Reform RX, the maker of a Pilates reformer that has a touch screen and can track things like heart rate, has partnered with luxury hotel chains like the Mandarin Oriental and The Savoy
Pilates is booming, with class attendance at record levels and equipment sales expected to grow significantly over the next decade.
But something might be missing this way. Despite its growing popularity in recent years (ClassPass bookings up 92% in 2023), Pilates has been largely left out of the connected fitness conversation. While brands like Peloton, Hydrow and Tonal compete to innovate in cycling, rowing and strength training respectively, Pilates equipment remains low-tech.
Reform RX aims to change that.
Founded by former professional dancer and Pilates studio owner Yvette McGaffin and her husband Neal McGaffin, reform acceptance Makes a digitally connected Pilates reformer with a large touch screen, on-demand classes and the ability to track exercise metrics like calorie burn and heart rate.
“There hasn’t been any innovation in the industry for 50 years, and for the reformer Pilates, there has been no innovation at all in the tech space,” McGuffin told Athletech News, noting that while Pilates has become extremely popular, It still scares some newcomers. “We thought, ‘How can this model reach more people? That was essentially our vision when we started Reformer RX.”
McGaffin believes Reform RX can bring Pilates into the digital age, just as brands like Peloton have modernized cycling.
Pilates may be particularly ideal for connected fitness tools like virtual trainers. While popular, this method is far from intuitive—many people simply don’t know what to do the first time they use a reformer.
“This is one of those areas where you really need a virtual experience because you don’t really know what to do on your own,” McGuffin said of Pilates.
Analysis of connected body shaping machine
Reform RX’s flagship connected reformer is modeled after a Formula 1 race car and features a 21.5-inch HD touchscreen loaded with over 150 on-demand workouts, but its smart features don’t stop there.
The reformer features a smart spine that uses lasers to track movement down to thousandths of a second, giving users real-time data on power output, calories burned and heart rate during a workout. The Reform RX also ditches the springs found on traditional reformers in favor of a push-button system. Additionally, a Pilates chair is built into the design and can be pulled out for additional exercises.
Most importantly, McGuffin believes, the Reform RX is quieter, more comfortable and more visually appealing than a traditional Reformer.
“It’s like a Porsche instead of a Peugeot,” she said. “It sounds cooler, it looks cooler, and it provides a lot of feedback.”
Bringing Pilates into hotels, gyms and more
It’s still early days for Reform RX, which won’t take pre-orders for its connected reformers until 2022, with the first units eventually sold out in the first quarter of 2023. But the early returns are promising. In September, the company received $5.1 million in financing to drive global expansion and enhance user experience. Earlier this month, the brand released S typeis a smaller version of its iconic reformer with all the same features minus the chair attachment.
In the spirit of democratizing Pilates, McGuffin said Reform RX is looking to bring its Pilates practitioners into spaces where Pilates has not traditionally been a practice. These include gyms, hotels, multi-unit residential complexes and people’s housing.
On the hospitality side, the brand has partnered with Mandarin Oriental, The Savoy and One Crown Place. More services will also be rolled out at The Ned, Casa Cipriani and select Hilton properties.
McGaffin said luxury hotels are more than willing to put connected Pilates machines in their fitness centers, especially as the wellness tourism industry booms.
“The list is growing rapidly. … These are amazing brands that want to provide a premium Pilates experience that matches the studio experience, or even exceeds the studio experience because it’s so immersive, ” she added.
Internet Pilates Studio Case
McGuffin also believes traditional Pilates studios could benefit from connected innovators. Studio owners can leverage Reform RX’s advanced metrics to create a more personalized and immersive experience for their members. The brand just released a new feature, MyScore, which tracks users’ heart rate and incorporates that data into workout routines.
If an instructor is not available, the studio can also supplement in-person instruction with virtual classes conducted on the Reform RX machine. Former studio owner McGaffin believes this is especially helpful as some Pilates brands struggle to hire enough staff to meet growing demand.
“We are driving revenue growth for studio owners and operators through a hybrid model,” she said. “You can get this very personalized, top-notch, premium virtual product in a dead time, right in time; now, that’s additional revenue.”
While there’s still work to be done before enough people buy into the idea of a connected reformer experience—Pilates is a highly traditional form of fitness with deep roots—McGuffin and her team believe that with the Over time, Reform RX will become a standard feature in studios, gyms, and elsewhere.
“Henry Ford famously said, ‘If I asked people what they wanted, they would say faster horses,'” she explained of the famous businessman’s statement. “Until innovation brings disruption, people don’t know there’s another way.”
