Pilates studio

Dina ElShurafa, Founder of Reform Athletica, shares how Pilates and TRX can carve out a sense of peace and mental escape this summer and beyond.
Talk us through your background.
I am a lawyer who has been practicing in London for the past 15 years. In fact, it was the very nature of my job that inspired me to start Reform Athletica during my frequent visits to Dubai. I split my time between London and Dubai and have recently taken the decision to step away from my legal career to focus on Reform Athletica as we embark on growing the brand within the GCC and beyond.
What inspired you to launch Reform Athletica?
Having experienced the benefits of strength training firsthand (lifting, TRX and reformer Pilates/Lagree), I wanted to bring to Dubai a concept that delivered a one-stop shop that catered to everyone’s fitness needs. As a type 1 Diabetic myself, I know the importance of staying healthy and fit and we recognised a gap in the Dubai market for a class-based fitness studio with high-quality training. My work brought me to Dubai often and when searching for studios in the city to continue with my fitness regime, the options were few and far between. After some initial due diligence, it seemed like the opportune moment to make Dubai home to Reform Athletica. At Reform Athletica, we believe transformation comes through our signature approach, RITUAL, which is based on three pillars: Move, Connect, Reflect. For us, it is not a choice between parts, it is the loop that closes the circle, the rhythm that evolves as you do. These pillars are the foundation of our brand, our training philosophy and our community. Every decision, every design element, every class, and every experience stems from these pillars. We move together in class, we build connections in and out of class and through everything we do, we reflect on how far we’ve come.
Reform Athletica was one of the first Lagree/Pilates studios in Dubai – how has the Lagree/Pilates game transformed in the UAE since you’ve launched?
True to Dubai form, the emirate has outdone itself, even in the Lagree/Pilates market. When we opened there were only a handful of options, whereas we are now spoilt for choice. It is very encouraging to see a lot of start-ups opening and I believe that Dubai offers the very best due to the very nature of the city attracting the best talent. We are fortunate to have been one of the first and have built a great community over the past 7 and a half years and have clients and supporters (like Emirates Woman) who have been with us since the very start. We could not have done it without them.
What are some of the key classes at Reform Athletica – tell us about the benefits.
We have the Reform Method which is Lagree/Pilates for low impact but high intensity. The second is Strength, which is a bootcamp total body conditioning class using weights, TRX and bursts of cardio. The third is Sculpt & Burn for a matt Pilates barre fusion class, the fourth is Microform for a Lagree session that packs a punch using a smaller machine and the fifth is yoga, stretch and sound meditation for the reset of the body. We pride ourselves on having developed a holistic offering that caters to clients of all ages, fitness levels and backgrounds. Although we are known for our Lagree/Pilates, our unsung hero classes are the Strength bootcamp, micro TRX and yoga. My favourite class is RA Strength because it is a great cardio/HIIT style class that gets the heart rate up with a lot of lifting and weights.
Can you tell us about the importance of strength training as women get into their 30s and 40s for longevity?
Strength training is crucial not just for women in their 30s and 40s but men too, as it helps preserve muscle mass, boost metabolism, and improve bone density, which are all factors in preventing age-related decline and supporting long-term health. As we enter our 30s and 40s, our muscle mass naturally decreases, which is why resistance training (think lifting, TRX and body conditioning) helps maintain that muscle. I cannot stress enough how important this is, as the work we put in now will largely dictate how competently we can weather the inevitable consequences of aging.
What are your top tips for maintaining a fitness routine even during the holidays?
Get your steps in. That’s the easiest way to stay active during the holidays. If you can’t face the gym: walk, run, swim. Do something that is different from your usual routine if you can. If you’re a gym aficionado, try to find a personal trainer wherever you’re going to do at least one or two sessions a week. I’ve recently started doing that when I’m on the road and it’s been great for mixing up my routine because every trainer is different, and your routine gets switched up with variety. It’s also great as it holds me accountable and makes sure I get my workout in the schedule with no excuses to put it off.

“Mindfulness is taking stock of where you are and understanding what your body and mind needs”

Tell us about the studio aesthetics – why was it important to design this that way?
Brick and mortar is important and that starts with designing for a hospitable, comfortable and high-end environment. More so than aesthetics, it is important to create a place that works for what we want to do. We love to incorporate lots of light and earthy tones to create a space that is timeless and classy. Art is a very important element of our design and aesthetic at Reform Athletica – art is our “wallpaper.” We believe that art has the ability to transform a space and at Reform Athletica we have an eclectic collection of artists from El Seed, Picasso, Damien Hirst and Fontana. The art of our studios has been collected over nearly a decade, years before the opening of our Jumeriah studio and the effort is constant. As we plan for expansion, we continue to monitor the art market and our search for interesting works covers Dubai and the auctions in London, Paris and New York. We have some interesting new works in our collection that will be displayed in the Abu Dhabi and Riyadh studios opening later this year, including Julian Opie, Niki Saint Phalle, and Kusama.
What summer-specific classes or recovery tools do you recommend to beat burnout and heat exhaustion?
Maintain your workout regime even during the summer. It’s easy to slip out of the ‘healthy habits’ during the summer because of the holidays, but treat your summer as you do any other month. Approach it with intention and discipline and ensure you are getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water and maintaining movement in whatever form. Switch to indoor activities, whether fitness classes or even a game of padel when it is too hot outside.
As a female founder balancing it all, what advice do you have for carving out mindful moments to reset for the busy season?
Movement is the best reset. It is so easy to keep chugging along when you’re busy with a never-ending to-do list. However, I have found that a walk, a class, a run, or a workout – any movement in whatever form, is the best way to break up the day, to reset, rebalance, and give the brain a break. Mindfulness is taking stock of where you are and understanding what your body and mind need. Once you’ve got that understanding, it becomes second nature to introduce mini mental and physical breaks for that much-needed reset.
What are your expansion plans in the GCC?
We’ve already announced earlier in the year our current expansion plans into Abu Dhabi and for our first location out of the UAE, in Riyadh. It feels like the natural next step for us, and we are very excited for where we will be by the end of 2025. That’s not to say that we are done with Dubai – things are cooking behind the scenes, and we will share more news when the time is right. This is the very reason why I have stepped out of my legal career to focus on our expansion plans, and I am very excited for where we will take the brand over the next two to three years.
This is The Summer Escape Issue – where do you plan on travelling to this Summer?
Aside from London, I will be between Riyadh, Dubai and Abu Dhabi to oversee the new and existing locations. But I am hoping to get some time off in August for an active break in Switzerland.
Scroll through the gallery below to discover the full shoot:
Photographer: Ziga MihelcicCreative Direction: Amy SessionsFashion Editor: Camille MacawiliMakeup & Hair: Karolina KurowickaModel: Mansi at MMG Artists
Styling with thanks to VAARA

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