Meet the Team

As someone who’s been teaching in the health and fitness industry for over 38 years and before that a professional ballet dancer it took me a while to discover Pilates. However, now I am totally hooked and can’t imagine life without it!

I’m Denise founder and owner of Core and Mama Restore

What is truly amazing is that it is great for postural issues, lower back pain, rehabilitation from any injury, hernias caused from a weak core, pelvic floor related issues and diastasis recti (Mummy Tummy) in post-natal clients.

After 14 years of living in the UK we decided to move back home to Cape Town to semi retire. My dream was to open a Pilates studio to accommodate a variety of clients presenting with different issues as I do love a challenge! I found the house on Raats Drive which had previously been a physiotherapist’s premises and with the outlook over the “back to nature” landscaped garden it was perfect.

I often get asked why the colours orange and turquoise and the logo with the lotus flower …

Orange: with its enthusiasm for life, the colour orange relates to adventure and risk-taking, inspiring physical confidence, those inspired by orange are always on the go! Hello, those that know me well!
Turquoise: The colour turquoise is associated with meanings of refreshing, calming, wisdom, serenity, wholeness, emotional balance, tranquillity, patience, intuition, and loyalty.
Lotus Flower: In Buddhist symbolism the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body, speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. It is also symbolic of detachment as drops of water easily slide off its petals.

These explanations completely embody what I believe in and why I am so passionate in helping and healing people both physically and emotionally.

If you ever see a blonde woman doing a side plank on a mountain – it’s probably me!

Hi, I’m Hayley, one of the instructors at the Core Restore Pilates Studio. My Pilates journey began 3 years ago as a client, when I came to Denise, the founder of Core Restore, after sustaining a back injury. As a result, I had an extremely weak core, poor posture and chronic lower back pain. Due to the nature of Pilates, I have been able to slowly rebuild my strength, maintain good posture in exercise, as well as in my daily life, and am now living pain-free once again.

Wanting to share this knowledge and be able to help others, naturally the next step on my journey was to obtain my qualification to become an instructor. I qualified with a Distinction at the start of 2019, and am looking forward to guiding others on their journey.

When I am not instructing Pilates, I run a theatre company, putting on children’s productions around the whole of South Africa. I am also a keen hiker, beach lover, and thanks to Pilates I have rediscovered my love of running. My next challenge is venturing into the world of trail running, with, of course, the obligatory stops for Side-Plank photo opportunities!

Hi I’m Jodie

I started my personal Pilates journey in the UK and in 2013 while pregnant with my daughter I moved to Cape Town. I met Denise Louw from Core Restore Pilates Studio in 2014 and started attending regular classes.As I  became passionate about Pilates it was a natural step for me to go and study to become an instructor myself! I trained at the ETA College in Rondebosch and passed my Pilates course with distinction going on to teach at Core Restore. My classes offer a relaxed space where we connect mind and body, focusing on the principles of Pilates. I also like to draw on my experience of the beauty industry to bring a holistic approach to my teaching. Hope to see you soon!