Liana Levy, 33, counts backwards from ten as I move my feet in slow circles in a cozy pool house in Holmby Hills. “Think happy thoughts,” she said, as my muscles trembled as I performed deceptively simple movements on her Pilates reformer. Her distinctive California voice drifts over a Bad Bunny-heavy playlist. She has a jet black tan in January and wears dainty gold jewelry. Her sweatshirt is emblazoned with the logo of her athleisure brand Sporty & Rich, and looks like it was custom-made just for her. Beneath that are her signature washboard abs. We’re talking about Marvel movies, and we can’t believe it’s not the CGI eight-pack that her 130,000-plus Instagram followers are familiar with. Her secret? Her Pilates method, Forma.
Although Levy didn’t invent the movements she teaches, she quickly became their gatekeeper, using her own body as a case study. Forma Pilates enhances the fundamentals of classic Pilates with what Levi calls an “athlete’s edge.” Rather than shouting buzzwords, Levi details what it means to train the pelvic floor and really feel the outer buttocks, and guides clients until they really feel it. With a slight adjustment she changes to 2 inches of movement. The Forma studio walls are adorned with signed rubber resistance bands that past clients snapped in half with the force of their thighs.
Rubber resistance bands snapped and signed by past customers adorn Levi’s home studio.
Los Angeles is no stranger to trendy workouts.Classes promoting Joe Pilates’ famous techniques exist in America’s fitness capital Since 1972. Many counterfeit products have also appeared. The fast-paced class, which uses super-large machines such as Solid Core and Megaformer, takes inspiration from Pilates, but cannot use that name. Like champagne and sparkling wine, Pilates is inherently special. Forma is exclusive by design, an invitation-only exercise community that charges $100 for semi-private reformer classes and $250 for private sessions. Forget about Raya, Soho House, or even Magic Castle. Getting into a Levi’s Forma Pilates class might be the hardest ticket in town.
Levi grew up “very sheltered” in the well-kept suburb of Holmby Hills. As a student at Milken, an elite Jewish private school, she played sports and danced competitively. At age 16, she took her first Pilates class to supplement her training and she quickly became hooked.
“I strengthened muscles I didn’t even know existed,” she said. She realized that this is the most elegant and beautiful type of fitness. ”
Liana Levy.
Liana Levi teaches Kasia Taylor how to use Pilates equipment.
After working several jobs in the fashion industry in her 20s, Levi took a chance and earned her Pilates teaching license. She has long been frustrated with local Pilates classes that don’t teach proper form or emphasize the importance of the “mind-body connection,” and she thinks she could do better. she was thinking. In 2020, during her pandemic lockdown, she launched Forma Pilates out of her mother’s pool house. For safety reasons, there was only room for two renegades, so she had no choice but to start small. First an informal class for friends, then a class for friends of friends. Word of mouth about her exacting technique spread from her close circle of acquaintances to a small number of celebrities. Within four months, Levi’s small business, which she started as a pandemic experiment, attracted A-listers like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid.
A year after its launch, Levi’s expanded Forma to Melrose Avenue Studios in West Hollywood. Despite the demands, she kept her studio intimate, with only four of her clients per class. Soon, the Daily Mail published paparazzi photos of Kendall Jenner leaving the studio, sparking interest in her forma. Levi has expanded her clientele to include connections up to six degrees away from her. “I wanted to keep it exclusive and unique, niche, boutique and luxurious,” she said.
In November 2023, Forma debuted a heated mat Pilates class in its new 14-person Beverly Glen Studio. This is the largest and cheapest of Forma’s classes. Levi’s calls it “more accessible,” but it remains true to the exclusivity at the core of the brand. At $50 a pop, it beats Barry’s Bootcamp ($34), SoulCycle ($34), and Solidcore ($40) in price per class. Like all Forma classes, it requires an introduction. When I took the class at noon on Friday, there were only 5 students. Paparazzi were lurking in the parking lot.
Liana Levi, owner of Forma Pilates, chats with students Kassia Taylor and Colleen McCabe in her home studio.
(Jason Almond/Los Angeles Times)
Currently, Forma has six locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix. With over 3,500 approved clients, Levi’s training allows him to choose from over 50 classes per week taught by 16 different instructors.Meanwhile, Levi travels for a pop-up and he teaches 10 classes a week in Los Angeles.
Despite the legions of devotees who happily attend Forma’s classes, those who fall outside the orbit of Levi’s charm must settle for Forma’s online platform. The $50/month service is updated weekly with pre-recorded mat and reformer workouts. They may not embrace the magical allure of membership in an invite-only exercise cult or the prospect of breaking a sweat next to Kaia Gerber. But you can actually enter.
