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09
Sept
Harrogate’s newest Reformer Pilates studio opens
The latest addition to Harrogate’s wellness sector opened last weekend.
Wild Side Studio, at Spa Bottom Farm on Haggs Roads, features six Reformer Pilates machines, an ice bath and a sauna.
Owner Evie Jackson-Morrell has a varied past; she started her career as a PE teacher at Harrogate Grammar School, before launching Doe Bakehouse – a doughnut shop that originated on Harrogate’s Bower Street.
After opening four bricks and mortar stores, Evie decided to sell Doe Bakehouse and started teaching Reformer Pilates on a one-to-one basis at Harrogate Women’s Health Clinic, also located at the Haggs Road site, in Follifoot.
Evie, 33, told the Stray Ferret:
Naturally, life just did a 360.
I built up clients from there, but it just increased. I went from having three or four clients to doing nine-to-ten-hour days. I saw there was a real want for it.
But I couldn’t fulfil the need for it. People were wanting to come five times a week and I just didn’t have the hours or the capacity - it was just me. So, we thought let’s just get some extra Reformers in the room that we’re in and offer classes of four to our clients and we can start giving them what they want.
Wild Side Studio.
But Evie wanted to give her clients a bigger, more open space – and Wild Side Studio was born.
“Life was very intense. I was six months pregnant when the unit became available and I just jumped at the opportunity”, she said.
Evie, who opened the studio just three weeks after giving birth, told the Stray Ferret the Reformer beds have been custom-made. They each weigh 160kg and are designed to suit a range of body types.
Evie stressed anyone is welcome at Wild Side Studio, adding:
I had some Leeds United players who would come to me for one-to-one and I noticed that they were quite big for the machines – the standard machine wasn’t big enough for them.
Some people might be too tall for a machine, some might be concerned about their weight, but these machines are made from a maple wood, they’re extra-long and they’re very durable. They also have leather straps – which is different to a normal Reformer – and they just feel higher quality.
The cold plunge and sauna area.
The classes at the studio vary in style, with one focussing on breathwork, one on flowing movements, one on flexibility and one on strength.
Evie said she wanted to offer a range of styles so people have an idea of how their bodies will feel after.
Pre-natal and post-natal classes reformer classes will start next week and mums can bring their babies to the studio.
What sets Wild Side Studio apart? Evie told us:
Obviously, the setting. I’d also say the ability to choose the style of class you want to do.
The classes are small too, which I’ve chosen to do so people don’t get lost in the classes – it’s intimate. No matter the ability, the teacher is there to help you and can guide you.
The coffee and juice station at Wild Side Studio.
Hot and cold
There is also a contrast therapy facility outside the studio, including a cold plunge ice bath and a custom-made sauna, as well as a coffee, matcha and juice area.
"I just want people to come here and feel as though they've been to a spa. I want people to feel they've been to a lovely class, in a nice setting, with a great teacher – everything has been designed to make people feel that way", Evie said.
The studio is part of Move Physiotherapy and Move360 – a physiotherapy and small personal training gym service at Spa Bottom Farm, run by Evie's husband - which also owns Harrogate Women’s Health Clinic, where Evie started her Pilates classes.
Wild Side Studio, which has nine reformer teachers, officially opened on Sunday (September 7) and will offer classes from Monday to Saturday.
Drop-in sessions cost £25, with membership options also available.
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