What to wear to reformer pilates (and the one thing you must bring)

Nobody has ever been turned away from a reformer class for wearing the wrong thing, but a few choices make the hour much better, and one of them is not optional.

Grip socks: required

The reformer carriage moves, the footbar is smooth, and bare feet on either are a slip waiting to happen. Every studio with a reformer asks for socks with grips on the sole, and Isla is no exception. If you forget, the desk sells them. If you own ordinary trainer socks, they are not the same thing — the rubber on the sole is the point.

Fitted, not baggy

Leggings or fitted shorts, and a top that stays put when you are upside down in a shoulder stand. Loose shorts ride up in the straps; a baggy T-shirt ends up over your face in half the exercises. The teacher also needs to see your knees and spine to correct them, which she cannot through fabric that hangs.

Nothing that catches

• No zips, buckles or metal on the back — you spend a lot of the class lying on the carriage.
• Hair tied back, so it stays out of the straps and off the headrest.
• No jewellery that dangles. Rings are fine.
• No shoes. You change at the door.

What to bring

Water, and the socks. That is the whole list. Towels are at the studio, and the room is cool. If you want to buy activewear on the island, Isla stocks its own; two pieces earn a free class at the desk. Before your first visit, the guide to reformer pilates in Koh Samui says what the class itself is like, and the timetable is where you book it.

Try a reformer class in Koh Samui

Isla is a ten-reformer studio in Bophut, a few minutes from Fisherman’s Village, with small classes taught in English. If it is your first time here the intro offer is ฿1,800 for three classes; a single class is ฿900. Pick one from the timetable, or see the packs and prices first.