If you thought Pilates was all about soft lighting, slow breathing, and the occasional polite groan, Paola’s BodyBarre is here to give you a rather sweatier reality check.
The London-born fitness brand—already famed for its no-nonsense, ballet-meets-beast-mode workouts—has just cranked up the thermostat with its latest launch: PBB Hot Pilates at KXU London.
Yes, that’s right. We’re talking 30°C of steamy, muscle-sculpting glory where your glutes will burn, your quads will question your life choices, and your spine will thank you for years to come. But don’t call it torture. Call it transformation.
“Hot Pilates is having a real moment globally, and it’s exciting to be one of the first brands to bring it to London,” says Paola Di Lanzo, founder of Paola’s BodyBarre.
“At PBB, we’ve always been ahead of the trend – combining strength, stretch and sculpting into dynamic, results-driven workouts. The heat takes our infamous ‘PBB burn’ to the next level, helping clients deepen their focus, activate muscles more effectively, and leave feeling stronger, more energised and empowered.”
The new class takes the studio’s signature fusion of ballet, Pilates and functional training and drops it squarely in a heated studio, creating a low-impact, sweat-soaked format that builds strength, endurance and flexibility without battering your joints. Think of it as downward dog meets a Bikram blast furnace—except, you know, stylish.
And it’s not just a novelty. The benefits of heat training are well documented: improved circulation, muscle activation, detoxification (read: buckets of sweat), and enhanced flexibility. In other words, PBB Hot Pilates isn’t just hot—it’s smart.
Sessions are already underway at KXU, one of London’s slickest boutique gyms, with three slots a week to get your fix: Mondays at 5pm, Wednesdays at noon, and Sundays at 10:40 am.
Each session will set you back £29, though discounted packages are available from £20 if you’re planning to make it a habit—which, judging by the cult-like following Paola’s BodyBarre commands, many already are.
And there’s good reason for that devotion. Now in its 11th year, Paola’s BodyBarre has gone from a humble Fulham studio to a full-on fitness empire.
The flagship space near Bishops Park sees over 2,500 monthly bookings, and PBB’s reach continues to expand via a growing roster of partnerships with hotspots like KXU, Studio Fix in Kensington, and MAD in Mayfair—a Lagree studio so swanky it might as well come with paparazzi.
“When I launched PBB, I saw a gap in the market for something truly hybrid — something that wasn’t just ballet-inspired but genuinely challenging, sweaty and transformative,” says Paola. “Over a decade later, I’m so proud of how far we’ve come, and Hot Pilates is just the latest expression of our evolution.”
It’s all the brainchild of Di Lanzo, a veteran in the fitness space whose three-decade career has been dedicated to empowering people—particularly women—through movement.
Her method is rooted in the belief that strength and flexibility aren’t mutually exclusive, and that confidence isn’t built by chasing perfection, but by showing up and sweating it out—preferably in 30-degree heat.
So, if your usual yoga flow feels more “meh” than “namaste,” and your core needs a reality check, Paola’s BodyBarre Hot Pilates might just be the fiery wake-up call your body’s been craving.
Booking details and class times available at KXU’s official timetable. Bring water. Lots of it.
