THE STUDIO
Inside the gem of Rusthall.
Naomi and Alan Murray's herbal clinic and boutique health store on Rusthall High Street — a third-generation herbalist and a working physiotherapist, and my studio that sits within their practice.
Botanica Health is a natural health clinic and boutique shop on Rusthall High Street — a place built around herbal medicine, nutrition and considered, holistic care.
Their team has been doing this work for around three decades, and the building has the feel of somewhere that's been thinking carefully about the human body for a long time. It's the right host for the kind of practice I run. Core Atelier sits inside the building as a dedicated, private Pilates studio.
WHAT BOTANICA DOES
Herbal medicine. Ayurveda. Nutrition. Vitamins & minerals. Natural skincare. Sports therapy. Whole foods
THE ROOM
The Pilates studio is on the first floor.
Only ever one (or two) clients in the room at a time (with mine). No background music battling someone else's playlist, no passing through, no waiting your turn at the Reformer. You walk in, the door closes, and for the next hour the room is yours.
It's a quieter kind of practice — and after a few sessions, most people realise it's the privacy as much as the apparatus that's letting the work go deeper.
THE CENTREPIECE
A Reformer Tower, by Legacy, made the original way.
The Reformer Tower by Legacy is one of the best quality classical reformers you can get. Mine lives at the heart of the studio is built from solid wood, metal and leather — the same materials Joseph Pilates himself used.
Four springs, all of equal weight. A sliding carriage. Real leather straps. Sheepskin bootstrap and handle covers. Nothing about it is generic.
As a society we are more aware than ever we need to load our bones to maintain strong bones, especially after 40.
The weight of these springs and the precision of the movement gives you that progressive overload— I have not been on any other machine like it, that's why it teaches the body something different from anything else I've worked on.
THE FAMILY
And the rest of the apparatus.
Each piece teaches a different lesson. Used together, they cover so much of the body needs to learn.
Reformer
The spring carriage. The heart of the system.
Tower
Vertical spring work and spinal articulation.
Wunda Chair
Compact, demanding, brilliant for control.
Half Barrel
Sculpted curves for chest and spine.
Mat
The original method. Bodyweight, gravity, precision.
Wall Bars
Not necessarily pilates but incredibly versatile and is used often for clients with osteoporosis, scoliosis and those with frozen shoulders.
THE COMMUNITY
The right people under one roof.
Working from inside Botanica means I'm steps away from practitioners I trust. If a session reveals something that needs hands-on work — or a different kind of help entirely — the referral is across the hall, not across town.
Alyssia Kremin
Classical Pilates, fascia release, hypopressives, postnatal rehabilitation.
CORE ATELIER
Herbal medicine & nutrition
The original work of the building — herbal consultations, nutritional advice, vitamins and natural skincare.
BOTANICA HEALTH
Sports & manual therapy
On-site sports massage and manual therapy for when hands-on work is what's needed first.
BOTANICA HEALTH
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a holistic therapy that uses essential oils — concentrated extracts distilled from plants, flowers, bark, or peels — to support physical and emotional wellbeing.
BOTANICA HEALTH
YOUR FIRST VISIT
What to expect.
01
Arrive a few minutes early.
You'll come in through the main Botanica entrance. Take a seat and I'll come to find you.
02
We talk first.
Symptoms, history, anything that's been bothering you. The session is built from this conversation, so the more honest the better.
03
Then we get to work.
Fascia release on the floor, a postural assessment, pilates, breath. You leave with a recorded sequence for home practice.