CorePlus lands in North Melbourne

“I’m in the business of making people feel good,” laughs April Apostolikas, the owner of North Melbourne Pilates and yoga studio CorePlus.

April’s early dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer took a detour due to a curve in her spine, leading her down a path of interior design and architecture for more than a decade. 

But life has a way of coming full circle. 

“After the birth of my third child, I had low energy and felt unfit. I started exercising again, mixing home workouts with group fitness, and then completed a Pilates training course.”

“Because I’d always thought that I’d like to own a business, the idea of owning a CorePlus franchise grew organically from there.”

Over 18 months, April, with her husband Tex behind the scenes, transformed a former courier depot on the corner of Queensberry and Leveson streets into a spacious and serene two-level exercise studio.

“We chose North Melbourne because we love the sense of community here. It’s so peaceful and quiet through some of the streets, yet it’s on the cusp of the city, so you’ve got the best of both worlds.”

CorePlus North Melbourne opened in 2023 and April and her team of instructors now share their knowledge and passion with a diverse community of locals – women, men, young, old. 

“There’s a lot of people coming in but we keep seeing the same faces, and I think that’s really special about our studio,” April smiles.

What sets CorePlus apart? It’s their heated classes, a feature that amps up the fitness experience. “It’s great for detoxification. Obviously, as we sweat, we start to release some of those toxins within. I think mentally it’s great as well because it’s challenging,” April explained. 

“I’ve enjoyed creating a space for people to come and move in a really supportive environment – it’s all about feeling good, inside and out.”

CorePlus is located at 493-495 Queensberry St in North Melbourne and is open seven days a week. •

Photo by Anna Encio.