Is Your Pilates Studio Too Crowded? The Truth About Reformer Spacing and Safety

Why Reformer Pilates Needs Space: The Hidden Safety Issue Most Studios Won’t Talk About

When most people walk into a Pilates studio, they notice the reformers, the lighting, maybe the music — but rarely the spacing between machines. Yet spacing is one of the most important safety factors in the entire class experience.

Here’s something most clients don’t realize:

Approximately half of all Reformer Pilates exercises require your arms, legs, or upper body to move outside the frame of the reformer.

That means your workout isn’t confined to the machine. Your limbs move into wide arcs, rotational patterns, long-lever reaches, and dynamic extensions that go beyond the reformer’s footprint. This is true across beginner, intermediate, and advanced variations.

Which raises a critical question:

What happens when studios pack reformers so tightly together that clients can barely move without worrying about hitting someone next to them?

When Reformers Are Too Close, Safety Goes Out the Window

Some gyms and big-box clubs cram in as many reformers as possible — sometimes with only a few inches between machines — to maximize headcount. But Pilates isn’t meant to be performed in a shoebox.

Clients shouldn’t have to choose between full range of motion and not elbowing a stranger.

When spacing is too tight…

1. Clients instinctively shrink their movement.

They pull their arms in, shorten their reach, avoid rotation, and tense up — which reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and increases the risk of strain.

2. Instructors can’t properly cue, spot, or navigate

A good instructor needs room to walk around, correct form, and intervene if someone loses balance. Tight aisles make that nearly impossible.

3. Accidents become far more likely

With approximately half of the repertoire requiring extension outside the frame, a cramped room increases the chance of:

• arm-to-arm collisions

• legs hitting neighboring reformers

• clients grabbing for balance in unsafe ways

• instructors tripping over equipment

4. It creates an environment that just feels wrong

Pilates is about alignment, flow, and body awareness — not dodging obstacles.

And let’s be honest…

If reformers are jammed in so tight it feels like LA traffic congestion, that’s not Pilates — that’s crowd control.

Quality Pilates Requires More Than Machines — It Requires Space

Boutique studios like Charis Pilates intentionally limit class size, spacing machines generously so clients can move confidently and instructors can teach effectively.

The goal isn’t to pack the room.
The goal is to protect the client’s body, allow full range of motion, and provide exceptional instruction.

A properly designed studio prioritizes:

• Safe movement pathways

• Instructor visibility and access

• Comfortable personal space

• Full expression of the Pilates repertoire

• A calm, non-chaotic environment

Because Pilates done well isn’t about how many reformers you can squeeze into a room — it’s about how well each person can move on the one in front of them.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’re new to Pilates or have practiced for years, spacing matters more than most people realize. With approximately half of reformer exercises requiring movement outside the frame, studios owe it to their clients to provide room — real room — to move safely and confidently.

When you walk into a studio, don’t just look at the reformers.
Look at the space between them.
It tells you everything about the studio’s priorities.