Alice Pilate

Alice Pilate’s story reads like one of those uncanny little jokes the universe likes to play. Yes, her surname really is Pilate. Not Pilates, mind you, but close enough to make people smile when they hear it. A coincidence? Absolutely. But also, perhaps, a bit of destiny. As one of the most sought-after Pilates instructors in Paris, and more recently a style and lifestyle influencer on Instagram, the nominative determinism has certainly worked its magic.

“It’s very funny,” she says, laughing as she always does when the subject comes up. “It has no connection to the founder of Pilates. I maybe didn’t even believe in the practice of Pilates when I first started.”

For the record, that founder was Joseph Pilates, a German who developed the method in the early 20th century as a way to strengthen the body, rehabilitate injuries, and improve posture.

He called it Contrology, emphasizing the mind-body connection, and taught it to dancers and athletes in New York where it took off.

The practice is known for its ability to improve flexibility, core strength, balance, and even mental health, with studies showing it can reduce back pain, alleviate stress, and prevent injury. Today, Pilates holds many forms, including reformer, mat, and barre, but the original movements devised by Joseph still make up the base of these more recent additions. Movements such as hundreds, an arm and ab burner, are still present in nearly every Pilates class, proving that the 5 original pillars still stand strong.

Her surname started as a chance detail, but it’s become part of her brand, but pocket-rocket Alice, whose sunny energy and rigorous classes have earned her a loyal following and left more than a few students’ abs quivering.

Despite her completely Parisian patina, Alice didn’t actually discover Pilates in France at all. She found it on the other side of the world, under the Australian sun. Before moving to Sydney, she describes herself as “super sporty.” She’d always been active but hadn’t given Pilates much thought. In fact, she admits she was skeptical at first. “When I moved to Sydney I saw 10,000 Pilates studios. It’s really full, full, full there. And I thought it was a bit weird, you know? Why would I go and do Pilates when my name is Pilate?”

But Sydney, home to one of the world’s most vibrant Pilates scenes rivaling New York and London, won her over. “The culture, the lifestyle, it’s just very strong there. The girls in the studios were super cliché but also super enthusiastic. And after a while, I was signing up every day. Every day!”

What started as a casual habit quickly became a full-blown obsession.

At some point, one of her teachers nudged her toward instructor training, not necessarily to teach, but just because she loved it so much. “She told me, ‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter what happens after, but just for the storytelling you have to do it. Even if you never teach.’ And she was right,” Alice recalls.

Of course, she did teach. Because it turned out Pilates wasn’t just a passion, it was a calling. “It seems Pilates was really much more than a hobby for me. I really wanted to share it. To teach it. And honestly, the marketing with my name? Too perfect.”

Her classes are as full of energy as she is. Unlike the gentle, rehabilitative style many associate with Pilates, Alice’s sessions are designed for people who are already fit and looking for a challenge.She keeps the low-impact foundation of the practice but ramps up the intensity and pace.

“It’s dynamic, it’s energetic, but still Pilates,” she explains. “I want people to leave feeling exhausted but happy. Like they were really challenged. I want them to feel every muscle from A to Z, even ones they never knew they had!”

The feeling she hopes her students leave with? Satisfaction, and a little ache the next day. “Well-muscled abs, glutes shaking, legs shaking… and just all that satisfaction you feel after a really good practice.”

Pilates isn’t just a workout, though. “Honestly, the most important thing for me is not even what happens to your body, but how you feel in your life. It’s this reconnection, with yourself, your body, your mind, your daily rhythm.”

Alice’s dedication to making Pilates accessible and inspiring doesn’t stop at the gym. In 2021 she founded Le Studio, an online platform where she offers video courses, programs, and live sessions for students all over the world.

Through Le Studio, she’s built a virtual community of thousands who follow her signature blend of intensity and mindfulness. Her courses range from beginner-friendly foundations to advanced full-body burnouts. In a city where the number of Pilates studios has exploded in the past decade — today Paris counts more than 150 dedicated studios, riding a wave of wellness culture — Alice stands out not just as part of the trend but as a leader shaping it. With her unique energy and international perspective, she has carved out her own niche in a crowded market.

Alice herself embodies the kind of elegance and vitality that her practice promises. Slender yet strong, with impeccable posture, sunlit brown hair often pulled into a loose bun, and a warm smile that seems to put everyone instantly at ease, she radiates health without pretension.

Whether in head-to-toe leggings or in her off-duty wardrobe of crisp shirts and jeans, she carries herself like someone entirely at home in her own skin. She starts her own mornings the same way every day, coffee (even though she admits it’s not ideal), then at least an hour of movement, Pilates or a run. No phone, no emails, no notifications. “It’s really my hour off,” she says. “Before I’m productive, before I talk to anyone, it’s just mine.”

That sense of ritual carries into everything else, how we eat, how we travel, how we build our routines. “Even when I go out dancing, people can tell. They’re like, ‘Oh, you must be a sports teacher.’ They see it in my posture, my shoulders, the way I move. Pilates gives you these elegant, subtle things, even in your everyday life. You can feel it.” It’s also an attainable, realistic lifestyle, there’s nothing too complicated.

She admits that most of her stretching happens right in bed, a few minutes in the morning or evening of a Happy Baby hip stretch, and basta. Her teaching style reflects that philosophy too. She describes her classes as almost meditative, even though they’re tough.“It takes a lot of focus and concentration, but in that focus you find a kind of escape. A little bit of peace.” Breathing is a big part of that. “We’re always working with the breath, deep muscles, pelvic floor, all that connection. It’s really important.”

Alice’s story, from skeptical student to passionate teacher and entrepreneur, feels like a love letter to serendipity. She never planned to become an instructor. She never planned to build a life around Pilates. And yet here she is, shaping a new generation of students in Paris, inspiring people to see the practice as more than just a workout.

Sometimes the best paths are the ones you don’t plan at all. Passion meets opportunity, with a sprinkle of luck, and suddenly you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. And as for that name? Well, it still makes her smile every time she introduces herself. “It’s too funny,” she says. “And maybe a little destined.”

By Tori Sharp

Photography by Lucia Martinez Garcia