Auckland’s wellness landscape is shifting, and at the forefront is Cora Studio, a refined, design-led space that blends world-class Pilates with the power of community and collective restoration. At a time when wellness has become increasingly solitary, Cora brings people back together through movement, connection and shared ritual.

At the centre of the studio is founder Mibella Villafana, whose unique global perspective shapes everything that happens within its walls. Her philosophy is simple: movement is most transformative when shared.

Growing up between San Diego and Mexico, Mibella’s approach to movement is informed by culture, psychology and years of experience. With formal study in psychology and 15 years of extensive training across contemporary and classical Pilates disciplines, she brings a rare balance of intuitive insight and technical mastery to Cora. Her somatic, intelligent style has already positioned her as one of Auckland’s leading voices in movement and modern wellbeing.

It’s why Cora has quickly become regarded as the best Pilates studio in Auckland. Classes here are led by a handpicked team of the city’s most skilled instructors, chosen and mentored by Mibella for their deep technical understanding and their ability to create an atmosphere where people feel both supported and challenged. The coaching is intelligent, intuitive and deliberately human.

Yet what makes Cora truly unique is the atmosphere within the space. It is elevated but not exclusive, calm but energising, polished yet deeply warm. It is the kind of studio people walk into and feel instantly part of, a place where the collective experience becomes as important as the individual one.

Pilates remains the cornerstone of the studio, but Cora’s philosophy extends beyond the reformer. The contrast therapy zone, featuring Finnish saunas and twin cold plunges, serves as both a communal ritual and a recovery tool. Clients move between movement and heat and cold, sharing conversations, resets and moments of quiet reflection. The result is a space that embraces community and serves as a timely antidote to the hyper-individualism in our tech-obsessed lives.

This sense of collective care has also caught the attention of forward-thinking workplaces. Cora’s holistic model has become a blueprint for corporate wellness retreats, offering companies a way to bring their teams together through physical reset rather than boardroom bonding. Teams spend the day moving, breathing, sweating and reflecting together, a welcome antidote to digital fatigue and endless deadlines. For teams integrating strategy or leadership development, Cora provides a fully equipped boardroom and AV setup, ideal for presentations, workshops, and collaborative planning. The feedback, the founders say, has been extraordinary. In a day, people who arrived wired and distracted leave realigned, connected and clear.

Cora feels like the next movement in wellness: a return to community care, shared commitment, and embodied presence. A place where strength is built collectively, where recovery becomes ritual and where people come not only to move, but to feel part of something.

With Mibella’s leadership, a world-class team and a philosophy grounded in connection, Cora is quietly establishing itself as the future of Auckland wellbeing. A  studio that understands that true transformation happens together.

corastudio.co.nz