Meet The BodyBella Pilates Studio Team
BodyBella Pilates Studio is the vision of Principal Instructor Mel Harrison. She has built something genuinely special in the Hutt Valley, a boutique studio where every client feels known and supported.
In 2024, the Hutt Valley community agreed, voting BodyBella Pilates Studio one of the Top 25 Health & Wellness providers in Upper Hutt in the Health4You awards.
Like any good thing, it doesn't happen alone. Here are some of the people Mel collaborates with to make BodyBella Pilates Studio the best it can be. In the studio, you may also meet Penny, who teaches classes on public holidays and when Mel is away.
Mel Harrison, Founder & Principal Instructor
In June 2020, Mel opened BodyBella, a boutique home-based studio with four high-quality Pilates Reformer machines. She intentionally keeps classes small so she can provide individual attention, technical guidance, and modifications, ensuring every client feels supported, whatever their experience level.
Mel is passionate about helping both women and men discover strength, confidence, and connection through Reformer Pilates. She is experienced in both Mat and Reformer Pilates and has specialist training in menopause wellbeing.
Mel wants to know your name, your history, and what you're working towards. She will help guide you with modifications suited just for you. Whether it's your first session or your hundredth, she'll meet you exactly where you are.
Behind the Scenes
Every good studio has a support crew. You might have met ours in a Reformer Pilates class.
Vee, VL Studio
Website & Technical Guru
Vee is the creative and technical force behind the BodyBella website. She designs the content, does the photography, proofs Mel's emails, and keeps everything running smoothly. She's the person behind the scenes making sure the digital side of BodyBella Pilates Studio is as polished as the studio itself.
She is also a keen Reformer Pilates fan, and has a very personal understanding of what new clients need to know before they walk through the door.
Heather, Faking It Well Series
Content & Copywriter
Heather helps find the right words for BodyBella Pilates Studio, writing copy, shaping content, and occasionally sending Mel "we should try this" videos of varying degrees of practicality.
A devoted Reformer Pilates fan since discovering BodyBella Pilates Studio, she brings curiosity, creativity, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting, both on the reformer and on the page.
Meet the Studio Mascots
Every studio needs a mascot, and now BodyBella Pilates Studio has two.
Meet Lucy, Mel's new kitten
If you have been coming to the studio for a while, you may remember being greeted by Rex, Mel's old cat, who sadly passed away in September 2025. Mel has since found a bright, friendly kitten to take up the mantle and settle in as the studio cat. Lucy has already joined a few classes and loves them, especially when she can watch the birds out the window.
Meet Molly, a class regular
No team page would be complete without a mention of Molly. She belongs to Mary, one of our long-time regulars, and has been a much-loved presence at the studio for years, quietly supervising classes from the Pilates Reformer machine while everyone else does the hard work. Mel considers her an honorary member of the team. She's great with cats, and is getting to know Lucy, the studio's newest arrival.
Award-Winning Fitness Studio
In 2024, BodyBella Pilates Studio was recognised as one of the Top 25 Health & Wellness providers by Health4You. This award is chosen by our clients, which makes it all the more meaningful.
