If you want to go to a Forma Pilates class, tough luck, says Rachel Strugatz in The New York Times. The exercise class is one of the most exclusive in America. It was started by Liana Levi – a “tan, taut and tiny” former celebrity stylist, with abdominal muscles “so individually defined that they look not quite human”. Levi, 32, only bought a Pilates machine in the first lockdown, teaching her friends from her pool house. But celebrities quickly caught wind. Soon she was instructing all of Hollywood’s Gen Z superstars, including Hailey Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Bella Hadid. She has three LA studios where group classes can cost $100 for 55 minutes. One-on-one sessions are even pricier: an hour at the studio costs $500; for house calls it’s $650.
But here’s the hard part. To get into one of Levi’s classes you need a referral. On rare occasions, she’ll accept people without references, so long as she has a few mutual friends with them on Instagram. “I don’t cater to the masses, I cater to a demographic,” says Levi. When she is asked what demographic that would be exactly, her response is simple: “Not masses.”