Why the bed matters to you
A reformer is a precise bit of equipment that you’re asked to trust straight away. If the carriage sticks, or the springs feel uneven, you can’t tell whether the problem is the bed or you. That’s a horrible way to learn anything.
Buying new took a whole category of doubt out of your first class, and that felt worth doing.
New,notsecond-hand
What you’ll notice
A smooth, quiet carriage with no catch at either end. Springs that feel the same on the tenth repetition as the first. Upholstery that hasn’t been flattened by a decade of use.
None of it is glamorous. All of it is the difference between thinking about the movement and being distracted by the machine.
Worth saying
Plenty of lovely studios run well-kept older beds, and a good teacher on an old reformer beats a poor one on a new bed every time. The equipment is a floor, not a ceiling.