The Pilates Cadillac: What It Is and Why You'll Love It

When new clients walk into the studio, the reformer gets recognized. The other big piece of equipment, the one that looks like a four-poster bed crossed with a jungle gym, gets a raised eyebrow. That’s the Cadillac, also called a Trapeze Table, and it might be my favorite apparatus in the room. Very few studios around Richmond have one, which is a shame, because for certain bodies it’s the most useful tool Pilates ever produced.

The Cadillac is a raised table with an overhead frame, hung with springs, straps, a push-through bar, and a trapeze. Where the reformer moves underneath you, the Cadillac stays still while the springs assist or resist you from above, below, and behind. That stability changes what’s possible.

Here’s what I reach for it in my own teaching. For clients working through back pain or coming back from injury, the Cadillac lets me support a movement almost completely, then hand the work back to them a little at a time. The springs can make a movement easier, not just harder, and that assist is gold for anyone rebuilding trust in their body. For tight, desk-bound bodies, the push-through bar opens the shoulders and upper back in ways a mat never will. For clients who feel wobbly or nervous on the moving reformer carriage, the Cadillac feels grounded and secure. And for strong, seasoned clients, the same springs deliver some of the most challenging work in the studio, including hanging and standing exercises that light up everything at once.

What I love most is the range. In a single hour I can use the Cadillac to gently mobilize a stiff spine, strengthen a pelvic floor postpartum, and finish with work that leaves an athlete shaking. It meets you exactly where you are, then quietly raises the bar as you get stronger.

At Glide, the Cadillac is part of private sessions only, because getting the most out of it takes individual setup and hands-on guidance. Most private sessions here end up blending both machines: reformer for flowing, moving work, Cadillac for targeted opening and strength. You don’t have to choose, and honestly, the combination is where the magic happens.

If you’ve never tried a Cadillac before, come be one of the first people in Richmond to get to. Book a private session, tell me what your body’s been up to, and we’ll put that beautiful contraption to work for you.

Ready to try it? Your first private session is $50: Book Now