Short answer
A private session at Luma Pilates in Edinburgh gives you your instructor's complete attention for the whole session. The session is built entirely around your body, your history, and your goals. For people managing an injury, returning from surgery, working with a specific diagnosis, or wanting to develop their practice with more precision, a 1:1 is a qualitatively different kind of instruction. At Luma, private sessions start at £90 for a 1:1 and £135 for a 1:2.
There’s a difference between being taught and being coached. In a group class, I am teaching the work: the exercises, the principles, the progression through a session. I’m watching everyone, cueing collectively, and adapting in real time. It is good instruction, and at Luma the class sizes are small enough for it to be genuinely individual.
In a private session, I am coaching one person. Everything, the exercises, the pace, the cues, the progression, is determined by what your body is doing that day. That’s a fundamentally different kind of attention, and for certain people at certain moments in their practice, it is irreplaceable.
Hands-on coaching and real-time feedback make private sessions the fastest way to progress
What a private session actually is
A private session at Luma runs for 50 minutes. It is just you and your instructor, in the studio, with the full range of apparatus available. There is no fixed sequence, no group pace, and no exercises that have to work for everyone. The session is yours entirely.
Before we start, I want to know what you are carrying. Not just the physical history, though that matters, but what you have noticed in recent classes, what has felt good, what has not, and what you are hoping to work on. That conversation shapes the session. What we do in the first ten minutes often changes as I see how you are moving.
The pace is different too. In a group class, there is a rhythm to maintain and a sequence to move through. In a private session, we can spend twenty minutes on a single movement pattern if that ‘s what your body needs. We can revisit an exercise three times with different cues until something clicks. We can stop entirely and have a conversation about what I’m observing and why it matters for your practice.
This is what one-to-one instruction actually means: not just fewer people in the room, but a completely different quality of attention.
One-to-one attention means your instructor can focus entirely on your technique and progression
When a 1:1 makes the most sense
Private sessions are not for everyone at every stage. Most people are well served by group classes, and the progression path at Luma is designed to develop your practice systematically without requiring private sessions at all.
But there are moments when a 1:1 is clearly the right choice. The most common ones I see are these:
Injury, surgery, and rehabilitation
This is where individual attention and personalised programming can make the most difference.
When you are recovering from surgery or managing a specific musculoskeletal condition, the right exercise for your body is not the same exercise that works for the person next to you, even if you have the same diagnosis. The specifics matter. The stage of recovery matters. The compensatory movement patterns that have developed around the injury matter. A group class, however well taught, has to find exercises that work for everyone. A private session does not.
At Luma, a private session allows your instructor to work alongside the guidance you have received from your physiotherapist or surgeon, progress at a pace determined by your body, and notice how you are responding in real time. We are not providing clinical care, and a private Pilates session is not a substitute for physiotherapy. But for clients who have already been assessed and are ready to build strength and movement quality, a 1:1 is where that work is most precisely delivered.
If you are post-surgical, please share your surgeon's guidance and any physiotherapy notes before your first session. The more we know, the better we can support your recovery.
If you are managing a longstanding injury or a condition such as chronic lower back pain, osteoarthritis, or hypermobility, a private session allows your instructor to address the specifics of your presentation in a way that is simply not possible in a group class. Our guides to Pilates for lower back pain, Pilates for hip pain, and Pilates for hypermobility cover the conditions we work with most regularly in private sessions.
If you are new to Pilates
Most new clients at Luma start with Reformer Fundamentals, and that is the right starting point for the majority of people. The class is designed for beginners and gives you the foundational vocabulary to get more from every session that follows.
For some people, however, a private session before joining a group class is worth considering.
If you have a significant injury history or a medical condition that you want your instructor to understand in detail before you start, a 1:1 gives us the space to do that properly. If you’re the kind of person who finds it difficult to ask questions in a group setting, a private session removes that barrier entirely. If you want some individual guidance before moving into group classes, a single private session can help you arrive with more confidence and familiarity.
A private session is not a prerequisite for joining group classes at Luma. But for some people, it’s the right first step.
For experienced practitioners
Private sessions are not only for beginners or people managing injuries. Some of the most valuable 1:1 work I do is with experienced clients who have been practising for years.
At a certain point in a practice, the things that hold you back are subtle. A habitual compensation pattern you have never noticed. A muscle group that consistently underperforms no matter how many classes you attend. A technical element that you understand intellectually but cannot quite feel. These things are difficult to address in a group class because they require sustained, focused attention over a single session.
A private session with an experienced practitioner is essentially a detailed audit of your movement. I can identify what is actually happening in your body rather than what should be happening, address the specific gaps, and give you cues and exercises to take into your regular group practice. Some experienced clients use an occasional private session every month or two to refine the details they can then carry into their regular group classes. It is a different use of the format from rehabilitation or beginner work, but often just as valuable.
The Snake. This is a product of building strength, control and flexibility on the Reformer
What to expect at Luma
Most of our instructors teach private sessions. I teach them regularly, as does Anna Marchington, whose background in movement rehabilitation makes her particularly well suited to complex presentations.
Sessions take place in Studio A at 15 Northumberland Street NE Lane, Edinburgh. The full range of apparatus is available, including the Reformer, Tower, Wunda Chair, and Ladder Barrel.
To book, get in touch and we will match you with the right instructor for your situation and goals.
Pricing
Private 1:1 session: £90.
Private 1:2 session (two clients, one instructor): £135 total, £67.50 per person. This is a good option for two people who want more individual attention than a group class provides while sharing the cost. Both clients need to be at a similar stage in their practice for this to work well.
View all pricing, including group class rates and subscription options.
For most clients, private sessions work best alongside regular group classes rather than as a replacement for them. One private session a month alongside weekly group classes is a combination that many of our most committed clients settle into. The private session addresses the specifics; the group classes build the consistency and momentum.
Key Takeaways
A private session is not a prerequisite. Most clients develop a strong practice entirely through group classes, and Reformer Fundamentals is the right starting point for most people.
The difference is not just class size. A private session is a fundamentally different quality of instruction — the work is built around you, not adapted for you.
Private sessions are most valuable in three situations: recovering from injury or surgery, starting out with a significant medical history that warrants individual attention, or addressing a specific technical gap as an experienced practitioner.
They work best alongside group classes, not instead of them. One private session per month alongside regular group classes is a pattern many committed clients settle into.
At Luma, private 1:1 sessions cost £90. Private 1:2 sessions (two clients, one instructor) cost £135 total.
Frequently asked questions
How is a private session different from a group class? In a private session, the whole 50 minutes is built around you. There is no fixed sequence, no group pace, and no exercises chosen to work for everyone in the room. Your instructor's attention is entirely on how your body is moving and what it needs. Group classes at Luma are small and individually cued, but a private session is a qualitatively different level of instruction.
Do I need to have done Pilates before booking a private session? No. Private sessions are appropriate for complete beginners, particularly those with a significant injury history or medical condition that warrants individual assessment before joining a group class.
Which instructor should I book with? Get in touch and we will match you with the right instructor based on your situation. Both Lucia and Anna have extensive private session experience, and certain presentations are better suited to one than the other.
Can I do a private session instead of group classes? You can, but most clients find that private sessions alongside group classes produce the best results. The private session addresses the specifics; group classes build consistency and give the practice momentum.
What should I bring or wear? The same as a group class. Comfortable, fitted clothing and grip socks. We have grip socks available if you need them.
How do I book? Get in touch and we will arrange a time that works.
Written by Lucia Poulter
Lucia is lead instructor and co-founder at Luma Pilates, with 26 years of teaching experience and Comprehensive BASI certification. She teaches both group and private sessions at the studio. In her experience, combining the consistency of group practice with occasional one-to-one work can be particularly effective.
