Can Reform RX Create a Connected Pilates Revolution?
Makers of a Pilates reformer that comes with a touch screen and tracks metrics including heart rate, Reform RX has struck partnerships with luxury hotel chains including Mandarin Oriental and The Savoy
Pilates is booming, with class attendance numbers reaching record highs and equipment sales projected to surge over the rest of the decade.
But the modality might be missing something. Despite a rise in popularity in recent years (ClassPass bookings were up 92% in 2023), Pilates has been mostly left out of the connected fitness conversation. While brands like Peloton, Hydrow and Tonal have raced to innovate in cycling, rowing and strength training, respectively, Pilates equipment is still decidedly low-tech.
Reform RX is out to change that.
Founded by former professional dancer turned Pilates studio owner Yvette McGaffin and her husband, Neal McGaffin, Reform RX makes digitally connected Pilates reformers that feature large touch-screens, on-demand classes, and the ability to track workout metrics such as calories burned and heart rate.
“There’s been no innovation in the industry for 50 years now, nothing in the tech space at all for reformer Pilates,” McGaffin tells Athletech News, noting that while Pilates has become highly popular, it’s still intimidating to some newcomers. “We thought, ‘How is this modality going to reach more people? That, in essence, was our vision in starting Reform RX.”
McGaffin believes Reform RX can bring Pilates into the digital age in the same way brands like Peloton have modernized cycling.
Pilates may be an especially good candidate for connected fitness tools like virtual coaching. While popular, the modality is far from intuitive – many people simply don’t know what to do when they get on a reformer for the first time.
“It’s one of the true areas where you do need to have a virtual experience because you don’t really know what to do by yourself,” McGaffin says of Pilates.
Anatomy of a Connected Reformer
Modeled after a Formula 1 race car, Reform RX’s flagship connected reformer machine features a 21.5” HD touchscreen that comes loaded with over 150 on-demand workouts, but its intelligent features go beyond that.
The reformer features a smart spine that uses lasers to track movement down to the thousandth of a second, giving users real-time data on their power output, calories burned and heart rate while working out. Reform RX also ditches the springs found on traditional reformer machines in favor of a push-button system. Additionally, a Pilates chair is built into the design and can be pulled out for additional exercises.
On top of all that, the Reform RX is quieter, more comfortable and more visually appealing than traditional reformers, McGaffin believes.
“It’s like a Porsche as opposed to a Peugeot,” she says. “It sounds cooler, it looks cooler and it gives so much feedback.”
Bringing Pilates into Hotels, Gyms & More
It’s early days for Reform RX, which didn’t start pre-orders on its connected reformer until 2022, eventually selling out its first batch in the first quarter of 2023. But the early returns are promising. In September, the company landed $5.1 million in funding to drive global expansion and enhance the user experience. Earlier this month, the brand released the Model S, a smaller version of its signature reformer that features all the same functionality, minus the chair attachment.
In the spirit of democratizing access to Pilates, McGaffin says Reform RX is looking to get its reformers into spaces that traditionally haven’t featured Pilates. That includes gyms, hospitality, multi-unit housing complexes and people’s homes.
On the hospitality front, the brand already has partnerships with Mandarin Oriental, The Savoy and One Crown Place, along with The Ned, Casa Cipriani and other luxury hotel chains.
McGaffin says luxury hotels have been highly receptive to the idea of placing connected Pilates reformers inside of their fitness centers, especially as the wellness tourism sector booms.
“The list is growing rapidly. … These amazing brands want to offer a premium Pilates experience that matches, or if not goes beyond, the studio experience because it’s so immersive,” she adds.
The Case for Connected Pilates Studios
McGaffin also believes traditional Pilates studios can benefit from connected reformers. Studio owners can leverage Reform RX’s advanced metrics to create more personalized and immersive experiences for their members. The brand just released a new feature, MyScore, which tracks users’ heart rate and incorporates that data into workout routines.
Studios can also supplement in-person instruction with virtual classes that take place on Reform RX machines in case an instructor isn’t available. McGaffin, a former studio owner, believes this is especially helpful as some Pilates brands struggle to hire enough staff to keep up with surging demand.
“We’re driving revenue for studio owners and operators for a hybrid model,” she says. “You can have this very personalized, top-tier, premium virtual offering in time that was dead time; now, that’s additional revenue.”
While there’s still significant work to do to get a critical mass of people comfortable with the idea of a connected reformer experience – Pilates is a highly traditional fitness modality steeped in tradition – McGaffin and her team believe that, in time, Reform RX will become the standard inside studios, gyms and everywhere else.
“There’s a Henry Ford quote, ‘If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses,’” she says, paraphrasing the famous businessman. “People don’t know there’s another way until innovation comes in to disrupt.”