Des Renford Leisure Centre at the corner of Robey Street and Jersey Road in Maroubra is getting a purpose-built reformer Pilates studio, with a $1.2 million investment set to deliver a 13-bed studio within the centre’s ground-level atrium.
The new Pilates studio will be constructed within the existing ground-floor atrium space at DRLC, with classes available through an all-inclusive DRLC membership or on a casual booking basis. The project was formally approved in early 2025, with construction beginning later that year. The 2026 announcement confirms the studio is coming to fruition, adding a dedicated reformer space to a leisure centre that already runs group fitness classes including yoga, Pilates mat sessions and Les Mills programmes across its existing studios.
For eastern suburbs residents who have been making their way to private studios in Randwick, Coogee or further afield to access reformer Pilates, the addition at DRLC puts a high-quality option inside one of the area’s most accessible and well-priced public leisure facilities.
What Reformer Pilates Is and Why It Has Grown So Fast
Reformer Pilates uses a sliding carriage machine fitted with springs and straps to create resistance and support during movement. Unlike mat Pilates, the reformer allows for a much wider range of exercises targeting strength, flexibility, balance and posture simultaneously, all within a low-impact format that suits people recovering from injury, older residents, pregnant women and serious athletes alike. Classes typically run for 45 to 50 minutes and are led by an instructor in small groups.
The format has become one of the fastest-growing fitness trends in Sydney over the past three years, driven by strong word of mouth, a surge in private studio openings across the eastern suburbs and growing awareness of its rehabilitation and preventive health benefits. Locals are flocking to private studios like KX Pilates and Platinum, and with CorePlus Randwick about to open its doors, it’s clear the area’s appetite for reformer shows no sign of slowing down. The arrival of a reformer studio at DRLC brings the option into the public leisure centre setting, where membership prices and no lock-in contracts make it accessible to a much broader cross-section of the community than private studio pricing typically allows.
DRLC’s Growing Suite of Facilities
Des Renford Leisure Centre has been expanding its amenity steadily in recent years. The splash park that opened in October 2023 added a family-focused outdoor water play space to a precinct that already includes three heated indoor and outdoor pools, one of Australia’s largest swim schools, a fully equipped upstairs gym with panoramic views, group fitness studios and an on-site crèche. The reformer Pilates studio continues that trajectory, bringing a genuinely in-demand fitness format into the centre’s programme for the first time.
DRLC currently offers Pilates classes through its group fitness timetable, but those sessions are mat-based. A dedicated 13-bed reformer studio is a significantly different offering, allowing for structured small-group reformer sessions that are currently only available at private studios in the area at considerably higher price points.
Why This Matters to the Maroubra Community
For Maroubra residents, the reformer Pilates studio at DRLC closes a gap that has sent locals elsewhere for a fitness modality that is now mainstream rather than niche. The eastern suburbs Pilates market is busy and well-served by private studios, but access is heavily influenced by cost. A session at a private reformer studio in the eastern suburbs typically runs between $30 and $45 casually, or around $25 to $35 per class on a membership. DRLC’s all-inclusive membership model and no lock-in contracts bring reformer access to a price point that makes it viable for families, older residents, students and anyone else who wants to take it up without a significant financial commitment.
The ground-level atrium location also means the studio will be easily accessible from the centre’s main entry, removing any barrier around navigating a large facility to reach a new space.
For more information on the upcoming reformer Pilates studio or DRLC memberships and casual access options, visit randwick.nsw.gov.au/drlc or call the centre on (02) 9090 3630. DRLC is located at the corner of Robey Street and Jersey Road, Maroubra.
Published 18-March-2026.
