Simply Healthy

Simply Healthy is a compact wellness studio in St Paul's Bay, on the north-east coast of Malta, where movement, bodywork and nutrition advice are offered together. Instead of sending you to a gym for one thing and a spa for another, the studio brings Pilates, personal training, massage and dietitian support under one roof, and it lets you combine them in the same visit.

That mix suits residents who want a regular routine as well as UK visitors spending a week or two around Bugibba, Qawra and Mellieħa who would like to keep exercising on holiday or book a proper massage. On VisitMalta.co.uk it appears in our directories of nutritionists in Malta and Pilates studios in Malta.

Group Pilates classes

Three group classes run through the week, and each is priced at €9.50 for a single session or €75 for a block of ten. Pilates for Everyone is taught as a mat class suitable for complete beginners through to advanced athletes, with variations for each exercise so you can find the version that fits your body. It runs on Monday and Friday evenings from 19:00 to 20:00 and on Wednesday mornings from 09:00 to 10:00.

Pilates HIIT is described as an advanced transformation class. It blends short bursts of cardio such as skipping and jumping jacks with squats, press-ups and lunges, and Pilates work aimed at the deep core muscles. It meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 19:00 to 20:00. The third class, Pilates for Osteoporosis and Spinal Injury, is a gentler session built around balance, back and hip strength and light resistance with bands and a Pilates circle. It runs on Monday from 12:30 to 13:30 and on Friday from 17:30 to 18:30, and the studio strongly encourages newcomers to start with at least one private session.

The method asks for concentration: each exercise has a set placement, rhythm and breathing pattern, and you find a centre point from which to control the movement. Muscles are never worked to exhaustion, so a class feels demanding without leaving you drenched or strained, which is worth knowing if you are heading out to dinner afterwards.

Mat work and small equipment such as elastic bands, circles and balls are used throughout, and the teaching is individual enough that exercises are reviewed regularly to suit each person. This page describes what is offered and is not medical advice, so check with your own doctor if you have a condition.

Reformer Pilates and personal training

For people who want complete attention, the studio offers one-to-one Reformer Pilates. Sessions can use the Reformer, the Cadillac or the Trapeze, plus small props and myofascial release tools, and they begin with a detailed assessment including posture and body composition analysis. From that, a structured programme is built around your level and goals.

The studio lists this format as suitable for beginners who want to learn correct technique, clients with specific goals or injuries, people with back or spinal conditions, pre- and post-natal clients, athletes and anyone who prefers a private setting. Packages of ten sessions come with a free consultation, in either 60 or 30 minute lengths.

Personal training follows a similar pattern. Sessions are one to one and aim to help you work out the best type and frequency of exercise, along with realistic goals. The programme works on five components of health-related fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition, and involves a good deal of measuring and testing along the way.

Both services are tailored from the first meeting, so you are not handed a standard plan. If you are on holiday, a single assessment and one session can still give you a routine to take home, and residents can build a longer programme with regular reviews.

Massage and treatments

The massage menu is broad. Swedish massage costs €30 for 30 minutes, €45 for an hour and €60 for 90 minutes. Hot stone, aromatherapy, warm bamboo, deep tissue, maderotherapy contouring and lymphatic drainage massages are each €35, €50 and €65 for the same three lengths. Pregnancy massage is €45 or €60, and foot reflexology options are €45.

The therapeutic heat rub treatment uses warming creams for muscle, joint and tendon discomfort, while the muscle energy technique session combines controlled contractions with assisted stretching to improve mobility. Anyone who prefers something purely relaxing can choose Swedish, aromatherapy or the Holistic Journey, which includes heat therapy and acupressure points.

Several special offers are also listed. The Holistic Journey is a 90-minute treatment combining hot stones, an oriental head massage, reflexology, aromatherapy and a rose water mask for €60, and an energising coffee and sugar scrub massage with hot stones takes 75 minutes for €55. A therapeutic heat rub massage and a massage using muscle energy technique, suited to active and sporty people, are each €55 for an hour. Maderotherapy, which uses wooden tools to work the body, is offered as an eight-session course. Couples massages were shown as temporarily unavailable.

A combined Strength and Recovery session pairs training with targeted massage. A 60-minute session is 30 minutes of each and costs €45, and a 90-minute session is 60 minutes of training plus 30 of massage for €55. Ten-session bundles with a free consultation are €400 and €450. Training can be weights, mat Pilates or Reformer Pilates, followed by hands-on work to release tension, and it is aimed at busy clients, runners, cyclists and active people.

Dietitian consultations

The dietitian service starts with a single consultation at €45, in which a full nutritional assessment looks at your health needs, lifestyle and goals. You receive personalised guidance that includes a seven-day diet plan with a shopping list, an analysis of any blood tests you supply, a diet questionnaire and a review of your food diary.

A one-year programme of six sessions, with check-ins about every two months and a free initial consultation, costs €200. It moves through assessment and planning, identifying obstacles, support and motivation, a mid-programme review with measurements, continued support and a final review with a long-term strategy. The aim is a realistic eating plan you can keep to, with help on meal planning, food shopping and mindful eating. As this is a nutrition service and not a medical one, people with a diagnosed condition should speak to their doctor as well.

Who it suits

Simply Healthy works for a wide range of people: desk workers with stiff necks, runners and cyclists looking for recovery sessions, expectant and new mothers interested in Pilates or pregnancy massage, and older clients looking for a careful, balance-focused class. Because each service can be combined with the others, one booking can turn into a small programme of exercise, bodywork and nutrition over a few weeks.

For a short holiday, a single massage or a drop-in Pilates class is the obvious way to try the studio. For a longer stay or a move to the island, the block bookings and programmes offer better value. If you are comparing options, A New Better Life is another nutrition listing nearby, and 24/7 Fitness Club Mellieha is a gym in the area.

Finding the studio and planning your stay

The studio is at Crescent Court on Triq Id-Denfil in St Paul's Bay, a resort town with plenty of restaurants and seafront walks. See our hotels in Qawra and St Paul's Bay page for places to stay nearby, or where to stay in Malta to compare other areas.

Between sessions, our things to do in Malta and best beaches in Malta pages give you ideas, the Malta weather guide helps you pick the month, and the Malta relocation guide is there if you are thinking of settling here. To ask about a class, a treatment or a programme, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Simply Healthy.