LA Fitness Is Quietly Leading the Gym Sector’s Pilates Race

While rival low and mid-priced gyms begin to offer reformer Pilates concepts, LA Fitness has already opened 200 dedicated studios across the U.S. and Canada

The big-box gym industry’s race to capitalize on the Pilates boom is heating up, but one of its biggest players has quietly built a sizable head start.

LA Fitness has opened its 200th Pilates by LA Fitness studio, reaching the milestone roughly two and a half years after launching the reformer-based concept, the operator announced.

The studios now span 16 states and Canada, giving LA Fitness one of the largest reformer Pilates footprints among traditional big-box gym operators at a time when competitors are increasingly building boutique-style Pilates concepts of their own.

And LA Fitness has gotten there relatively quietly.

While Pilates has become a major strategic talking point for several gym chains over the past year, LA Fitness hasn’t heavily promoted its expansion. Instead, the Fitness International-owned operator has steadily installed dedicated Pilates studios inside its existing clubs, pairing the boutique-style experience with the strength equipment, cardio, group fitness and other amenities available under the same roof.

“We’ve created a lot of excitement in our clubs by adding 200 Pilates by LA Fitness studios,” Fitness International president of club operations Jill Hill said. “It’s been rewarding to see the incredible response from our members.”

Pilates by LA Fitness uses Balanced Body reformers and combines contemporary Pilates principles with athletic and functional movement. Like other big-box gym players, the company positions the format as a way for members to add specialized reformer training to their existing gym routines rather than joining a standalone Pilates studio.

Big-Box Gyms Race Into Pilates

LA Fitness isn’t alone in seeing an opportunity to bring one of boutique fitness’ hottest modalities inside the big box, although its reached bigger scale than its industry peers.

Fellow mid-priced operators are getting in on the Pilates trend, including 24 Hour Fitness, which has been testing its video-led Reformer24 concept in Southern California as part of a broader club modernization effort.

On the high-value, low-price (HVLP) side, Crunch Fitness has launched its Reform Pilates concept with plans for dedicated studios at 20 clubs, while EoS Fitness is piloting reformer Pilates in Las Vegas, Tempe and Houston ahead of a broader 2027 rollout. Vasa Fitness, meanwhile, is launching Studio Pilates with a wider rollout planned for 2027, while Amped Fitness has introduced its own reformer concept, Aura Pilates.