I don’t have TikTok or a Labubu, I don’t journal or manifest, I don’t drink BuzzBallz and I didn’t watch the Eras tour.
I’ve only just come round to the idea of a matcha latte and until a week ago, had never set foot in a Reformer studio.
Now I’m a fully converted Reformer – and by that I don’t mean I’ve signed up to Nigel Farage’s party, but that I have been baptised as a Pilates princess.
For the uninitiated, Reformer Pilates is a full-body workout using a specialised bed with a sliding carriage, springs, a foot bar, straps and pulleys for adjustable resistance, offering a low-impact way to build strength and flexibility and improve balance.
The practice was invented by Joseph Pilates who, whilst working as a nurse during the First World War, experimented by attaching springs to hospital beds, so that patients could start toning their muscles even while they were still bed-bound.
Despite being around for more than a century, Reformer has witnessed a huge rise in popularity in recent years, and has become one of Gen Z’s favourite trendy pastimes.
I was invited along to try my first ever class at Cove, a luxury Reformer Pilates studio in Lindfield which opened in October 2024 and was recently named the “Best Pilates Studio in Sussex” at the Muddy Stiletto Awards.
The studio is located in the Old Forge, a Grade II listed building nestled in the picturesque village of Lindfield (Image: Cove)
The studio is nestled in the Old Forge, a Grade II listed building just off the picturesque village high street.
It’s no wonder Lindfield has scooped up so many awards year after year (it was banned from the Best Kept Village for winning it too many times), because it’s just glorious.
It looks particularly lovely at this time of year, with the lime trees which line the high street glittering with lights and people hunkered down behind the steamed-up windows of its many snug pubs and restaurants.
It’s like something out of the movie The Holiday.
The Old Forge is an inherently gorgeous building – the beams make the studio a uniquely special place to exercise – but owners Jodie Cruttenden and Laura Humphreys have done a wonderful job at transforming it into somewhere that feels both cosy and intimate, as well as airy and calming with its coastal-themed interiors.
Everything about Cove felt thoughtful and designed to make your visit feel completely comfortable.
It’s the small details, down from the fridge stocked with cans of Trip and the array of herbal tea on offer in the lounge to the baskets of bobbles and toiletries in the loo and the deluxe hand products on the basin.
The beautiful coastal-themed lounge, with a fridge stocked with Trip cans and a range of teas (Image: Cove)
It’s also a local business through and through.
Jodie and Laura are Sussex born and bred and are lifelong friends.
The pair met at ballet class at the age of four, went on to attend Oathall Community College together, worked their first jobs side by side and have remained close ever since. Growing up in and around Lindfield, Jodie says that opening a studio in the heart of their community felt like a “natural full-circle moment”.
She says it is important to them that Cove has a community feel, which is why they launched a run club and mum club and in January they’ll be launching a walking club and Cove retreats.
“People have made friends from their classes,” Jodie tells me. “People will stay and chat afterwards.”
It’s also a studio that caters to all levels, with everything from a class suitable for complete newbies – like me – to more challenging levels.
The low-impact nature of Reformer means it works for those recovering from injury and a wide range of ages (Jodie says they have customers of 85+).
Even Jeremy Clarkson recently revealed in his column for The Times that after years of loathing every form of exercise, Reformer is the first kind that he has embraced.
Laura Humphreys and Jodie Cruttenden met at the age of four in a ballet class (Image: Cove)
The Reformer may look like a medieval torture device, but I came away from the class glowing and feeling blissfully conditioned.
Cove instructor Alice was fabulous, and the beauty of Cove’s small classes is that you benefit from individual support. It’s also a far less intimidating space for beginners than some of the bigger studios which tend to have classes of at least 12.
The class felt like it worked all the parts of me that needed strengthening and stretching in a way that hasn’t felt possible at bodyweight-only classes.
Although I felt challenged and pushed – my abs and legs were shaking at certain points – I didn’t come out red faced, sweaty and exhausted.
I like staying active, but I have to admit that I’m sometimes watching the clock when I exercise. Not in this class. The dynamic nature of Reformer makes it really rather fun. I really enjoyed sliding along on the carriage and moving my legs up and down with the foot straps.
Even with a mat, you can come away feeling a bit bruised from a floor class, so it felt really nice to be lifted up.
When the class finished, I was disappointed – and if that isn’t a glowing reference for a workout, then I don’t know what is.
The beautiful beams make the studio a special place to exercise (Image: Cove)
I think Reformer is perfect if you want to feel more supple. If, like me, you’re someone who can barely touch your toes, then it’s a no-brainer.
Admittedly, at £25 a go it isn’t cheap, but you can pay almost double that at studios in London for classes three times the size. Even if you don’t go along regularly, it would be a lovely thing to go along to – alone or with friends – for a monthly treat.
Jodie was absolutely right about the community feel. As I gathered my things to leave, I could hear people in the studio enjoying a lively catch up about someone’s new puppy before their class.
It isn’t always easy to make new friends in smaller towns and villages. So, if you’re looking to limber up and meet new people, then grab some grippy socks and give it a go.