Common Ground Studio is a boutique Reformer Pilates studio on Queen Street in Richmond, Tasman, offering small group and private classes to its local community. Teaching takes a modern twist on the classical method, combining original Reformer Pilates principles with the latest exercise techniques, with every session focused on building and maintaining strength, mobility, flexibility and balance. All class types run for 45 minutes, and the team meets you where you are at — all levels, ages and stages.
The studio was founded by Jess and Kate, friends since their first year of high school in 2005 whose shared path through university, a move to Australia and a return to their hometown led them to open the space they always wanted: somewhere welcoming, warm, inclusive and fun, where people can find their 'common ground'. Members say the biggest draw isn't just the movement — it's the vibe. The studio is a hub of connection where you might bump into your hairdresser, your barista, your dad's bestie or your grandma.
Five class styles sit on the timetable: Foundations, a low-impact session tailored for those aged 60+, anyone managing injury or limited mobility, and complete newcomers; Level One, which lays the foundations of Reformer practice and is pre and postnatal friendly; the faster-paced intermediate Level Two; Reformer Circuit, a hybrid of dynamic Pilates and functional strength training; and the slow, restorative Stretch and Mobility. Four values underpin everything — connection, empowering movement, good vibes and growth — and the team see themselves as forever learners who keep upskilling as the Pilates world evolves.
On Queen Street in the heart of Richmond, Tasman, Common Ground Studio is a boutique Reformer Pilates studio with a simple promise: mindful movement that leaves you feeling strong, flexible and energised. Classes are small group or private, and the teaching blends original Reformer Pilates principles with the latest exercise techniques — a modern twist designed to help you get the most out of every session. The focus throughout is on building and maintaining strength, mobility, flexibility and balance, all delivered with warmth and a healthy sense of humour.
The studio's story begins long before its doors opened. Founders Jess and Kate met in their first year of high school in 2005, and what started as a friendship carried through university, a move to Australia and eventually a return home to Richmond. Both fell for Reformer Pilates along the way, earned international Pilates qualifications, and set out to build the kind of space they wished existed: somewhere welcoming, warm, inclusive and genuinely fun, where anyone can find their 'common ground'.
Today the studio lives up to that idea. Members describe it as a hub of connection — the sort of place where you might bump into your hairdresser, your barista, your dad's bestie or your grandma. All walks of life are welcome, and that community feel is the thing people mention most.
At Common Ground, Pilates is treated as a practice rather than something you simply master — as the founders put it, the better you get, the harder it is. Instructors empower you to take the layers and variations that suit you on the day, because some days you feel like moving mountains and others you just want to move. The studio steers clear of toxic fitness trends and keeps things positive about movement. Four values underpin everything: connection, empowering movement, good vibes and growth.
Every class runs for 45 minutes, and there is a genuine pathway for every body. Foundations is a low-impact session tailored specifically for those aged 60 and over, anyone managing an injury or limited mobility, and complete newcomers — simple yet effective strength-based movement without the frills. Level One lays the foundations of a Reformer practice with a strong focus on strength, stamina and form; all new members without prior Reformer experience start here, or in Stretch and Mobility or Foundations, and Level One is pre and postnatal friendly.
Ready for more? Level Two turns things up a notch with a faster-paced, full-body session built on more technical sequences and creative progressions — a spicy mix of challenge and flow that assumes prior Reformer experience and isn't suitable for active injuries. Reformer Circuit breaks a few rules in all the right ways, blending dynamic Pilates with functional strength training using heavier springs, weights, jumpboards and off-the-Reformer exercises; it comes in both All Levels and Level 2 versions. And when it's time to slow down, Stretch and Mobility offers a slow-paced, all-levels class of gentle Reformer movement and guided breathing — a self-care moment that leaves you relaxed, balanced and reset.
New clients can ease in with the studio's intro offer of five classes across two weeks, with Level One or Foundations recommended as a starting point. Beyond that, there are casual classes, passes of five, ten or fifteen classes, and weekly memberships covering two, three or four classes per week, all managed through the online schedule. The team — forever learners who keep upskilling together — are happy to help you find the right fit. Come curious, leave stronger, calmer and more connected.