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 the 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 the 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
Mel opened the BodyBella Pilates Studio in 2020 with a clear intention to create a boutique Reformer Pilates Studio where every client feels genuinely supported and part of a community.
With a background in both Mat and Reformer Pilates and specialist training in menopause wellbeing, she brings intelligence, warmth and variety to every class.
The small classes are deliberate at BodyBella.
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 five 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, takes 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 BodyBella Pilates Studio now 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 late 2025.
Mel has found a bright and friendly kitten to take up the mantle and settle in to live as the BodyBella Pilates Studio cat. She has joined a few classes and enjoys them, especially when she can watch birds out the window.
Meet Molly, a class regular
No team page would be complete without a mention of Molly. Mary's beloved dog has been a regular presence at the studio for years, quietly supervising classes from the reformer machine while everyone else does the hard work.
Mel considers her an honorary member of the BodyBella Pilates Studio team. She is great with cats and is getting to know Lucy, the new studio kitten.
An Award Winning Fitness Studio
In 2024, BodyBella Pilates Studio was recognised as one of the Top 25 Health & Wellness providers by Health 4 You. This award is chosen by our clients, which makes it all the more meaningful.
