‘Nee Nonsense Pilates’ pioneer opens fifth studio

A North East fitness entrepreneur who rebuilt her career after a serious back injury is marking rapid growth with a fifth studio opening and a regional training legacy.

Nicci Rowlands founded PilatEASE in 2019 after turning to Pilates following a kettlebell injury. 

Unimpressed by what she found, she created what she calls a straightforward, unapologetically “Nee Nonsense Pilates” alternative.

Her first studio opened in Denton Burn, Newcastle, just months before the pandemic.

Nicci said: “The classes were beautiful. 

“But they weren’t built for people like me – injured, in pain and trying to rebuild.

“Health professionals were referring people to Pilates, but the reality didn’t match the need. 

“It felt exclusive. Aesthetic. Not rehabilitative.”

Demand accelerated as reformer machines offered a socially distanced workout option, and five years on PilatEASE operates studios in Denton Burn, Ryton, Morpeth, Consett and Whitley Bay, delivering nearly 200 classes each week. 

The brand’s approach centres on clear class formats and inclusive participation, with instructors and clients ranging in age from their twenties to their seventies.

Nicci said: “We teach proper Pilates.

“We just don’t wrap it in ego. 

“Real bodies. Real ages. Real teaching. 

“There’s no pressure to look the part. 

“No mirrors of judgement. 

“Wear what you want. Come as you are. Just move properly.

“We don’t argue about what ‘counts’ as Pilates. 

“If it’s safe, intelligent and helps people move better, we’re interested. 

“But standards matter. Good teaching matters.”

Nicci’s impact extends beyond her own sites.

In response to a regional instructor shortage during lockdown, she became an approved training provider with Active IQ. 

Through PilatEASE Training School, she delivers regulated qualifications in mat work, reformer instruction and specialist pre and postnatal Pilates. 

To date, Nicci has trained more than 100 Pilates teachers, contributing to the opening of around 50 reformer studios across the North East.

Now operating as a Community Interest Company, PilatEASE has adopted a not-for-profit model focused on accessibility and transparent pricing.

Nicci added: “It’s our two fingers to an industry obsessed with exclusivity.

“Reformer shouldn’t be elite. 

“It shouldn’t be intimidating. 

“And it shouldn’t be priced so normal people can’t access it.”

PilatEASE will host the region’s first Pilates Convention on November 14 at the Grand Hotel, Gosforth Park, featuring multi-apparatus classes, specialist vendors and the launch of a new partnership with Scottish manufacturer Origin Fitness, as it continues to strengthen its community-led approach to fitness across the North East.

Nicci added: “Pilates changed my life when I was in pain and didn’t know how I was going to keep working. 

“This business came from that place.

“And that’s why we’ll always keep it real. 

“No fluff. No snobbery. Just powerful movement, taught properly.”

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