Why I Started OpenMat Pilates
Reformer, Reformist. Pilates for the People.
I’m inverted, legs in straps, embroiled on a contraption that would look at home in a sex dungeon. The Reformer, a sleek, spring-loaded instrument of both suffering and transcendence, demands precision. I lower my legs slowly, keeping them straight; the pain is exquisite, the control intoxicating.
If you’ve ever done Reformer Pilates, you know the feeling. That moment of self-congratulation at the end of an exercise when you think, My god, I just did that. I am, in fact, a ballerina.
That’s the high. The low? Realising that the price of this feeling, this sense of accomplishment, control, and strength, comes at a price that makes your bank account weep.
Pilates Is Having a Moment. But Who Can Afford It?
Reformer Pilates is booming. London alone has seen an explosion of boutique studios, and demand is still outpacing supply (McKinsey, 2024). A lifetime membership to Thirdspace? I’d sell my grandmother for it, and at this rate, I might have to.
Because the reality remains: access to this life-changing movement is dictated by wealth.
Every person I talk to about Pilates says the same thing, no matter their background:
“I love Reformer, but it’s just so expensive.”
The people who don’t blink at the price have a different kind of poverty, they’re time poor. Their complaint sounds more like:
“I can’t get into the late classes, and there’s no flexibility to cancel if my schedule changes.”
Meanwhile, the global wellness market is worth $1.8 trillion and growing (that’s trillion, with a T). Consumers are spending more than ever on fitness, nutrition, and biohacking, demanding science-backed solutions instead of wellness woo-woo (McKinsey, 2024).
But the industry has some dirty secrets:
It's an aesthetic aspiration disguised as "wellness." Boutique fitness sells an aspirational lifestyle, long, lean muscles and effortless grace, rather than functional movement for everyone.
We’re spun the myth of self-optimisation. The industry promotes the idea that wellness is purely a personal responsibility, ignoring the structural barriers that limit access (Badr, 2024).
It’s a relentless push for productivity. Your fitness tracker’s sleep score is just another KPI. Reinforcing a culture that encourages perfectionism, and tying your self-worth to your achievements (Moss, 2024).
Health is packaged as a luxury good. Pilates isn’t inherently expensive, but it has been positioned as an elite product rather than a public good.
All of this is no accident. Wellness, once a radical act of self-preservation (Lorde, 1988), has been commodified and sold back to us at a premium (Badr, 2024).
What If the Solution Was Stupidly Simple?
For years, I battled with my weight, I did what everyone does: chased the trends, the hacks, the miracle cures. Keto, HIIT, intermittent fasting, hoping that somewhere in the chaos, I’d crack the code. But nothing clicked.
Until I found Pilates.
It wasn’t just about exercise; it was about something deeper, mental resilience, discipline, confidence, self-respect. It gave me the structure to show up for myself.
Then I hit a wall. Pilates was working, but the industry wasn’t built for people like me.
I ran the numbers: at £30+ per class, a consistent practice meant either taking out a mortgage on my hamstrings or figuring out another way. So, I did the only thing I could, I trained to become an instructor just to keep practicing.
If I, a working professional, couldn’t afford Pilates, how many others were being shut out?
Then I had a thought:
What if I could solve both problems?
What if we could bring Reformer Pilates directly to corporate offices, offering partners and C-suite executives the ultimate convenience and flexibility, while using that same corporate wellness budget to pay it forward? What if big business funded the movement instead of individuals? We use their money to deliver free and ridiculously affordable classes to people who aren’t time poor, they’re just poor poor.
So I built OpenMat Pilates, a business designed to flip the funding model on its head.
Here’s how we deliver premium Pilates for free to the community:
1️⃣ Corporate Pilates Pays It Forward; We offer high-quality Reformer Pilates in the workplace, giving busy professionals on-site, flexible classes with no commutes or waitlists.
2️⃣ For Every Corporate Class, We Fund a Free Community Class, Businesses pay full price, and that revenue directly subsidises free and low-cost community classes.
3️⃣ Low-Cost Entry for Regulars, The first class is always free. The second class a week? £3. The third? £5. This keeps access wide while ensuring long-term sustainability.
And the demand? We put up one poster. No ads, no PR, no influencer marketing. Within 24 hours, the first two Monday classes were fully booked and we had over 50 people signed up to our newsletter.
I’m scared, what’s going to happen once we kick off our full marketing strategy?
Champagne Pilates on a Lemonade Budget
I have always had a champagne taste on a lemonade budget, and that’s exactly what OpenMat is. It’s getting the champagne for free, because you deserve it, and I love you. Because why not?
OpenMat isn’t just about affordability, it’s about experience. We don’t do charity Pilates in a cold, soulless community hall with flickering fluorescent lights. OpenMat partners with brands and venues that embody quality. We want you to feel like you’re being hugged by cashmere.
We’re welcoming. We’re in the club. And in da club, we’re all fam.
A New Business Model for Wellness
We can prove that there’s another way to build excellent businesses, ones that don’t just exist to line shareholders’ pockets. We can provide high-quality services, equipment, and environments. We can pay our instructors fairly. And we can be stoked to go to work every day because we’re building something that actually makes sense.
OpenMat isn’t a charity. It’s not a passion project. It’s an enterprise with global potential, but one designed to serve people, not just shareholders. It’s a reimagination of how we can fund fitness within our communities.
At its core, OpenMat is structured as a Community Interest Company, a business model that balances profit with purpose. The 35% dividend cap ensures that while we generate revenue and offer investor returns, the majority of our profits are reinvested into growth and accessibility.
This means:
We scale like a business, not a charity. Not just reliant on grants or donations, but a strong, sustainable model that fuels expansion.
We keep quality high and access wide. No cutting corners to maximise profit, just a commitment to making premium Pilates available to more people.
We expand while staying mission-driven. Even in saturated markets like London, demand for Pilates still exceeds supply (McKinsey, 2024). OpenMat’s scalable model allows for national and international growth while ensuring we stay true to our purpose.
This isn’t just another corporate wellness perk, it’s an opportunity to fund real community impact while giving employees world-class movement training at work.
GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!
they clearly want pilates…
💡 Are you an HR lead, team manager, or business owner?
We bring high-end Reformer Pilates straight to your office, creating flexible, on-site sessions that fit around your employees' schedules. No commutes, no waitlists, just movement that works. Your company gets healthier, happier, and more engaged employees.
💡 Does your company have Corporate Social Responsibility goals?
Wellness shouldn’t just be for those who can afford it, and your business can help fix that. Our unique model reinvests corporate wellness budgets into low-cost and free community Pilates classes, breaking down barriers to access.
Every class booked for your team funds movement for someone else.
💡 Are you an investor looking for a scalable, high-impact wellness business?
OpenMat is a Community Interest Company, but we’re on a mission to grow like a business, not a charity, while staying true to our purpose. The UK pilates and yoga studio industry was worth £934 million in 2023 and set to be 1 billion this year (IBISWorld, 2024). The demand for Pilates is skyrocketing, and OpenMat is uniquely positioned to capture market share while driving meaningful social change.
How can you get involved?
👉 Introduce us to your HR lead, wellness manager, or CSR team.
👉 Bring OpenMat into your company and fund real impact.
👉 Invest in a better future. Be part of a scalable, high-growth wellness movement.
This isn’t just Pilates.
This is a movement.
And the mat is always open.
References
Badr, S. (2024). Re-Imagining Wellness in the Age of Neoliberalism. New Sociology: Journal of Critical Praxis.
Lorde, A. (1988). A Burst of Light: Essays. Firebrand Books.
McKinsey & Company. (2024). The Trends Defining the $1.8 Trillion Global Wellness Market in 2024.
Moss, J. (2024) Let’s End Toxic Productivity.
IBISWorld (2024). Pilates & Yoga Studios in the UK - Market Size; 2013–2031.
Wow she's back with a NEW BUSINESS!