“My love of reformer pilates began when I started regularly travelling to Sydney in my previous line of work. I did my first ever reformer pilates class in Bondi and I was hooked from then on.

“I knew I wanted to bring the Aussie health and wellness style back home to Belfast with me, so after qualifying as a reformer pilates instructor, I opened the first Bondi Pilates studio in Dundonald, Belfast, in December 2023.

“We were one of the first reformer pilates studios in the area and I was totally blown away by the demand for it. So much so, I opened a further two studios in Belfast – Lisburn and Newtonabbey. I’d always wanted to take Bondi Pilates UK-wide and by the end of our first year in business, we’d opened our fourth studio in St Helens, Liverpool.”

“It’s no secret that Manchester has been building its own health and wellness community over the last few years. Much like Bondi, it feels like a hotspot for fitness with lots of people prioritising movement and wellbeing. We’d also started seeing people travel to our Liverpool studio from Manchester, so this gave me even more confidence that Manchester would be our next location.

“I did a lot of mapping of the city, visiting studios in the city centre and out in the suburbs to decide where would be the best fit for the brand. Salford Quays stood out – there’s a great mix of residential and office buildings here and we’re right by the water, so the similarity to Bondi was there.

“As soon as I walked into the space at Boat Shed and saw the arch window opening out onto the balcony overlooking the water, I knew it was the one. Arches are a signature design for us, inspired by the Sydney Opera House, so this detail made me feel like it was meant to be.”

“Manchester is our biggest studio yet. We’ve got 12 reformer beds and dedicated changing rooms. Everything has been tailored to the brand’s signature style from our arched mirrors to the clean, minimal aesthetic you’ll find in all our studios.

“The Urban Splash team have been brilliant – Lindsay, the host at Boat Shed, has been our go-to for anything and everything we’ve needed, from sharing the news of our opening with the wider Boat Shed community to helping us settle in. The spaces at Boat Shed are so adaptable – you can really see how these workspaces flex to suit so many different businesses and I’m proud to have brought a wellness offering to the building.

“The Boat Shed studio has gotten off to a truly flying start. The community is already building thanks to a weekly calendar full of a variety of classes, and we’ve also collaborated with local brands on specific community events to add value and bring more people together. This truly is the beginning, and I can’t wait to see our Manchester studio continue to flourish.”

"You can’t help but feel inspired in this building, there’s so much character and creativity here which is exactly what I wanted for my studio. It isn’t a traditional salon; it’s a creative studio where I just happen to do nails.

"It’s been such a great journey so far, and I’m so proud of what I’ve built. The studio really feels like home, and more importantly, it feels like me. I’ve got big plans for the future of Set Studio and having a space like Beehive Mill to grow from makes all the difference."