I Tried Nofar Method, The NYC Pilates Class Supermodels Swear By

My taxi was at a standstill in Tribeca thanks to construction, and after watching the ETA creep later and later, I finally gave up, jumped out of the car, and ran the rest of the way. By the time I arrived, I was winded, sweaty, and convinced I’d missed the start of class. Instead, I was greeted by a beautiful smiling receptionist who immediately made me feel welcome. Just a week earlier, I’d shown up to another Pilates studio and forgotten to sign up in advance. The woman at the front desk was visibly irritated while informing me that by the time I paid, class would already be five minutes underway and wouldn't be worth attending. She couldn't usher me out fast enough. What a contrast in customer service. At Nofar Method , I was escorted directly to my station and introduced to Elizabeth’s portion of the workout. Founded by Nofar Hagag, a former Division I athlete who developed the method while attending medical school, Nofar Method combines both the Cadillac and the Reformer in a single workout. In all my years taking classes around New York City, I’d never experienced another studio that regularly incorporates both machines into the same class. If you've taken a Reformer class , you already know that machine. It's the bed-like frame with the sliding carriage you push and pull against spring resistance. The Cadillac is the one most people haven't met yet. In fact, before I walked into Nofar Method, the Cadillac machine mostly existed in my mind as something from another era of Pilates. I remembered seeing old photos of Karlie Kloss working out with her personal trainer on a Cadillac machine in the early 2010s. It's a raised, padded table framed by an overhead canopy of bars, springs, straps, and a trapeze, and unlike the Reformer, the table doesn't move. You do, using the bars and springs for support or resistance. Joseph Pilates reportedly dreamed it up from hospital bed frames he rigged for bedridden patients. Where the Reformer is the workhorse of group Pilates, the Cadillac is the specialist. It's the one that lets you hang, stretch, and work overhead in ways a Reformer can't. The combination of these two machines is what makes Nofar Method so interesting. It doesn’t fit neatly into any one fitness category. It isn’t classical Pilates technically, but it doesn’t feel like a megaformer workout either. The studio has built a devoted following among New York’s fashion and wellness crowd. Supermodel Paulina Porizkova has publicly praised the workout’s emphasis on balance and control and credits it for her abs, while Brooke Shields has spoken about training there after breaking her femur and having to relearn how to walk, saying that she loves that it's "low-impact" and "specific." The method’s reputation has spread largely through word of mouth, which is rare in a city where every new workout seems to be filled with girls who got their recommendation from a viral TikTok ad. “The workout classes are honestly easy in NYC compared to Miami these days,” a friend told me over coffee at Haraz in SoHo. As a former Miami resident, I recommended she try this class and get back to me. At $49 per class, Nofar Method certainly isn’t cheap. Then again, neither is most boutique fitness in Manhattan. We began on the Cadillac. The instructor had us place Bosu balls on top of the machine and use them throughout a series of exercises focused on balance and stability. As someone who feels like her core strength and stability haven’t been quite the same since having children, I noticed immediately how much concentration the workout demanded. There was no zoning out. No mindlessly moving through repetitions or waiting for the class to end so I could focus on work. Every exercise required focus. One thing I didn’t expect was that I never once looked at my phone. That may sound ridiculous, but it has become my unofficial benchmark for whether a workout is truly engaging. In slower classes, I’ve occasionally snuck a glance at a text message or email between exercises. During Nofar Method, there simply wasn’t time. Or rather, I didn’t even think of doing so. The class moves quickly. You grab weighted balls. Then Pilates rings. Then resistance accessories stored underneath the machine. You’re constantly transitioning from one movement to another, which keeps the workout feeling fresh rather than repetitive. The room itself is beautiful. Bright, clean, and undeniably posh. Ironically, despite not being a classical Pilates class, Nofar Method felt closer to classical Pilates than many megaformer workouts I’ve tried. There was a consistent focus on alignment, control, and proper movement patterns rather than simply flailing around in an effort to “burn more calories.” That’s not to say it wasn’t difficult. It was. Every movement seemed designed to strengthen something specific rather than simply make participants sweat. About halfway through class, we transitioned to the Reformer. We placed our boxes beside the machine, adjusted our springs, and moved into a series of exercises that somehow managed to make muscles I didn’t know existed start working. One moment we were balancing on all fours with a strap around one foot. The next we were lunging, stabilizing, reaching, and rotating. Then came my favorite portion of every Pilates class: legs in straps. If you’re a Pilates girl , you know. When I went to clean the Reformer, I understood what makes Nofar Method different. Many workouts leave you feeling exhausted, but few leave you aware of every muscle you used. As I headed toward the subway afterward, my inner thighs were already sore. And that’s coming from someone who takes Pilates regularly. Clearly, I was using different muscles than I was used to. The Cadillac and Reformer combination keeps things interesting. The emphasis on stability and form makes the movements more effective, and the pace is quick enough that the 50 minutes disappear before you realize it. Will one class transform your body? Of course not. But I left with the feeling that if I committed to coming two or three times a week, the results would be dramatic. Which is probably why so many women swear by it. After I get back from my travels this summer, I may just test that theory out.