It’s my second time trying a Lagree workout.
I’m perched in a cream bouclé chair in a recently opened boutique fitness studio in Toronto when a man walks in with a friendly, familiar face I can’t quite place. He greets the receptionist warmly, who replies with a casual, “Elijah, right?” It dawns on me: I’m about to sweat, shake and contemplate all my life decisions in an intimate candlelit studio with Elijah Wood, a.k.a. Frodo Baggins.
Reader, I had not participated in a group workout class since before the pandemic, and before my pelvic floor was ravaged by the beauty of pregnancy. I pray the instructor realizes I’m a fraud and tells me “You shall not pass!” but alas, I check my pride at the door and hop on the Lagree Megaformer like a rickety old hobbit.
This brush with fame was part of my field research to unpack the recent explosion of high-end Pilates studios. With their curvy couches, travertine countertops, fancy merch and deep house beats, not to mention steep price tags — the average price of a drop-in class now hovers around $42 — these haute studios are perfectly suited to a celebrity wishing to carve their abs in stylish serenity.
Celebs have been relying on Pilates to keep them fit since the late aughts, after all. Who could forget the pre-Goop era when wispy starlets like Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson preached about the toning benefits of the practice? You couldn’t crack an issue of Vogue without coming across some mention of how the workout was responsible for the “long, lithe limbs” of every taut actress, model and brand founder on the glossy pages. (Have you been personally victimized by 2010s workout culture? You may be entitled to compensation.)
But despite the chokehold Pilates had on pop culture in the 2000s, it originated with physical rehabilitation rather than body sculpting, created by Joseph Pilates to help rehabilitate injured soldiers during the First World War. “He even used bunk beds and springs, which would eventually inspire the modern Reformer machine.” said fitness instructor and public relations consultant Megan van der Baars, who teaches mat and Reformer Pilates and Lagree.
She used to be dedicated to high-intensity workouts like HIIT and spin. “After a few years and sometimes teaching or taking spin three times a day, I started to notice it wasn’t working for my body or my hormones,” she said. “I began incorporating Pilates, Reformer and Lagree once or twice a week to balance things out. What started as a small shift quickly turned into a full transformation. I fell in love with these low-impact, mindful movements and my body did, too.”
These days, you can’t swing an Alo tote bag without hitting a cute new Pilates Reformer or Lagree workout studio.
Loyalists are quick to explain that these two methods are not the same, despite their apparent similarities. “Lagree was created by Sebastien Lagree, a former bodybuilder, and is designed as a high-intensity, low-impact workout that targets strength, endurance and stability all at once,” said van der Baars.
“They’re two separate modalities, and there’s room for both,” said Melanie Booth, a certified Lagree teacher since 2014. “Lagree specifically targets slow-twitch muscle fibres and focuses on endurance through ultra-slow, controlled movements. The vibe, the intensity and even the spring load on the machines are totally unique.”
When it comes to Pilates, Joseph Pilates’ original camp bed Reformers are long gone, replaced by sleek machines in all-black or shades of cream, stacked in neat rows inside lime-washed rooms backlit with soft white or pink lighting. In addition to being intentionally “esthetic,” many Reformer workouts of today come with a distinct woo-woo vibe.
The very first Reformer studio I tried, a stylish single-room haven at Richmond and Portland called LSDR, bookends each low-impact class with guided breathwork. “It’s meant to take somebody out of their day onto their machine and up-regulate their nervous system so that their body isn’t just thrown into movement,” said co-founder Jackie DiRenzo.
LSDR also offers participants noise-cancelling headphones. These let me inhabit my own little world, able to hear the instructor’s guidance clearly in my ears along with the tunes, while relieving the self-consciousness that can come with trying something new. “The headphone experience can give a little bit of privacy amongst community. You’re still able to watch other bodies if you feel lost in the room, but at the same time, it’s a pretty immersive experience,” said DiRenzo.
It’s clear that there’s an appetite for fresh ways to exercise. “There’s a growing awareness and research highlighting the benefits of strength-based movement,” said van der Baars. “We’re moving away from the old belief that more cardio is always better.” She also sees a connection to the *gestures wildly* heightened tensions of our world. “I think people are simply tired of living in a constant state of stress. Practices like Pilates and Lagree demand focus, breathwork and presence. When you’re on a moving Reformer or a Lagree machine, it’s almost impossible to think about anything else. That mental reset is powerful,” she said.
Booth opened the boutique studio Lakeside Lagree on the main street of Orillia, Ont., this year; she’s been teaching to full classes ever since. “I think people are craving something different — something that feels good on the body but still challenges them deeply,” said Booth, who has been a certified fitness instructor for more than 20 years. “This kind of growth happens with many great fitness trends. Lagree has been around since the early 2000s and built a steady, loyal following. Then suddenly — boom — a massive wave of interest. And it’s not just in Toronto. At one of our conferences, we were shown the number of studios one year, and just a year later, that number had nearly doubled. It’s happening everywhere.”
Booth dipped her toes into Lagree waters in 2023, offering private classes in her lakeside bunk house with a single Megaformer. “I ran one-on-one sessions for two years to slowly introduce the method to my community. When the demand grew, I decided it was time to expand,” she said. “The response has been phenomenal — truly. My 6:15 a.m. classes sold out from day one, and I’ve been adding more classes ever since. Being in a small town, growth can be a slower burn compared to a big city, but the consistency has been amazing.”
Another key component is something that was lost along with group fitness classes during the pandemic years: Community. “After more than a decade of working out online, I really missed the energy of connecting with people face-to-face,” said Booth. “ I wanted to get back into the room, back into real conversations and back into that in-person impact.”
Despite my Vogue-influenced assumption that Pilates princesses can be too cool, even chilly, I’ve witnessed the opposite at the studios I’ve visited: strangers chatting before class, instructors who know regulars’ names and give gentle, discreet adjustments to beginners, a veteran showing a newbie how the headphones work. After all, a real princess always has one core personality trait: Kindness.
Our GTA Pilates hit list
What to expect at some of the newest Pilates and Lagree studios in the GTA.
LSDR
Address: 543 Richmond St. W.
Vibe: Moody and chill
What makes it special: In my beginner opinion, the headphones, low lighting and breathwork make for a truly immersive experience that feels like more than a workout; a transcendent experience. Rumour has it I’ve gotten emotional at the end of class a few times, but I can neither confirm nor deny.
Lagree Collective
Address: 170 Evans Ave., Etobicoke
Vibe: Serene and a little sexy
What makes it special: This was worth the trek for my first Lagree class — challenging but still accessible for a newbie like me and packed to the brim on a Sunday morning (green flag). There’s parking nearby and a Starbucks in the same building, because what is a 2025 Pilates princess without an iced matcha?
Solis Movement
Address: 548 King St. W.
Vibe: Pretty, upbeat and Instagram-ready
What makes it special: The energy at Solis’s second location — the original is in Etobicoke — is definitely King West-y. Read: jammed with cute young girlies and influencers in matching 437 sets. But don’t let that intimidate you; the staff is incredibly friendly, the instructors kind and “The Shape” class beginner-friendly.
Coco Reformer
Address: 536 Eastern Ave.
Vibe: Easy, breezy
What makes it special: Reviews of this East End studio rave that it’s beautiful, airy and spacious and that the pricing is relatively reasonable compared to some other bougie Toronto classes.
Lagree Plus
Address: 410 Adelaide St. W.
Vibe: Extremely intimate
What makes it special: This compact studio is a hidden gem in the downtown core, and the smoothie bar will keep you coming back for more.
Reformd
Address: The Well, 486 Front St. W.
Vibe: Futuristic
What makes it special: This sister spot to boutique fitness hub Sweat and Tonic just opened at open-air-mall The Well and boasts being the world’s largest capacity Lagree studio. Considering S & T churns out some 490 workout classes per week across its two Toronto locations, the brand doesn’t do anything small.
