There seems to be a popular workout around Newcastle, with people talking left, right, and centre about their newest fitness regime, Pilates! Whilst it’s certainly not a new concept, we seem to be welcoming new studios to town every month, and once you’ve given the all-body workout a try, you’ll be able to understand why. This time round, we're welcoming the newest studio to town, Wickham St Studios!

Owned and run by Newcastle-born Sinead and Aishling Barrett, the studio is built around the idea of moving to feel good, and the twin sisters aim to create a space where everyone - regardless of experience, fitness level, age, or gender - are welcomed, supported, and challenged in class.

“Pilates and Yoga can feel very intimidating sometimes and we just wanted to be a little bit different and hopefully that’s what we’re doing.”

“We wanted to build a space where the focus is on moving to feel good and a space that is community focussed. Who we are as people is quite casual and a bit silly. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and we wanted that to come across in all of Wickham St Studios as well,” Aishling said.

After years of practicing and teaching in Melbourne and Sydney, the pair knew they wanted to come back to Newcastle to pursue the dream of opening up their own studio. 

Located in the backstreets of Wickham, the new Pilates studio is bursting at the seams with fun vibes. The duo has been looking for their dream space for years, and after setting foot inside the newly launched space, I’m glad they waited for this picture-perfect spot!

“It's funny because we looked at this exact property about two years ago but just weren't quite ready to make it happen. When it popped up for lease again we were like, yep that's it!”

Unlike any Pilates studio we’ve seen before, Wickham St Studios packs a punch when it comes to their space. From the bold branding to the fun, smiley, and bubbly personalities of Sinead and Aishling; there’s nothing but positive vibes here.

The logo, which exudes fun itself, was created by none other than the girls’ good friend and talented Artist, Ellen Porteus.

“We're so in love with the branding Ellen did for us. She knows us so well and really understood what we were after. We wanted it to be bright, bold, and energetic and she totally nailed it,” Sinead said.

Convinced to head to Wickham St Studios yet? Well, you’ll no doubt be wondering what kind of classes the new venue has to offer. Currently, the girls are offering two different types of mat Pilates, as well as Yoga and Barre with Reformer Pilates classes soon to be hitting the timetable.

“Mat Pilates is totally underrated! We've got two types, Power Pilates, a spicy, flowing class, and Pace Pilates, which adds a sweaty cardio element.

“We have a Yoga Flow class, it's a strong vinyasa style and Barre Burn, a full-body burner using the ballet barre,” Aishling said.

With their opening day kicking things off back in March, locals have been flocking to check out the brand-new space.

“There was so much build up to the Open Day. So much planning and painting and pulling things together beforehand so when finally opened our doors and got to meet people and teach it was amazing,” Sinead said.

Wickham St Studios is the perfect spot for anyone who wants to move and give Pilates a try; any age, level of experience, gender; everyone is welcome!

Unsurprisingly, this fun venue has big plans for their space including bringing some unique classes and specialised workshops to their space.

Big fan of the space? Well, you'll be psyched to hear that it's available to hire! Whether it's for photoshoots, events, or workshops; Wickham St Studios might just be the next hot spot!

Whether you’re new to Pilates or are a seasoned professional, or maybe it’s barre or yoga you’re after or just a fun, cool, supportive community space to feel a part of, the girls from Wickham St Studios have you sorted.