Who We Are
Creating change through movement
Located in the heart of Diamond Head on Monsarrat Ave, you’ll find Hawai’i’s largest Pilates studio, voted “Best Locally-Owned Pilates Studio” in 2024, by Honolulu Magazine (and the only one to offer Classical Pilates). Airy, bright, and inspiring, Pilates O Ka Lā is thoughtfully designed to be the perfect escape where hard work and joy intersect beautifully.
Whether you’re a beginner or a professional athlete, Pilates O Ka Lā is Honolulu’s trusted studio for the original work of Joe Pilates.
Connect with your body in a transformative way through the art and science of Pilates. Focus on refining your breath and posture through mindful movement that leaves you feeling and performing at your best.
Choose from private, duo/trio, group, and “open studio” classes with exceptional instructors trained to work with a wide range of requirements, including injuries, pre and post-natal, and high-performance athletes.
Meet our team and start the next chapter of your fitness journey.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a physical fitness system created by visionary Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. Inspired by yoga, martial arts, boxing, gymnastics, wrestling, and bodybuilding, Joseph Pilates articulated his Contrology system, blending Eastern and Western fitness concepts.
The essence of Pilates is core strengthening that conditions the body from the inside out and improves balance, posture, and muscle tone. Pilates exercises can be done on a mat, but most exercises are performed on various Pilates apparatuses designed by Joseph Pilates. Common equipment includes the Reformer, Cadillac, Pedipole, Arm Chair, and Wunda Chair (which use tension springs for resistance). Additionally, we may use the Ladder Barrel and Spine Corrector (using a unique arc shape) to perform specific exercises better.
One of the keys to understanding how Pilates differs from other fitness methods is experiencing its principle of oppositional movement—a simultaneous lengthening and strengthening of the muscles while connecting to one’s center. Oppositional movement helps develop healthy, balanced movement patterns and prevents strain and injury.
Another way Pilates feels different than conventional exercise is that it requires mental focus and concentration. As clients embrace the Pilates discipline, executing each exercise with precision and control, not only do they experience a transformation of their bodies, there’s a sharpening of the mind. So enjoy the pocket of peace of tucking away into our studio and training your body and mind in harmony.
Trust Us, We’re Different.
We are Hawai’i’s Classical Pilates authority. We teach the original method of “Contrology” developed by Joseph Pilates, on the equipment he designed. The focus of our teaching is to connect you to your center through resistance and flexibility training on top-of-the-line equipment, specially chosen to help squeeze the most juice out of each exercise.
Pilates O Ka Lā is proudly a demo center for the exclusive Balanced Body: Contrology Line of equipment, and we also offer Gratz, and Legacy Apparatus.
If you ask our students what sets Pilates O Ka Lā apart from other studios (other than the Honolulu scenery) is our team of exceptional instructors. Each Pilates instructor is fully certified with a minimum of 450 hours on all Pilates apparatus.