My Week In The Secret Society Of Referral-Only Pilates

It’s no secret that Pilates is having a moment. Especially with topics like longevity and hormone health in the spotlight, this low-impact workout — beloved for its gentle yet effective strength-building benefits — has surged in popularity.

Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been a Pilates devotee for about eight years, well before it became a celebrity staple. Seeing my regular instructors is an integral part of my physical (and mental) health regimen, but I still love to try the new studios around town.

Over the past couple of years, the Pilates studios I saw tagged on influencers’ Instagram stories (my main discovery platform) started to have a dreaded three words in their bio: by referral only. Ugh. A-list stars like Kaia Gerber and Kendall Jenner started to get spotted at these IYKYK classes, and soon enough, all the studios on my list required a secret password.

The Carrie Bradshaw in me had to wonder: Are these referral-only classes actually something special? Was the instruction better? Or was it merely a facade of exclusivity?

I had to know what it was like on the other side of the red tape, so I embarked on a week of invite-only Pilates classes to report back from the other side.

Forma Pilates Review

The first studio on my schedule was the storied Forma Pilates. Founded by Liana Levi, Forma has been dubbed “the most expensive Pilates class,” with regulars including Lori Harvey and Hailey Bieber.

“In March of 2020, I decided to buy my first reformer machine so I could work out at home,” says Levi. “Friends started to ask me to lead workouts… and word started to spread.” Operating out of her mom’s pool house, she instituted a referral-only policy for privacy — a feature that later defined her brand.

Arriving at the Soho location early on a Saturday morning, I joined eight or so women in matching workout sets and one brave man.

Suzanne, our instructor, was soft-spoken and warm, although the class was anything but. After what felt like a lifetime of stability ball curl-ups and unrelenting pulses, we hit all the classic moves: chair pikes, lunges, side-lying leg sweeps — the works.

While the moves weren’t anything I hadn’t seen before, it was the seemingly endless repetition that solidified Forma as the hardest Pilates class I’d ever taken. My abs agreed as I stumbled out, thoroughly wiped.

How to get in: Because the referral-only element allows for the instructors “to really give each client the attention they need during each session,” says Levi, it’s pretty impossible to find a work-around. You’ll need to know someone who can get you connected to the Forma team.

TERA Review

Next on the list: TERA, the studio and Pilates club founded by Georgia Murphy. A few blocks from Forma, TERA feels like a high-end airport lounge meets boutique Pilates studio, with sleek burgundy accents and complimentary Poland Springs.

“My goal in creating TERA was to do something different than any other fitness experience in New York,” says Murphy. After juggling a corporate job and a side hustle as a Pilates instructor, and fresh off a move to NYC, she decided to take the leap and live out her dreams of being an entrepreneur.

I managed to snag a session with Georgia herself, a small feat considering the usual maxed-out wait lists. Class began with a series of simple sit-ups and I will admit, I got a little cocky. This is it? I thought. I can handle this.

Wrong. Murphy instructed us to pull out a wooden pole from below our machine, and what started as a prop turned into a surprising coordination challenge, interwoven throughout the next 55 minutes of class.

After we wrapped, the four other women lingered in the waiting area, petting the friendly studio pup and sharing their upcoming travel plans. Later on, Murphy tells me this post-Pilates chitchat is what she’s proudest of.

“Community is at our core. Ultimately, I have created the environment I needed when I moved to New York a few years ago.”

How to get in: “The referral requirement is really just to ensure that my loyal clients are able to get into classes on a recurring basis,” says Murphy. So while you do have to find a current client to let you in the door, once you’re in, “you’re a part of the TERA community,” she explains.

Boa Pilates Review

“I really found my niche in a smaller setting,” says Chelsea DeLay, founder of Boa Pilates. “I know I’m a super strong instructor when I can be all over you with my hands, with my eyes, and with my language.”

There are only three machines in her basement studio, a cozy environment with a mini fridge, tea, and coffee. “There’s something so beautiful to me about an intimate setting or movement and the practice of Pilates becomes a safe space in your day-to-day life.”

While Boa’s studio is certainly a homey space, the class is far from a snooze fest. Between kettle bell side lunges, and a particularly intense sequence of glute bridges, this was a functional movement workout far from the average reformer class.

DeLay’s experience as both a Pilates instructor and personal trainer really shine through in her ability to verbally correct form. At one point, while holding a deep squat with a kettle bell perched at my shoulder, she instructs me to press into my big toe instead of my pinky. The subtle shift created a light bulb moment in my body; the way I could feel my glute instantly activate was a physical epiphany of sorts.

She’s created a gem of a studio in the West Village, and with the intention she devotes to each student (including neighborhood locals like Ulla Johnson and Chloe Fineman), I understand why she has no plans to expand. “I’m really protective of maintaining the integrity of what I set out to create. It’s a special little studio.”

How to get in: Fill out the contact form on Boa’s website. Be warned: The wait list is long since there are only three machines, but if you’re patient, you might just get lucky.

Flatiron Pilates Review

By this point in my big Pilates week, my muscles were begging for mercy. I dragged my sore ass up to Amy Nelms’ Flatiron Pilates, a favorite of stars like Lily Allen and Chloe Grace Moretz, for a private session.

First, she asks me if I have any injuries or issues as I enter her bright and airy Pilates playroom. I tell her nothing of note, perhaps just the average tightness in my hip flexors. She has me lay down on the cadillac to start on my glute bridges, and almost immediately she notices what I couldn’t: unevenness in my hips, the strain in my neck, and the slight curvature of my spine.

“You said you didn’t have any issues!” she chuckles at me, though continues to explain that all of these small misalignments can have a larger impact, rendering the rest of my workouts ineffective. She assures me that we can fix this, and once we do, “It’ll change everything.”

Time flies as we spend the next hour doing what I would describe as a crossover between physical therapy and Pilates. Even after 20-plus years of experience, Nelms is patient with my, shall we say, awkward coordination. We work on realigning my posture and engaging my muscles, which she manages to do simply with a gentle touch of her hand.

By the end of the session, I felt like a new woman. I stood up straighter as I left the studio with a literal pep in my step. “Much better,” she notices. I’m going back next week.

How to get in: Amy’s roster is nearly full with her roster of celebrity clientele. That being said, you can try to do what I did: reach out the old-fashioned way via Instagram DM.

The Verdict

So, are these referral-only classes worth the hype?

From Forma’s intense repetition to Boa’s strength-training undertones, each studio offers a unique spin on the traditional Pilates experience. I will say, if you’re looking to level up your Pilates game, the attention to detail in a smaller setting — or even better, a private session — can make all the difference.

Whether the exclusivity is justified depends on what you’re looking for. But one thing’s for sure: My week of referral-only Pilates left me stronger, humbler, and, honestly, a little sore.