.
At a time when everything in London is becoming even more expensive, people are now having to set aside a budget simply to have fun, stay in the moment, or even just slow down.
This shift comes at a time when the UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis continues to reshape how young people spend their money, including how they socialise and experience ‘play’.
According to Lucy, many people now view these kinds of classes not just as exercise, but as an investment in themselves. Perhaps that is why, despite the rising cost of living in London, people continue to set aside a budget for these experiences.
After participating in the pilates class, I realised that play less about having fun and more about finding space to pause and breathe. Unfortunately this, this comes at the cost of memberships, bookings, and subscriptions.
This raises the question: If the ability to ‘switch off’ requires a certain budget, is play truly accessible to everyone in modern adulthood?
Featured image by Frank Flores via Unsplash.