Private Reformer Session.

If you have any history of back, neck, knee, shoulder, or pelvic injury — even resolved — private is the right starting point. If you are pregnant or postpartum. If you have diagnosed osteoporosis, disc pathology, or significant hypermobility. If you are returning to movement after a long break or a major life event. If you want to learn the method properly rather than learning to survive a group class. For healthy generalist fitness without complications, two to four private introductory sessions followed by a transition to group classes is a reasonable path.

Intake conversation about goals, history, and current movement. Assessment of how you move — watching you walk, squat, breathe, and do a few basic movements on the reformer to see where your body sits. Programming that responds to what they see: adjusted spring load, modified sequencing, specific cueing for your patterns. Continuous correction and adjustment throughout the session. A brief debrief at the end with what to work on and what they want to see next session. This is the format instructors trained well in — if your private session feels generic or templated, the instructor is probably a group-class hire teaching private at a premium without different skills.

A studio charging $120 for a private is paying the instructor most of that session fee. Reformer instructors with comprehensive certifications and experience expect $50 to $100 per session in instructor compensation, and the studio keeps the rest as facility and administration. The economics don't leave room for deep discounting — a studio offering private sessions at group-class pricing is either paying the instructor poorly, running a loss leader to sell packages, or using an undertrained instructor who can't command private rates.

For a healthy client with no complications, two to four private sessions is enough to learn the apparatus, understand the core cues, and build confidence in a group class. For a client with any complication, six to twelve private sessions may be the right pre-group investment — and some clients with significant needs stay in private format indefinitely. Transitioning too early is the most common mistake and the most common reason clients get hurt and quit.

50 to 60 minutes. First private runs longer — 75 minutes with intake — and some studios structure an 'introductory package' of three 75-minute sessions as the standard new-client onboarding. Duet sessions (two clients, one instructor) sit between private and group on both price and attention, and are a reasonable middle path for two friends or a couple who want individual attention without the full private price.

$90 to $180 per private session in most US cities, £70 to £140 in the UK, €80 to €150 in Europe, A$120 to A$200 in Australia. Packages run 10 to 20 percent off the single-session rate. Instructors with specialized training (prenatal, post-rehab, sports performance) charge at the top of the range or require separate booking from the general pool. The best instructors in any market book out weeks in advance and don't discount.

Who will be teaching me, and what is their comprehensive certification (hours and body)? How long have they been teaching? Do they have experience with [your specific need — prenatal, back history, whatever]? What is your policy if the assigned instructor isn't the right fit? A studio that answers these questions without defensiveness has a strong private practice; a studio that deflects to 'all our instructors are qualified' without specifics is a studio to keep asking.