Inside Vicalates: The Brisbane Pilates Studio Going Beyond The Reformer
More than movement
By Kiri Johnston | 20th August 2026More than a place to exercise, Vicalates is taking Pilates beyond the reformer, combining world-class instruction, a complete apparatus system and a strong sense of community. We meet founder Victoria Spiliopoulos to find out how one Pilates class led to a career, a studio and a much bigger purpose.
Long before she founded Brisbane Pilates studio Vicalates, movement wasn’t something she imagined would shape her future. At school, physical education was the class she’d happily avoid, and the thought of building a career around exercise never crossed her mind. More academically inclined and interested in understanding how things worked than team sports, Victoria’s perspective changed when she stepped into her first Pilates class. “It exposed every weakness I had,” she says. Instead of putting her off, the experience sparked a curiosity that has stayed with her ever since.
Pilates became less about exercise and more about understanding how the body moves, adapts and improves through consistency and precision. What began as a personal interest soon became an obsession, leading to years of study, international training and, ultimately, Vicalates.
From her first class to Vicalates
Victoria’s path into Pilates wasn’t driven by a lifelong ambition to work in fitness. It developed through wanting to understand the practice on a deeper level. The more she learnt, the more there was to learn. Over the years, Victoria has trained with some of the world’s leading Pilates educators, continually expanding her knowledge of the body, movement and the original Pilates system.
More recently, that education has taken her overseas, travelling throughout the Middle East to guest educate at respected studios and deliver professional development to instructors internationally. Those experiences have also given Victoria a broader perspective on the standard of Pilates education and instruction around the world – something she has brought back to Vicalates.
For Victoria, maintaining an international standard isn’t simply a goal. It’s a responsibility she takes seriously, with the expectation that every person who walks into Vicalates receives considered, high-quality instruction.
Pilates is more than the reformer
Reformer Pilates may have become one of the most popular ways to exercise, but Victoria believes focusing on one apparatus can mean overlooking a much bigger system. “Pilates was always designed as a complete system,” she says. It’s a distinction that sits at the centre of the Vicalates approach.
The studio’s newest offering, which Victoria describes as years in the making, moves members beyond the reformer alone. Instead, clients work between the Reformer, Chair, Spine Corrector and Mat, while the Cadillac is reserved for private sessions in the studio’s ‘Good Room’. Each piece of apparatus plays a role within the wider method, allowing clients to experience Pilates as a complete system, just as Joseph Pilates intended. It also means the focus extends beyond simply completing a workout. Clients are encouraged to understand how their bodies move, adapt and progress through consistency, precision and considered instruction.
For those accustomed to reformer-only classes, it offers an opportunity to experience another side of Pilates – and understand just how much exists beyond the machine that has come to define the practice for many.
Who is Vicalates for?
While the studio is grounded in technical knowledge and high standards, Victoria has been equally deliberate about creating an environment that doesn’t feel intimidating. That balance is an important part of Vicalates.
The complete system gives clients the opportunity to build their understanding of Pilates over time, while private sessions on the Cadillac offer another level of individual attention. Whether someone is developing their Pilates practice or looking to understand movement beyond a standard reformer class, the emphasis remains on learning how the body works and progressing with purpose.
It’s considered, but still approachable – a combination that extends well beyond the classes themselves.
Taking Pilates education further
Victoria’s commitment to education doesn’t stop with her own clients. Through Alignment Academy, she welcomes Pilates instructors from Australia and overseas to deepen their understanding of the practice through anatomy, tactile cueing, programming and hands-on teaching.
It’s an extension of the years Victoria has spent studying and training internationally, and an opportunity to pass that knowledge on to other instructors. At a time when Pilates – and reformer classes in particular – have become increasingly mainstream, education remains fundamental to the way Victoria approaches the industry.
For her, great instruction requires more than knowing a sequence of exercises. It requires understanding why a movement is being taught, how the body responds and how to adapt that knowledge to the person in front of you.
It’s this attention to the details behind the movement that underpins both Vicalates and Alignment Academy.
A studio built around people
For all the technical expertise behind Vicalates, the human element remains just as important. Clients are welcomed by Brooklyn, Victoria’s beloved deaf rescue dog, whose quiet presence has become part of the studio. Brooklyn might not teach the classes, but she says a lot about the environment Victoria has created.
Warmth, connection and community were pillars of Victoria’s upbringing, and she has carried those values into Vicalates. Clients arrive early, stay long after class has finished and know one another by name. It means the experience doesn’t begin and end with the class itself.
There’s a familiarity to the studio that exists alongside its high standard of instruction – something that can be difficult to achieve in a space built around exercise. At Vicalates, the two coexist.
Where Pilates meets personal style
There’s another side to Victoria that exists beyond the studio floor. “If I wasn’t teaching Pilates, I’d be a stylist,” she says.
Fashion offers another creative outlet, whether she’s teaching in a Lululemon set or putting together an everyday look. For Victoria, getting dressed is another form of self-expression, and she encourages her instructors and clients to embrace their individuality in the same way.
It’s a small detail that says a lot about the wider world she has built around Vicalates. There’s precision and technical expertise, but there’s also personality. The studio isn’t asking everyone who enters it to look, move or be the same. Victoria’s own perfect day? “Shopping, not going to lie, and definitely wine.”
And the non-negotiable she apparently can’t get enough of? Coffee. Preferably in bed first thing in the morning, with cold foam coffee currently taking the top spot.
More than movement
Looking around Vicalates today, it’s clear every detail reflects the woman behind it. The studio is thoughtful without feeling intimidating and welcoming without compromising on excellence. Education exists alongside community; technical instruction alongside individuality. And then there’s Brooklyn, quietly making herself at home among it all.
It’s a world that grew from someone who once happily avoided PE class and never imagined movement would become her career. Now, Victoria is not only teaching Pilates but educating other instructors, taking her knowledge internationally and continuing to explore what the complete Pilates system can offer.
The evolution feels particularly fitting when you consider one of the biggest lessons her career has taught her. “I used to think you found your purpose,” Victoria says. “Now I believe your purpose finds you.”
Victoria’s world
The first thing I do every morning is… coffee in bed. Pilates has taught me… patience. I can’t live without… can I say coffee again? Probably lip gloss. The best advice I’ve ever received… only take advice from those you admire. The one thing everyone should know about Pilates is… it’s an art form. My perfect day includes… shopping, not going to lie, and definitely wine. Brooklyn loves… sun lounging and salmon treats. I’m currently obsessed with… cold foam coffee. If I wasn’t teaching Pilates, I’d be… a stylist. My purpose is… to help others reach their highest potential.
Ready to experience Pilates beyond the reformer? Discover Vicalates, explore the studio’s classes and learn more about Alignment Academy at vicalates.com.
