Sculpt House, the reformer Pilates studio taking over Lacy Road’s longest-empty shopfront, held its launch party at the weekend, ahead of opening its doors to the public on Monday.
At Saturday’s preview, six reformer machines filled the main room: cream leather carriages set into dark wood frames, with the pulley and spring systems that give reformer Pilates its resistance. Free-standing screens let members choose an instructor-led class or work through a routine solo. Two arched mirrors and floor-to-ceiling windows, dressed in pale curtains, give the room its light.
The finish is calm throughout. A changing area with grey lockers and bench seating, freshly fitted toilets with a walnut vanity unit, gold tap and striped wallpaper in place of what had been a bare, derelict space.
Balloons and a DJ set from Sofia Bellerby marked the occasion, with cupcakes and mocktails on a welcome table alongside cards from local businesses involved in the launch.
The unit at 18-20 Lacy Road sat empty for more than a year after Kashmir restaurant closed in May 2025, and was squatted soon after. It has been a sad spot on the road, given fresh life on when founder Melissa Measoud took over the lease in June.
Melissa isn’t done yet: she has plans to convert the downstairs into a mat-class studio with therapy and recovery rooms – but for now she had built a serene and classy studio space waiting for Putney wellness seekers.
It wasn’t an easy process, she spent more than a year trying to secure the site. “Legal battles, delays, setbacks, sleepless nights, stress, self doubt, and moments I genuinely thought this would never happen,” she wrote on Instagram in June, describing the process of getting the keys. She has said she chose Putney for “its fantastic sense of community”, and that the response from local people so far has been “incredibly encouraging”.
One of the studio’s instructors, Marti Kapron, lives just minutes away and will lead the first classes on Monday. The class list runs from Foundation Reformer, aimed at people new to the machines, through to Signature Sculpt, a full-body class built around strength and control for those with some reformer experience already.
Sculpt House is running a founding membership scheme: 15 visits a month for £250, with the rate locked for 12 months on a minimum three-month commitment. Founding members also get priority booking and a welcome pack. Once the studio is running at full capacity, the equivalent standard membership will cost £375. Smaller packages are also on offer, from a £60 introductory pack of three classes to £34 drop-in sessions, and an on-demand reformer option is coming soon from £25 a class.
Booking is through Momence. Sculpt House is at 18-20 Lacy Road, SW15 1NL.
