Studia Foldable Pilates Board
★★★★★ 4.9 out of 5 (30 reviews) Read them
I have bought home equipment before. This one folds, so it gets usedHannah V.
Studia gives you reformer Pilates results at home, without the studio price tag. Two padded blocks slide on rails down the centre of the board, two pull cords with foam grips anchor to them, and two short handles drop into sockets at the end. You get the glide and the resistance that people book a class for, on your own floor, whenever you want it.
You buy this once. Twenty minutes a day is what the science asks for, and the board is out on the rug and folded away again inside half an hour.
- ✓The glide is the whole method. Your legs go out and come back under tension on two blocks that run on rails. That resisted slide is what a reformer does and what a mat cannot
- ✓Cords for the upper body, handles for the rest. Two pull cords anchor to the blocks and two short grips drop into the end, so one board covers core, back, balance and resistance work
- ✓It folds in a second. 106 cm open, 50.8 cm folded, with a carry handle. Under the sofa, behind a door, or flat under a bed. This is why it still gets used in week nine
- ✓Twenty minutes a day is the guideline. The World Health Organization asks for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strength work on two days. Twenty minutes most days covers it
- ✓A foam knee pad comes with it. Hard floors are the reason home Pilates stops, so the pad is in the box rather than sold separately
What arrives
The board, lilac, 106 cm long by 41 cm wide, with two recessed rails down the centre and two padded blocks riding on them. A hinge across the middle and a carry handle on the folded edge.
Two pull cords with grey foam grips, which anchor to the sliding blocks.
Two short handles with the same grips, which drop into sockets at the end of the board.
One foam knee pad.
Setting it up
Unfold it on the floor. It lies flat on boards, tile or a low pile rug. On a thick shaggy rug it will rock, so move it.
Clip the cords to the blocks for leg and glute work, or drop the short handles into the end sockets for upper body and core.
Knee pad where your knees go. That is the whole setup and it takes about a minute.
Is the board actually good quality?
Everybody says theirs is, so here is what you can check instead. The hinge is the part that fails on folding equipment, and ours sits flat with no play in it after months of being folded twice a day. The rails are recessed into the board rather than screwed on top. The blocks are padded and ride without catching, and they want a wipe every couple of weeks if you use it on carpet, because grit is what makes them feel rough.
Size and space
Open: 106 cm by 41 cm, which is 41.73 by 16.14 inches.
Folded: 50.8 cm by 41 cm, which is 20 by 16.14 inches. It stands on its edge behind a door or slides flat under a sofa.
Most people up to about six foot fit on it comfortably. Taller than that and it is worth measuring first.
What it comes with, and what it does not
There is no programme and no videos. The board comes with a leaflet showing the exercises and that is it, so pick a routine you like and use the board for it.
We publish no weight or material, because our supplier has confirmed neither to us.
Shipping and delivery
Shipping is free on every order. Orders are dispatched in 1 to 3 business days, and a tracking link is emailed to you as soon as yours ships.
30-day money back
Use it on your own floor for a few weeks. If it is not what you wanted, email us within 30 days of delivery for a refund. No restocking charge, and a used board is fine.
Sound familiar?
You liked the classes.
You stopped going anyway
Not because they did not work. Because of the booking, the drive, the time slot that never fits, and sixty dollars a go for something you then have to leave the house for.
Studia is the glide and the resistance, on your own floor, folded away in a second.
The honest maths
One purchase,
or a class every week
A studio class is thirty to sixty dollars. A studio month is three hundred and seventy to seven hundred and twenty. Studia is one payment, and after that the only thing standing between you and twenty minutes is whether you unfold it. There is no booking, no cancellation window, and no drive.
- UnfoldOn the floor, anywhere flat. A minute, including clipping the cords on
- Twenty minutesThe guideline is 150 to 300 minutes a week plus strength on two days. Most days on the board covers it
- FoldIn half, carry handle up, under the sofa or behind a door
- Again tomorrowWhich is the part a studio schedule and a full-size reformer both get in the way of
What to expect
The glide,
in your living room
Your feet or your knees go on the blocks, the blocks run out along the rails, and you bring them back under tension. That resisted slide is the thing a reformer class is built around, and it is what you cannot get from a mat however long you hold a plank. Add the cords for the upper body and the short handles for core and you have the session on one board.
- Open106 x 41 cm
- Folded50.8 x 41 cm, under the sofa
- In the boxBoard, two cords, two handles, knee pad
- Twenty minutes a dayCovers the weekly guideline
How to use it
Unfold, clip the cords,
then twenty minutes
About a minute of setup. The only thing people get wrong on the first session is clipping the cords to the wrong block.
Flat boards, tile or a low pile rug. On a thick shaggy rug it rocks, so pick somewhere firm and it stays put.
Clip the cords to the sliding blocks for legs and glutes, or drop the two short handles into the end sockets for core and upper body.
Feet or knees on the blocks, push out along the rails, bring them back under control. That resisted return is where the work is.
Wipe the rails every couple of weeks if you use it on carpet. Grit in the tracks is the only thing that makes the blocks feel rough, and it takes ten seconds to deal with.
An honest comparison
A folding board, a studio class,
and a mat on the floor
Three ways to do the same work. What separates them is the resisted glide, what it costs, and whether it is still there on a wet Tuesday.
| Studia | A studio class | A mat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The resisted glide | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Cord resistance for the upper body | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| No booking and no travel | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Folds away out of sight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost after the first month | Nothing | $370 to $720 | Nothing |
| Somebody correcting your form | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Comes with a plan to follow | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
What we will not claim: that it comes with a plan. There is no programme and no videos, so what you do on the board is yours to choose. If being told what to do each day is the thing you need, keep one class a month and use the board in between.
Questions
The things people ask
before they order
Whether it is really the same method, how much room it needs, and what is not in the box.
Is this the same as a studio reformer?
It gives you the same method at home. A studio reformer is a wheeled carriage on a frame the size of a daybed; Studia puts the sliding element and the cord resistance on a board that goes under your sofa. You get the reformer movements, the resistance and the glide, in a living room instead of a studio and without a class booked every week. What you do not get is a frame to hang off, so a few advanced exercises that need one are not on the list.
How much room does it need?
Open it is 106 cm by 41 cm, which is 41.73 by 16.14 inches, plus enough space around you to extend your arms and legs. Folded it is 50.8 by 41 cm and stands on its edge behind a door or slides flat under a sofa. Several of our reviewers bought it specifically because it goes away, which is the difference between equipment you use and equipment you store.
Am I too tall for it?
At 106 cm most people up to about six foot lie on it comfortably without hanging off either end. Over that it gets close, and one of our reviewers at six foot two says it works but it is snug. If you are taller, measure yourself against 106 cm on the floor before you order.
Does it come with workouts?
No. There is a leaflet in the box showing the exercises and nothing else, and we would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise. Pick a routine you like and use the board for it. Plenty of people already follow something free on their phone and just needed the equipment underneath it.
Will it slide on my floor?
On boards, tile or a low pile rug it stays where you put it. On a thick shaggy rug it rocks, because the base cannot sit flat, so move it to something firmer. The blocks slide on the rails, not on your floor, so the floor only has to hold the board still.
How strong are the cords?
They anchor to the sliding blocks and give resistance through the full range rather than going slack halfway. One of our reviewers at ninety kilos expected them to feel flimsy and reports they do not. We do not publish a resistance figure, because our supplier has not confirmed one.
Is the hinge going to fail?
That is the right question to ask about anything that folds, and it is the one we asked too. The hinge runs across the centre and the board sits flat with no play in it after months of being folded twice a day. If yours develops movement at the fold inside 30 days, email us and you get your money back.
Can two people use it?
Yes, and plenty do. The blocks slide to wherever you want them on the rails, so swapping between a taller and a shorter person takes a couple of seconds and nothing has to be put away in between.
★★★★★ 4.9 out of 5
From people who
stopped booking classes
What they say after a month or two on it.
“I have bought home equipment before. This one folds, so it gets used”
Hannah V. Verified buyer“Twenty-one inches of clearance under the couch and it clears”
Priya K. Verified buyer“I finish at 7am. No studio in my city schedules for that”
Noor A. Verified buyer“My doubt was the hinge. Under me it does not creak”
Diego S. Verified buyer“Core work on it feels like pushing against something, not mat work”
Elena C. Verified buyer“Bad knees, and the foam pad that comes with it does the job”
Gail R. Verified buyerSwipe for more →
Customer photos
Real living rooms,
real floors
Where Studia ends up once it arrives.
Swipe for more →
Customer reviews
What buyers say
about Studia
fits under the couch, barely
I measured 21 inches of clearance and ordered on that. It clears. That was the only question I had and the answer turned out to be yes.
cords took me a session to figure out
First time I clipped them to the wrong block and wondered why nothing felt right. Second session it made sense. Not complicated, just not obvious in the first five minutes.
night shift and no class times
I finish at 7 am, which no studio in my city schedules for. The board is out on the rug by 7:20 and folded again by 7:45. That is the entire pitch for me.
knee pad is doing a lot of work
I have bad knees on hard surfaces and assumed I would need extra padding. The foam pad that comes with it moves where I need it, which solved that without a second purchase.
good board, bring your own plan
There are no workouts included and I did not expect any. I follow a free routine on my phone and use the board for the sliding parts. If you need a program this is not that.
six weeks in and still out most days
Core work feels different from mat work, more like pushing against something. My lower back is less tired after desk days. Six weeks is not long, so I am saying what I have so far.
heavier box than i pictured
It arrived and I needed both hands up the stairs. Once it is in the room it moves fine with the carry handle, but it is not a yoga mat and the box will tell you that.
my husband uses it too
He is a foot taller than me and the board takes him fine. We slide the blocks to different spots and that is the only adjustment either of us makes.
studia beat the gym commute
Forty minutes of driving for a fifty minute class was the actual reason I stopped going. I am not claiming the board is the same thing, but it is the one I keep doing.
rails stayed smooth after two months
My worry was grit getting into the tracks on a carpet. I wipe the rails every couple of weeks and the blocks still run clean. One grip has a small mark on the foam already.
the fold is the whole reason it gets used
I have bought home equipment before and it ended up as a coat rack. This one closes in two seconds and lives behind the bedroom door, so I keep using it four mornings a week.
sturdier than i expected for something that folds
My honest doubt was the hinge. Under me it does not creak or flex at the fold, and I am not a small man. Three months of it and it still sits flat.
studia replaced two classes a week
Not all of them. I still go once a month because I like the correction. But two of my weekly sessions happen in my living room now and the math on that worked out fast.
the maths was what decided it
My studio is sixty dollars a class and I was going twice a week, which is nearly five hundred a month once you actually add it up. I did the sum on the back of an envelope, ordered this, and it had paid for itself before the end of the second month. That was the whole decision.
twenty minutes is the right amount
Long enough to feel like I did something, short enough that I do not talk myself out of it. I put it on the rug after work, do twenty minutes, fold it and it is gone.
no instructions in the box
There is a leaflet with the exercises drawn on it and that is all. I found a routine online and got on with it, but if you have never done Pilates you will want to look something up before the board arrives rather than after.
the glide is the bit that surprised me
I thought the sliding blocks would turn out to be a gimmick and the cords would be the real product. It is the other way round. Your legs go out and come back under tension and that resisted return is the movement people are paying a studio for.
lives behind the bedroom door
Folded it is about the size of a large laptop bag standing on its edge. Behind the door, out of sight, and I can carry it with one hand. That is the reason it still gets used in week nine.
the cords take real load
I am ninety kilos and I was braced for the cords to feel like party streamers. They do not. Anchored to the blocks they give proper resistance through the full range.
my physio approved of the movements
I took a photo of it to my appointment because I did not want to undo six months of work. She looked at the glide and the cords and said it was a sensible thing to be doing at home between sessions.
the rails want wiping
On carpet, grit gets into the tracks and the blocks start to feel gritty rather than smooth. A wipe down the rails every fortnight sorts it. Nobody mentions this and it is worth knowing.
a hundred and six centimetres is enough
I am five foot ten and I fit on it without hanging off either end. My partner is six foot two and he fits too, though he says it is close. Measure if you are taller than that.
no booking, no cancelling
Never having to book anything. No class at seven I have to leave work for, no cancellation window, no turning up to find it full.
works on carpet and on boards
I use it on a low pile rug in winter and on the floorboards in summer. The base does not skate on either. On a thick shaggy rug it rocked slightly, so I moved it.
my back after a desk week
Friday afternoons I used to be seized up across the lower back. Twenty minutes on this most evenings and that has stopped being a weekly event. I am not going to pretend I know exactly why.
the colour, honestly
A small reason and I will admit to it. Everything else in this category is black and looks like gym kit in a living room.
heavier than the photos suggest
It is not a yoga mat. There is real material in it and the box took both hands up a flight of stairs. Once it is in the room the carry handle makes it easy, but factor the delivery in.
the end handles get forgotten
Two short grips drop into sockets at the end and I ignored them for a month. They are for the upper body work and they turn it from a leg thing into a whole session.
both of us use it, different settings
She slides the blocks close together, I push them out wide. Takes two seconds to change and neither of us has to put anything away or get anything out between turns.
the hinge has not loosened
That was my one real doubt, because a fold in the middle is where these things usually die. Three months of folding it twice a day and it still sits flat with no play in it.
Our promise
Try Studia
for 30 days
Reformer Pilates results, without the studio price tag.
Two padded blocks on rails give you the resisted glide a reformer class is built around. Two cords and two handles cover the upper body, the core and the balance work. It is 106 cm open, folds to 50.8 cm with a carry handle, and goes under the sofa, which is why it is still in use in week nine. A class is $30 to $60 and a studio month is $370 to $720. This is one payment. Shipping is free and you have 30 days to change your mind.
Studia is exercise equipment. It is not a treatment for anything and makes no health claim. If you have an injury, or you are pregnant or recently post-partum, or you have been told to avoid loaded movement, speak to someone who can examine you before using it.
Dimensions are 106 by 41 cm open and 50.8 by 41 cm folded. We publish no weight, no material and no cord resistance figure, because our supplier has confirmed none of them to us. No programme, videos or classes are included. The studio prices quoted are typical advertised rates and will differ by city and by studio. The World Health Organization guideline cited is 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week plus muscle-strengthening on two or more days, and is general public health advice rather than a claim about this product.