Pilates Gets a Luxe Upgrade at Love Athletica

For more than a decade, Pilates has been steadily growing in popularity, and it seems like there’s a new studio opening somewhere in Adelaide every second week. Chelsea Matters puts the movement regime’s appeal down to the fact that “it’s low impact but it can be high intensity, so it’s a really accessible form of movement for everybody. That means people who have minor injuries or maybe haven't worked out in a while can come and still be included in the movement in some way, shape or form.”

Matters, who has a background in psychology, is also passionate about Pilate’s potential as a form of movement for mental health. “I was not someone who ever felt welcome in a gym, but I found myself very welcome in the Pilates community,” she says. “You're always shown what to do, cheered on, made to feel really welcome. So I wanted to make that a part of my life.”

That inclusive environment is what first drew her to Love Athletica, which started in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Now the group Operations Manager, she returned to her hometown to open the first Adelaide studio on the ground floor of Norwood Green at 88 Magill Road. She describes the result as “a slightly more premium offering than anything else in Adelaide – a bit more luxe, with more attention to detail in the finishing.”

The attention to detail is evident the minute you walk through the door of the new studio, which is filled with gentle curves and soft lighting to create a luxe Palm Springs vibe. The recruitment process was equally meticulous and Matters is incredibly proud of the team she helped put together. “Everyone you meet in the studio will be friendly, bubbly, wonderful human beings who love what they do,” she says. “They're all passionate qualified Pilates instructors who genuinely love coming in and being the best part of their clients’ day.”

Clients are greeted with two flavours of tea (at the moment they can enjoy spearmint or lemongrass and ginger), while smart lighting and sound systems adjust continually throughout the classes to create the desired atmosphere. And every single class ends with a yoga-inspired stretch to provide a moment of mindfulness and recentre your nervous system as you stretch out the muscles you've just been working on.

The space is broken into two studios – a reformer area with 16 Allegra 2 Reformers and a heated room with 20 mats. It’s Love Athletica’s first hot mat Pilates offering, and the studio is fitted out with infrared panelling that heats the room to 36 degrees so it’s “like an infrared sauna while you work out.”

“Hot mat yoga is great for detoxification, for lengthening and stretching of muscle and it’s better for muscle recovery,” explains Matters, before adding, “it’s also just a really fun way to work out. I think it’s going to be really popular in the colder months especially - you get nice and sweaty, but the mirrors are tinted so you can’t see yourself sweat, and then at the end of a class a cold mist shoots out and falls on top of everyone while they're laying on their backs.”

Reformer classes last for 50 minutes and hot mat classes are five minutes shorter so clients can fit them in during the workday. And in addition to full-size showers, the studio has a beauty bar with GHD straighteners and hair dryers. “It means you can go straight to work from here,” says Matters. “Or go and hit the town after a Friday afternoon session if that’s what you want to do!”

Love Athletica is celebrating the launch of its first South Australian studio with an introductory offer of 10 classes for $99 for new clients. The classes can be used across both the hot mat and reformer studios for one month.

Existing clients can also bring a friend for free along to any class by emailing norwood@loveathletica.com.au