Gifts Gift guide
Gifts for Someone Who Does Pilates
Easier than buying for a yoga practice, because the small equipment is genuinely useful and genuinely cheap. One rule: not a machine.
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Quick picks
The short answer
1 · The safe pilates gift
Pointe Studio Happy Grip SocksMost studios require grip socks, everybody who goes needs more than one pair, and sock sizing is forgiving.
Maker lists style: Full foot, crew and ankle heights
2 · Best for a home practice
ProBody Pilates Ring, Ball and Band KitRing, ball and bands in one box. Covers most of the small equipment a home mat practice wants.
Maker lists included: 14 in ring, 9 in ball, resistance bands, pump and bag
3 · If they practice on a yoga mat
Manduka X Mat 5mmA firmer mat suits pilates better, and a lot of people never realize that is why their rolling work feels awkward.
Maker lists thickness: 5 mm
4 · The small one
ProBody Pilates Ring (Magic Circle)Cheap, stores on a hook, and it makes exercises they already do meaningfully harder.
Maker lists diameter: 14 in
#ad · Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we do not print them. Figures here are the manufacturer's own. The ranking is editorial, made against the criteria on our How We Pick page, not from lab work. Photos are stock. Tap a pick for the full write-up.
The rule
Pilates gifts are easier than yoga gifts, because the small equipment is both useful and inexpensive. Grip socks, a ring, a small ball — all three are things people use regularly and none is something they will already have three of.
The one hard rule is at the other end of the scale, and it is in the section below.
Studio or home?
This is the only question that really changes the answer, and it is easy to find out.
| They go to | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A reformer studio | Grip socks | Required by most studios, and nobody has enough pairs |
| A mat class | Grip socks or a ring | Socks for policy, a ring for progression |
| Home mat practice | A ring and ball set | The small equipment they have been meaning to buy |
| Home with a machine | Socks, or a block of classes | They already have the equipment they need |
| You have no idea | Grip socks | Works in every column |
Grip socks are the answer in almost every row, which makes them the default pilates gift in the way a mat towel is the default yoga one. Sizing is forgiving, studios require them, and they wear out — our picks are here.
Do not buy the machine
A reformer is almost never a good gift, and a reformer board or bar is only a good gift if it has been explicitly discussed.
Three reasons. It is a large object and deciding where it lives is part of the purchase. It is a considered buy that most people want to research themselves. And it arrives with an implication — that they should be training more — which is not what a present should say.
If you genuinely want to spend at that level, a block of studio classes is better in every respect: no footprint, no research, and instruction is the thing most home practitioners are actually short of. Bar versus reformer covers the equipment question if they have asked for one.
In detail
Every pick, in full
1
Stock photoThe safe pilates gift
Pointe Studio Happy Grip Socks
As the manufacturer lists it
What it gets right
- Stay put rather than rotating on your foot
- Grip covers the whole sole, including the heel
- Comfortable enough to wear outside class
What it does not
- Costs more per pair than budget grip socks
- Full foot means less toe feel than split-toe
- Grip wears smooth after many washes
Skip it if
you want the barefoot feel of a split-toe sock.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Pointe Studio Happy Grip Socks
2
Stock photoBest for a home practice
ProBody Pilates Ring, Ball and Band Kit
As the manufacturer lists it
What it gets right
- Covers nearly every prop a beginner mat class calls for
- Cheaper than buying the pieces separately
- Everything fits in the supplied bag
What it does not
- Individual pieces are budget-grade
- Bands are the first thing you will replace
- You may only ever use two of the four items
Skip it if
you already own bands and only want a ring.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to ProBody Pilates Ring, Ball and Band Kit
3
Stock photoIf they practice on a yoga mat
Manduka X Mat 5mm
As the manufacturer lists it · Manduka
What it gets right
- Stable under rolling and shifting weight, not just static poses
- Wipes clean quickly
- Textured both sides so it does not slide on the floor
What it does not
- Less cushion than a dedicated pilates mat
- No alignment markings
- Firm surface takes getting used to after a foam mat
Skip it if
your practice is almost entirely seated or kneeling — you will want more padding.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Manduka X Mat 5mm
4
Stock photoThe small one
ProBody Pilates Ring (Magic Circle)
As the manufacturer lists it
What it gets right
- Turns easy mat exercises into difficult ones instantly
- Costs less than a single class
- Stores on a hook
What it does not
- Narrow use case — it is one tool for one job
- Padded grips compress over time
- Too springy for some people's knees
Skip it if
you have knee pain that inner-thigh squeezing aggravates.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to ProBody Pilates Ring (Magic Circle)
Before you order
- Check the studio's sock policy if you are buying socks for a specific studio. Some specify full-foot coverage or toe socks.
- Do not buy clothing unless you know their size. Same rule as everywhere else.
- Check for a latex allergy before buying anything with resistance bands, which are usually latex.
- Do not buy a mat unless they are new to it. Same as yoga — an established practitioner chose theirs.
- Avoid anything with a footprint unless you have seen their home.
If they do both yoga and pilates, which plenty of people do, the yoga list overlaps considerably — gifts for yoga people — and the smaller-gift list works for either.
How we picked
Chosen on published criteria, and we say so
Most gear sites open by telling you how many hours they spent with the products. We have not used most of these, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Every pick here is chosen against criteria we publish — grip, cushioning, size options, what buyers report after a year of use, and whether the thing is still actually sold — and every manufacturer figure on the page is labeled as the maker's claim.
Nobody pays for a place on this page, no product was supplied free in exchange for coverage, and a specification the maker does not publish is never guessed at. See the full criteria and weighting.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What is a good gift for someone who does pilates?
Should I buy someone a pilates reformer?
What size grip socks should I buy?
Related
Keep reading
Update log
What changed
- First published.
Receipts
Sources
- 1.NBC Select — The best Pilates socks
- 2.Garage Gym Reviews — Best Pilates Socks
- 3.Merrithew — Pilates equipment shop
- 4.Manduka — product information
We have not used every product on this page, and we do not pretend otherwise. Thicknesses, materials, sizes and warranty terms are the manufacturer's published figures, shown as their claims. Anything about materials, skin or injury is linked to a source. Prices are set by Amazon and change constantly, so we never print one. Read the full method.