Pilates is so hot, demand for space and classes is booming

Like the jazzercise craze of the ‘80s, or the 2000s CrossFit and Zumba fads, exercise trends come and go. In 2026, it’s Pilates that’s all the rage.

While Pilates as a discipline has been around since the early 1900s and had a surge in popularity in the 2000s, it is now reaching a new level of mainstream popularity. In fact, the demand for new Pilates spaces is so high that some local and national-chain gyms are undergoing restructuring and renovations to accommodate more Pilates workout classes.

Soleil Chiquette opened her Tucson fitness studio, “Let’s Sweat,” nearly nine years ago at 439 N. Sixth Ave., offering cardio and strength classes and a space for community connection.

“At the time, combo workouts were a huge hit,” she said. “So that's where spin and strength was born.”

As people increasingly moved to remote work, Chiquette said she wanted to give people a way to build relationships within their communities and to share as they also build healthy habits.

“That's why it's called Let's Sweat. Like 'you and I, let's get together and do something good for ourselves'.”

Over the years, Chiquette said, she noticed an increased desire for more mindful exercise practices like Pilates, that emphasize not just physical fitness, but also mental well-being.

“I think nationally, since 2020, since COVID, we've seen a rise in more nurturing, and more wellness-based fitness,” Chiquette said. “People want to feel more whole after their workouts and have that mind-body connection. So we definitely saw that nationally, and Tucson is obviously no different.”

According to an August 2025 article in Women’s Health Magazine, Pilates is currently the fastest-growing workout modality. “Since 2019, participation in Pilates has grown from 9.2 million people to 12.9 million,” the magazine reported. 

It was this growing interest that led Chiquette to open Fr!day Pilates in 2024, at 439 N. Sixth Ave., and 4811 E.  Grant Road, Suite 141.

“I just saw a gap in Tucson for a modern fitness oriented Pilates studio in downtown Tucson that was super duper fun forward,” she said. “Fitness is obviously a huge part of it, but I want every single day to feel like Friday.”

In fall 2025, it became clear to Chiquette that Pilates was fast overtaking interest in spin. She made the decision to scale back spin classes at Let’s Sweat, and to renovate the fitness studio to make spaces for mat Pilates classes.

“It's going to be heated mat Pilates, it's going to be strength classes, very similar to what we were offering,” Chiquette said.

“I have been in fitness and wellness for like, almost 30 years, so I've seen so many trends and fads and everything come and go,” said Nicole Larson, an exercise physiologist and head instructor at Let’s Sweat. “And you just kind of have to follow the market.” 

Instead of eliminating spin entirely, they will offer what they’re calling speakeasy spin: Three classes each day mixed with spin or strength. That’s down from the three to six classes a day of spin or spin-plus-strength that were offered previously, Chiquette said.

“We have this fun new dark space, and we put some bikes in there, and it's super fun,” she said.

They're hoping to at least partially open up a portion of the new space in early spring, according to Larson, starting with a smaller schedule of classes, which will eventually expand to fit client interest.

“People are very excited about the heated mat,” Chiquette said. “The vibe is going to be very similar to that spin vibe. Super duper loud music, big bass, dark room, sweaty, moving to the beat of the music. I am so excited.” 

It’s not just Chiquette noticing this surge of interest in Pilates.

Daniela Vizcarra, owner of Studio Fuerza on Tucson’s south side, said her business has been flourishing since it opened in October. 

“It has been incredible,” she said. “There is a huge interest in Pilates, and over the last couple years, it really has become really trendy, and I think that's why it has been so busy.”

But where did this sudden virality of Pilates come from? 

Larson said one component is the rise in at-home workouts following the pandemic. 

“People started doing more sculpting, mat Pilates at home, because it was accessible,” she said. “You didn't need a lot of equipment. You were following an instructor online, or on YouTube.”

Since then, people have been searching out in-person classes, and Larson said more studios have started popping up.

Clients of several national gym chains including LA Fitness and Crunch Fitness have taken to social media to spread the news their gyms are converting underused exercise spaces into Pilates studios. At least one of the local LA Fitness locations, at 5885 Arizona Pavilions Dr. in Marana, is converting one of its racquetball courts, which was being used as stretch room, into a Pilates space, clients say.

Vizcarra also gives credit for the renewed popularity to online influencers. 

“I think definitely social media has really grown this trend, and I think it's all about health and wellness,” Vizcarra said. “I think people are also looking for community. It gives them something to look forward to — ‘I get to wear my cute Pilates outfit, and I get to get my matcha and go work out and I'm working on my health and wellness.’”

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For some, it’s about the aesthetic as well as the health benefits. Of the eight students at a Thursday morning class at Fr!days Pilates, several were sporting lemon yellow Fr!day Pilates hair scrunchies and socks. A small rack in the corner held matching cherry-red workout sets for sale, featuring the Fr!day Pilates logo.

Vizcarra said she’s been happy to see the popularity of Pilates grow over the last couple of years, and hopes people are inspired to adopt Pilates as a permanent fixture in their lives.

“I don't want it to just be a trend,” she said. “I want people to come and experience it, but I want them to stay. I'm teaching people that this is a lifestyle. Wellness is a lifestyle.”

While the online popularity of Pilates may be encouraging people to seek out classes, Chiquette said her clients keep coming back because of how the exercise makes them feel and the differences they see in their bodies.

“They can do a squat with better form, or they're able to pick up their granddaughter,” she said. “I think it's trendy, but it's also proven.”

As an exercise physiologist, Larson said Pilates is good for injury prevention, as well as for improving posture, mobility and core stability.

“You need to have cardiovascular training, you need to have strength training, you need to have recovery, and you need to have this other nice mind-body component,” she said.

And it’s not just about the physical benefits, either.

“I've had clients come in and just say that they're happier since they started,” Chiquette said. “It's that mind-body connection. We start and end every single class at Friday with three big deep breaths, some breath work, and a mini meditation. And I think that being able to kind of connect to your breath, connect to yourself, your insides, and then move your body in that slow, controlled, methodical way, we all need that in this crazy world that's going 150 miles per hour.”

Ana Palacio is a long-time devotee of Fr!day Pilates. She was initially inspired to try Pilates because of the traction she saw it gaining on social media. 

Nearly two years on, and Palacio said she still tries to go as often as she can, sometimes up to four times a week.

“I fell in love with it,” she said. “I feel stronger, very flexible. I was never coordinated or anything like that, so it’s definitely helped me with that.” 

Palacio said Pilates also makes her feel more awake and more confident.

Like Palacio, Alexis Smith and Laura Stupar have been attending Fr!day Pilates since it opened.

Smith said one of the things she loves most about Pilates is the accessibility.

“Even a hard class could be made easier,” she said. “I've had some health stuff, so it’s really nice to be able to stay active with Pilates, with those different changes.”

Pilates makes Smith feel stronger even in daily activities, like just standing up or wearing high heels, she said.

“It's a nice way to connect with your body,” she said.

Stupar similarly said Pilates helps with her flexibility, strength, and overall joint mobility and comfort. 

“It doesn't make me feel my age, in the best way. It makes me feel younger,” she said.

There’s also the social aspect of Pilates. 

“You're always running into somebody, and then everybody's also friendly, even if you don't know them. You make friends in class,” Stupar said.

Both Chiquette and Vizcarra said their classes draw people from all walks of life, and everyone comes for different reasons, with different personal goals.

“Obviously, in our downtown location, we have a ton of college students, but then we have grandparents in the same exact class, right next to the college girl. Next to her, you have a woman who's three months postpartum, and then next to her you have a 30-year-old young professional,” Chiquette said.

It certainly looks like the Pilates craze might be here to stay for quite a while.

“It's an over 100-year-old workout,” Vizcarra said. “And I don’t think it's going to die down anytime soon.”