Meet the team.
Qualified instructors, small classes, one shared approach. Founded and led by Victoria Barton.
Meet the team.
Our instructors bring different training and experience to the studio. What they share is an attentive approach: explaining the movement, watching each person and offering useful feedback.
Victoria.
Founder of Reformer Pilates Algarve, the first dedicated group Reformer studio in the region. Victoria holds a Polestar Pilates Diploma, a qualification grounded in rehabilitation science, and has been teaching since 2013. Her full story is below.
Finna.
A nature and animal lover from Ireland, Finna has taken fitness seriously since her early twenties, trying nearly every form of exercise along the way. Then she found Pilates and that was that: the controlled, focused, breath-led work was exactly what she had been looking for. In 2018 she turned that passion into a career, qualifying with a diploma in classical mat Pilates teaching and following it with Reformer training in Dublin. She is still learning more about the body every day. Her goal is simple: to help you feel better in your body while you learn and perfect the practice. Expect a fun, focused class.
Adi.
Adi discovered Pilates and immediately loved the discipline of it. After years of lessons and learning the method properly, she trained as an instructor herself, completing the Comprehensive Instructor training at the Wingate Institute in Tel Aviv in 2019. Her appreciation for the mind-body connection comes down to one belief: the body cannot go where the mind has not been. Adi teaches groups and private sessions and is committed to helping clients reach their goals and discover what Pilates can do. Away from the studio she holds a masters degree in business and finance from the Wharton School and advises public companies on investor relations.
Seon.
Seon is a South Korean-Irish Pilates and barre instructor, trained with Pilates Teacher Training Ireland (PTTI), Balanced Body, and Bootybarre. She teaches mat, Reformer, Tower, and barre, and especially enjoys 1 to 1 sessions, with mat Pilates her favourite format of all. She takes ongoing learning seriously, regularly attending classes and workshops with different instructors and educators across cities and countries, and is currently expanding her movement practice through ballet and fencing.
Filipe.
Filipe Balbino da Costa Lohmann is a movement professional with a degree in Physical Education and a Master's in Rehabilitation Sciences, specialising in Clinical Exercise Physiology. As a Pilates instructor he works through precision, control, and individual adaptation, integrating contemporary and classical Pilates with clinical exercise and kinesiotherapy. Filipe works with clients managing pain, old injuries and recovery.
The founder.
Victoria started teaching in the Algarve with one Reformer, one chair and mat classes in the park.
It started with one Reformer and a chair.
Victoria arrived in Portugal from Sydney, where she had taught Pilates for years. She arrived pregnant, went looking for an equipment class, and could not find a single one. So after her baby was born, she started her own: one Reformer, one chair, and mat classes in the park. Every year she bought one more machine, as one more group of people discovered what the Reformer can do. That slow, stubborn build became the first dedicated group Reformer Pilates studio in the Algarve, now in Almancil.
Teaching since 2013.
Victoria has taught people starting Pilates for the first time, returning after a break and building on years of practice. Her interest is in the person in front of her: what they find difficult, what they enjoy and what they want to work towards.
Why the studio is the way it is.
The studio is set up for small groups, with a Reformer for each person and room for the instructor to move around. Victoria holds a Polestar Pilates Diploma and brings that training to both group classes and private sessions.
See the classes →The facts behind the teaching.
Victoria has been teaching Pilates since 2013, working with clients at different ages and levels of experience.
Victoria founded Reformer Pilates Algarve and grew it from a single Reformer into a dedicated group studio in Almancil.
Victoria holds a Polestar Pilates Diploma, a qualification grounded in rehabilitation science and movement principles.
One Reformer, one chair, and mat classes in the park. The whole studio grew from there, one machine a year.
How she teaches.
Clear explanations and individual feedback.
Victoria's teaching style is direct. She explains the purpose of each exercise and how to do it. She watches carefully and corrects early, before bad patterns set in.
The level of challenge changes from person to person. Victoria adjusts exercises and spring settings to suit your experience and what you're working on that day.
Victoria leads a small team of qualified instructors. You can read about each teacher's background above and see who's teaching in the booking calendar.
She also runs private 1:1 sessions for clients who want something more tailored, beginners who want to learn properly before joining a group, or clients working towards specific goals.
Location
Almancil, Algarve
Studio type
First group Reformer studio in the area
Teaching since
2013
Contact
What clients say.
"It is a bold statement but Victoria's classes have changed my life for the better."
Sarah
"I love the variety, the atmosphere and the energy at the studio."
Tess
"Since taking reformer Pilates classes on a regular basis, my fitness, flexibility and general body strength have improved greatly."
Manganita
Come and try a class.
Book online, or get in touch with any questions first. Victoria responds personally.