Blackhall Court · Edinburgh, EH4 2BR
Five reformers, five people, and a teacher who sets every spring to the body in front of her. Injuries, pregnancy and menopause are worked around, not worked through.
Max 5 people per class
Adapted around injuries, pregnancy and menopause
Teaching in North Edinburgh for 8 years
Rated 5.0 across 16 Google reviews.
Tiff
“Amazing small class sizes that are safe & tailored to your abilities & injuries safely- a real point of difference! Emily has an amazing ability to make you feel at ease, creatively makes adaptions for any needs (without any fuss).”
Google review
Meritxell Cambras
“Every class is dynamic, engaging, and easy to follow, even with limited Pilates experience. Since starting her classes, my lower back pain has improved massively.”
Google review
Maureen Atkinson
“As a senior citizen with joint pain due to rheumatoid arthritis I was somewhat apprehensive in trying Reformer Pilates but my concerns were quickly resolved. Emily put me at ease and ensures all the classes that I attend are tailored to suit my particular needs.”
Google review
Catherine Maternowska
“I have been practicing Pilates (reformer, barre, classes) for over 5 years now and Emily is hands-down my best instructor ever. She knows the body and how it moves and really tailors classes accordingly.”
Google review
Jennifer Sealy
“I have been going to classes with Emily for three years initially to help with frozen shoulder. I loved the classes and Emily is so knowledgeable and tailors the classes brilliantly.”
Google review
Paul D
“She is thorough, knowledgable and clear with her instructions, the classes are a small size so you get personal feedback which is very helpful. Excellent classes and instructor, easy to park too!”
Google review
Magdalena Przybecka-Kotz
“Great class and very accommodating to beginners. Very nice way to relax while getting exercise in.”
Google review
Iona MacCallum
“Love the classes with Emily. A great workout but leave feeling energised and like my body moves a bit better.”
Google review
About the studio
A five-reformer studio at Blackhall Court, where the class is built around the people in it.
Classes are capped at five because that is how many reformers are in the room. Emily can see every spring setting and every rep, so you get told what to fix while you are still doing it, not afterwards.
Springs can be lightened for a sore shoulder or loaded for strength, and the same exercise gets adapted for the person doing it. Injuries, medical conditions, pregnancy, menopause and rehab are all worked around as a matter of course, without any fuss.
The point is to improve how your body works, not how it looks. Beginners who have never touched a reformer train in the same room as people with five years on one, and both get set the right version of the exercise.
New to this?
The short version, before you look at the timetable.
It is a low padded carriage that slides on a frame, with springs underneath and straps at one end. You push, pull and hold against the springs, lying down, sitting, kneeling or standing on it.
Lighter springs give less support and more work for the muscles you are training. Heavier springs can hold a sore shoulder or a stiff hip in a safe range. That is why the same exercise can suit a complete beginner and a five-year regular in the same class.
Every class is capped at five. Emily sets your springs, watches your rep and changes it if it is not working for your body, which is not possible in a room of twenty.
No jumping, no pounding, nothing that hurts your joints. You build strength without bulk, better mobility, and more control in the ordinary things: stairs, lifting, turning round in the car.
Mat Pilates is the same method on the floor, using your own bodyweight. The reformer adds springs, so it can load you harder or support you more than the floor can. The studio teaches both, plus a class that combines the Arc, the reformer and free weights.
On the timetable
Four ways in, all in the same room, all capped at five people.
The main class, five people, every level in the room.
The studio's core reformer class and the one most people start with. Exercises are set to the person doing them, so a first-timer and someone three years in can work side by side. Runs most days, mornings, lunchtimes and evenings.
Who it's for: Anyone, including your first ever class.
A slower way in.
Same equipment, more time spent on what each spring does and how to set yourself up. Good if you would rather learn the machine properly before joining a mixed class.
Who it's for: New to the reformer, or coming back after a break.
Arc, reformer and free weights in one class.
The Arc opens up the spine and hips, the reformer lengthens the muscles to use that range, and the weights add load through it. Built for strength without bulk and for moving with more confidence in everyday life.
Who it's for: Regulars who want more load and more range.
Pilates on the floor, with weights.
Classic mat Pilates using your own bodyweight, plus a Strength + Mat class that adds dumbbells. A good second session in a week alongside the reformer, and cheaper per class.
Who it's for: Anyone training more than once a week, or who prefers the floor.
Private 1:1 and 1:2 studio sessions run through the week, and the timetable also carries occasional workshops and seasonal classes: pre-natal reformer, teen and tween Pilates, a menopause workshop, circuit apparatus classes and a Couch to 5K run club.
Meet your teachers
Every class at the studio is taught by a named teacher who sets the work to the body in front of her.
Teaching in North Edinburgh for 8 years
Emily came into fitness sideways, starting as a massage therapist and making a mid-life career change out of investment. She upskilled her massage, qualified as a Personal Trainer, then took her matwork qualification with Body Control Pilates, her studio qualification with Lolita's Legacy, and clinical Pilates with Breathe Education.
In her own words she is a solutions focused teacher, using mat Pilates, equipment and weights to work through injuries, medical conditions, sports goals and whatever life is currently doing to your body. Whether you are rehabbing something or trying to keep moving easily, that is the job she is doing in the class.
“I have a vision for building a pilates hub in the heart of the community. We are just at the start of the journey.”
Body Control Pilates teacher, 8+ years
Julie is a fully certified Body Control Pilates teacher specialising in supporting women through perimenopause and beyond, combining Pilates, functional movement and body-first healing.
With additional training in anatomy, bone health and lower back care, she works with clients on building strength, mobility and resilience through the physical and emotional changes of midlife.
Our story
For eight years the studio was a room in Emily's garden. It filled up anyway, largely on word of mouth, and a lot of the people in classes today followed it here from there. In April 2026 it moved into its own premises at Blackhall Court on Queensferry Road, which is where the name Core Collective came from: it is not a one woman band any more.
The ambition is a Pilates hub in the heart of the community rather than a bigger business: more teachers, more classes, workshops, a run club, and clients the studio keeps for years rather than weeks. As Emily puts it, we are just at the start of the journey.
Blackhall Court
One room, five reformers, under the beams on Queensferry Road.
Inside the studio
Click a photo to view it full screen
In the room
Five Balanced Body Allegro reformers in a row, which is why every class is capped at five people.
Pilates Arcs on the wall, a Balanced Body EXO chair and a wooden Cadillac tower at the far end of the room.
Mats and dumbbells for the mat classes and for the strength work that runs alongside the reformer.
Massage with Emily, 30 or 50 minutes, booked separately from the class timetable.
A library of classes you can follow at home for the weeks you cannot get into the studio.
Location
Core Collective
Blackhall Court, 250 Queensferry Road
Edinburgh, EH4 2BR
Members tell us parking nearby is straightforward.
Get directionsA member's story
Maureen came to the studio as a self-described senior citizen with joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis, and was, in her words, somewhat apprehensive about trying reformer Pilates at all.
Emily put her at ease, and every class she attends is set up for her particular needs.
“As a senior citizen with joint pain due to rheumatoid arthritis I was somewhat apprehensive in trying Reformer Pilates but my concerns were quickly resolved. Emily put me at ease and ensures all the classes that I attend are tailored to suit my particular needs.”
- Maureen Atkinson, Google review
One to one
Private studio sessions run through the week, one to one or one to two, built entirely around your goals, your body and your pace. They are the right start if an injury or a condition means you would rather not begin in a group, and a lot of people use one as an assessment before joining classes.
If you are not sure which route suits you, start with the trial pack and say so in the first class.
Start here
Three classes for £50 to see what suits you, then a membership or a pack, whichever fits your week.
Reformer Trial Pack
The way in. Three reformer classes to see what suits you before you commit to anything.
Once a week
One reformer class a week, the frequency most people settle into.
Twice a week
Two classes a week, where the strength and mobility changes start to stack up.
10-class pack
No subscription, for weeks you cannot promise the same slot.
Subscriptions run every four weeks with a three-cycle minimum and 14 days' notice to cancel. Packs have no commitment. The full price list, including mat classes, private sessions and massage, is on TeamUp.
Straight answers. Ask us anything else when you get here.
Start this week
The Reformer Trial Pack is £50 for three classes, used within 14 days, so you can try a couple of formats before you commit to anything. Pick a class below and we will take it from there.
What happens on your first visit
Upcoming sessions
Choose a class type, then pick a session that works for you.
Select a class
Upcoming All Levels Reformer sessions
No classes on Sundays.
Not ready to book? Send us a message
