Pilates Middle East, a partner brand, powered by Wellness Division, is a community space and talent acquisition & recruitment platform designed to bring together students, instructors, and business owners to discuss, share, and create within the Pilates domain. It’s about connecting people through a shared love of Pilates and mindful movement, while fostering a space where ideas are welcome, discussions are open, and education drives growth. Key areas of the business include:
- Education: Share insights, workshops, and resources to help Pilates professionals develop their skills.
- Mentoring: Connect experienced instructors with those starting their journey to foster growth and excellence.
- Recruitment: Help studios find the right talent, and support professionals in discovering roles that match their skills and goals.
With the rapidly growing Pilates sector and massive expansion of this industry, there is a huge demand globally for this discipline – previously known as ‘Contrology’ which was developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates. The Middle East market – specifically the GCC is an important growth market for boutique fitness and Pilates studios, most notably in the UAE. Boutique studios offering Pilates and Pilates-style workouts are gaining a lot of traction in luxury and premium segments in cities like Dubai, and the trend isn’t looking to slow down any time soon. According to IMARC Group, the UAE health and wellness market size reached USD 19.03 billion in 2024 and is expected to climb to USD 28.01 billion by 2033, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.94% between 2025 and 2033. A report by Cognitive Market Research states that the Middle East & Africa Pilates Reformer Market will grow at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2024 to 2031, and Future Market Insights provide forecast data for the combined Pilates & Yoga studios growth globally, showing a CAGR of approximately 10.1% from 2025-2035. Clearly people are loving Joseph Pilates’ work, no matter how they choose to apply it in modern-day format.
The Pilates scene here in the UAE is very much equipment-driven, with the reformer Pilates machine at the forefront of the current trend, though I do expect to see a move towards other apparatus and mat Pilates, with a focus on the more traditional Pilates methodology – at least, we can hope that things move in this direction as people become more familiar with the benefits of Pilates at its core (quite literally). There’s plenty of space for myriad approaches, provided Pilates isn’t usurped by a highly ‘fitness-ized’ interpretation. Call it what it is, and everyone wins, because everyone stays active, which ultimately, is the goal.
With any rapid growth market, it’s important to think about the infrastructure holding it up, and the robustness of the foundation beneath it – namely the Pilates trainers and business owners running the show. With many of these boutique studios purchasing premium equipment, I don’t worry about the quality of the machines, but what we also want to guarantee is the quality of teaching, and not only the safety of the clients, but also the learning experience and application of the Pilates repertoire and its essence. Joining this industry as an instructor, means entering a space of lifelong learning and practice, where hours of experience really show. Equally, I think it’s just as important for studio owners to take ownership of up-skilling their trainers and providing opportunity for education, growth, and mentorship. Come 2026, Wellness Division will offer a variety of courses and workshops for standardisation in teaching and up-skilling their staff, starting in the New Year. Watch this space, and sign up to the newsletter for updates from Wellness Division and Pilates Middle East.
