Eight years ago, I arrived in Portugal heavily pregnant, with years of teaching Reformer Pilates behind me in Sydney, and one very simple wish: to find a Reformer class I could attend.
I couldn't find one. Not in Almancil. Not in Loulé. Not in Vilamoura or Quinta do Lago. The closest option was in Lagos — a 45 minute drive away. And I didn't have a car. So that was a 90 minute train journey, door to door, each way. Heavily pregnant. Not exactly ideal.
Back in Australia, boutique Reformer studios were everywhere. Group classes were just part of how people moved. Coming from that world and landing somewhere with nothing felt genuinely surreal. Portugal is extraordinary in so many ways — but it hadn't discovered the Reformer yet.
So I decided to change that. I set up the first group Reformer Pilates classes in Portugal, and honestly, I'm still a little proud of that.
One Reformer. No Marketing Budget. Just a Belief It Would Work.
It started with a single Reformer. No studio, no big launch, no advertising. What I had was a deep knowledge of the method, a real belief in what it could do for people, and a stubborn determination to share it.
The early days were interesting. Reformer Pilates was still a new concept here, and explaining what it was — let alone convincing people to try it — took patience. There were no Instagram reels to point to, no celebrity endorsements. It was word of mouth, one client at a time.
And slowly, it worked. Clients came. They felt the difference. They told their friends. Those friends came. The studio grew not through campaigns or viral moments, but through the oldest form of marketing there is: genuine results, and people who trusted each other enough to share them.
One Reformer became two. Two became four. The studio that started out of necessity became a proper boutique facility in Almancil, serving clients from right across the Algarve.
The Pilates Landscape in Portugal Today
The Portugal I arrived in eight years ago and the Portugal of today look very different when it comes to Reformer Pilates. What was once almost impossible to find in the Algarve is now, slowly and meaningfully, becoming part of the wellness landscape here. New studios have opened. The method has found its audience.
I love it. Genuinely. The more people who discover the Reformer, the better — because once you try it, you get it. And the conversation has shifted from "what is a Reformer?" to "which studio should I go to?" That is a shift worth celebrating.
This is exactly what happened in Australia a decade before it happened here. Portugal is at the beginning of something exciting, and I feel very lucky to have been here from the start.
What Makes Reformer Pilates Different
Reformer Pilates is not about pushing harder or burning more calories. It is about precision, control, and the kind of deep work that genuinely changes how your body moves and feels over time. The Reformer is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment ever designed — it can rehabilitate a post-surgical knee or challenge an elite athlete. It meets you exactly where you are, and it takes you somewhere better.
Why the Algarve Is Such a Good Fit
The people who live here, and the people who visit, tend to care about how they feel. They're not just here for the beaches and the golf — they want a lifestyle that feels good in their body too. And that is exactly what Reformer Pilates gives them.
The expat and international community in Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo, and Vilamoura often already know the Reformer — many have practised in London, Sydney, New York, or Dubai, and they arrive in the Algarve looking for the same quality they left behind. And the Portuguese community is discovering it with the same enthusiasm that swept through the rest of Europe a few years ago.
Why I'll Always Keep Classes Small
One thing I've never wavered on, through all the growth of the past eight years, is keeping classes small. A maximum of eight people is not a limitation — it is the entire point. Reformer Pilates done well is a coached practice. Every client has a different body, a different history, different needs. In a class of eight, I can watch every person, correct every movement, and make sure what is happening on each Reformer is genuinely effective and safe. In a class of fifteen or twenty, that simply isn't possible.
The boutique model is how Reformer Pilates delivers its best results. It is how I was taught, how I have always taught, and how I will always run this studio.
Looking Forward
The Pilates landscape in Portugal is changing fast, and I am proud to have been part of shaping it. From one Reformer and a handful of curious clients to a full studio in the heart of the Algarve — the journey has been everything I hoped it would be, and more.
If you've been thinking about trying Reformer Pilates, there has never been a better time. Come and be part of it.
