Quality | Integrity | Authenticity

There is only one gold standard in Classical Pilates equipment — and it is handcrafted in New York.

Gratz Industries has been building Pilates apparatus to Joseph Pilates' exact original specifications since 1929. Precision-engineered, meticulously crafted and trusted by the world's most respected Classical studios, Gratz apparatus is in a category of its own.

At Stourbridge Pilates Rooms, every piece of apparatus you work on is authentic Gratz — making us one of the very few fully Gratz-equipped studios in the UK. You will feel the difference from your very first session. The resistance, the movement, the response of the equipment — it is unlike anything else.

This is not a detail. It is the foundation of everything we do.

Person stretching on a Pilates Classical mat in a brightly lit room

MAT

The Classical Mat — the heart of the method, and its ultimate expression.

Just you, the mat, and the full demands of the Classical repertoire. With only a strap and a pair of poles, every movement calls on genuine strength, control and deep concentration. There is nothing to rely on but yourself — and that is precisely where the magic lies.

Flowing through the exercises in their original, inspired sequence, you work the entire body — front, back, sides and everything in between — exactly as Joseph Pilates intended. No springs. No machines. Pure, undiluted Pilates.

This is where real strength is built. And where, session by session, you will feel every part of yourself come alive.

REFORMER

The Universal Reformer — the apparatus centrepiece of our studio.

Built to his exact original specifications, the Reformer's sliding carriage, springs, straps, foot bar and box create a uniquely responsive experience that works with your body in every plane of movement. The result is a practice that builds genuine strength, flexibility, alignment and control — session by session, from the inside out.

Moving through the authentic Classical sequences on Gratz apparatus, you will feel something that no modern reformer can replicate — a precision and quality that makes the difference not just in how your body performs, but in how it feels.

Once experienced, nothing else quite compares.

A man standing on one foot with his hands behind his head in a room with white walls and electrical outlets doing exercises on the Pilates Wunda Chair

CHAIRS & BARRELS

The Chairs and Barrels — among the most distinctive and rewarding apparatus in the Classical method, and a true mark of an authentic studio.

The Wunda Chair, High Chair and Arm Chair are deceptively demanding. Compact yet extraordinarily versatile, they challenge balance, control and the posterior chain with an intensity that surprises even experienced practitioners. There is nothing quite like them.

The Barrels are the method's master tools for opening, lengthening and restoring the body. Whether stretching over the Ladder Barrel, releasing through the Spine Corrector or refining alignment with the Small Barrels, each piece brings its own intelligence to your practice — addressing the areas that need attention with remarkable precision.

Together, they reveal a depth to Classical Pilates that most people never get to experience. At Stourbridge Pilates Rooms, they are simply part of every session.

A woman in a black top and a woman in colourful leggings assisting a woman in a yellow top during a Pilates session on a padded table with a metal frame - Pilates Cadillac

CADILLAC & TOWER

The Cadillac and Towers — among the most iconic apparatus in the Classical repertoire, and one of the most transformative experiences our studio offers.

With their extraordinary range of springs, bars and straps, the Cadillacs and Towers allow your instructor to isolate, support and challenge with a precision that no other apparatus can match. Every session works deeper, with greater intelligence and connection — addressing the areas that need it most.

And then there is the hang. Suspending from the Cadillac is one of those rare Pilates moments that has to be felt to be understood — a profound decompression of the spine, a lengthening of the entire body, and a sense of space and freedom that stays with you long after the session ends.

This is Classical Pilates at its most extraordinary.

GUILLOTINE

The Pilates Guillotine — one of the most intriguing and demanding pieces of apparatus in the Classical method, and a rare find outside the world's finest studios.

Deceptively simple in appearance, the Guillotine's unstable bar demands something extraordinary from your body — constant, intelligent negotiation between front and back, left and right, strength and mobility. Whether lying, standing, hanging or inverted, every position presents a new and deeply satisfying challenge.

This is apparatus that reveals your body's imbalances with remarkable honesty — and then, session by session, quietly corrects them. Intense, precise and unlike anything else in our studio.

Those who discover it rarely want to leave it behind.

Close-up of a metallic Pilates Foot Corrector with a spring mechanism inside a cabinet .

EXTRAS

The Classical method is complete in every detail — and so is our studio.

From the Hand and Toe Gizmos and Foot Corrector to the Magic Circle, Push-Up Bars, Breath-a-Cizer and Pedi-Pole, our collection of small apparatus represents the full breadth of Joseph Pilates' original vision. Deceptively simple in appearance, each piece has a specific and intelligent purpose — fine-tuning alignment, awakening connection, lengthening and balancing the body with remarkable precision.

These are the finishing touches of a complete Classical practice. The details that separate a good session from a truly transformative one. At Stourbridge Pilates Rooms, no part of the method is overlooked — and no part of your body goes unattended.

This is the full Pilates system, exactly as it was designed to be experienced.