Pilates has been one of the hottest trends in the world of fitness for years now – so, naturally, it was time to turn up the heat (literally). Having originated in the US, hot Pilates is a relatively new concept in the UK which has adopted similar principles to Bikram (hot) yoga and encourages fitness enthusiasts to up their game under infrared heat. While it’s seriously sweaty – most studios are heated between 36°C and 41°C – and therefore challenging, it also does wonders for your flexibility which, in turn, transforms your ability on the mat. With other benefits including improved muscle tone, increased calorie burn, and potential detoxifying effects, hot Pilates is predicted to do wonders for the mind and body. Here are the best classes in London to book now. 

PBB Hot Pilates at KXU, Chelsea

Boutique Chelsea gym KXU has partnered with Paola’s Body Barre to launch a new hot Pilates class this summer, fusing dynamic movement with infrared-powered heat for a full-body burn like no other. Cranking up the temperature to a muscle-shaking 30°C, the new session combines the precision of Pilates, the burn of barre, the flow of yoga, and the functionality of strength training into one sculpting workout. Designed using the popular Paola’s Body Barre (Pilates-barre-burn) method, this 50-minute session builds core strength, tone and flexibility – without placing pressure on your joints.

Held in Studio Two, KXU’s dedicated heated space has been fitted with infrared panels, ensuring the environment not only enhances flexibility but also promotes circulation, boosts detoxification, and encourages mind-body connection. Put simply, this is where Chelsea comes to sculpt, sweat, and reset. See you on the mat. 

From £29 per class, visit kxu.co.uk

Hot Pilates at Heartcore, Bayswater

Images: Heartcore

One of the most popular Pilates studios in the capital, Heartcore offers its signature Coreformer classes at all eight of its London outposts, but its only Bayswater that invites fitness enthusiasts to work out in the heat. Offering a mat session that promises to improve flexibility and relieving pain, hot Pilates here has been divided into two types: strength and flow. Book the former to put your mind and body to the test as you sweat it out through Heartcore movements with added weights, while the latter is the brand’s most mindful hot class, aiming to release tension and stress while taking advantage of the health benefits of infrared heat.

From £25 per class, visit weareheartcore.com

Bikram Yoga, London Bridge and Canary Wharf

Born in Canary Wharf in 2009, and now with an outpost in London Bridge, Bikram Yoga was built on the belief that we all need to slow down and reconnect – and what better way to do so than sweating it out? Following similar principles that made the hot Pilates concept famous in the US, this session promises a challenging full-body, low-impact workout, designed to help you feel stronger and leaner without putting extra pressure on your muscles and joints. The one-hour class is suitable for all abilities, and is hosted at 36°C which is in fact cooler than the studio’s Bikram yoga classes at 41°C but warm enough to help you work up a serious sweat. Pass us the towel… 

From £28 per class, visit bikramyogalondon.com

East of Eden, Walthamstow

Renowned for its yoga sessions led by founder Abbie McLachlan, East of Eden is an all-singing, all-dancing fitness studio in leafy Walthamstow which offers a huge plethora of fitness classes – and hot Pilates is, of course, included. Taught in a studio heated between 37°C and 42°C, air purifying systems clean the air as you move while aromatherapy diffusers and coloured lighting aim to align different chakras and energies. The studio asks you to bring towels that cover the entire mat to each class (if that’s not a sign of things to come) and offers flow classes and the more traditional 26 postures session that’s common in Bikram yoga. As East of Eden says: “Come for the endorphins, stay for the improved fitness, strength, tone and endurance.”

From £18 per class, visit eastofeden.uk

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