Studio to sauna.

A Pilates class. Coffee after. A run later, the sauna to finish. Different conditions across a day, and most people change twice to get through it.

The Micro Short and the Bandeau were built so you do not have to. One set, in Australian merino, from the studio to the cafe to the sauna.

The studio

Breathable, and nothing that digs in.

A studio sits around 22 degrees and the work is controlled, sustained and harder than it looks from outside. You build heat quickly. You want a fabric that breathes rather than one that traps it, and a garment that stays where it is placed while you are inverted.

Merino breathes because the fibre is hygroscopic: it takes moisture into its core as vapour rather than holding it on the surface. It can hold a substantial share of its own weight in moisture and still feel dry against the skin, which is what keeps it comfortable through a long class.

It also regulates in both directions. As merino absorbs moisture it releases a small amount of heat, so the garment warms slightly as conditions cool. As it releases that moisture it draws heat away, so it cools as conditions warm. A working range rather than a working point.

Both pieces use flatlock seams, butted rather than folded, so the join sits flush with the fabric instead of forming a ridge against the carriage.

The sauna

Heat changes how synthetic fabric behaves.

Polyester does not melt at sauna temperatures. It does soften. The glass transition point of polyester sits between roughly 67 and 81 degrees, which overlaps the range most saunas run at. A softened polymer is more prone to releasing what is held inside it.

Synthetic fabrics shed microscopic fibres through wear, and those fibres carry the chemical additives used in their manufacture. Research using human skin models has shown that some of these additives can cross the skin barrier and reach the bloodstream, and that hydrated skin absorbs more than dry skin.

A sauna is the most hydrated your skin will ever be. Several of the chemical classes involved are recognised endocrine disruptors. We would rather not hold plastic against the skin at 90 degrees and find out what that means over years.

Wool has been worn in saunas for centuries. It breathes, handles moisture without clinging, and is a protein fibre rather than a plastic one.

Why one set gets through the day

Because merino does not hold odour.

This is the property that makes the whole day possible. Odour is bacteria feeding on sweat. Merino holds moisture inside the fibre, away from the surface, which gives that bacteria far less to work with. Wool also has a natural affinity for the compounds responsible for smell and holds onto them rather than releasing them into the air.

A full day in a synthetic and you know about it. In merino you finish the day in what you started it in, and wear it again tomorrow.

Soft enough to wear all of it

17.5 micron, against the skin for hours.

Wool's reputation for itch comes from coarse fibres in older garments. Fibre diameter is measured in microns, and below roughly 18.5 the fibre bends rather than pressing into the skin. Ours is 17.5 micron Australian merino.

A 100% merino lining

The gusset is pure merino, not a synthetic liner.

Almost every short on the market, including natural fibre ones, lines the gusset in polyester. It is cheaper and easier to work with. It also means the one part of the garment in constant contact with the most sensitive skin on your body is plastic.

We line the Micro Short with 100% merino so only natural fibre sits there. Across a class, a run and a sauna, that is the place where breathability and odour resistance matter most.

Australian wool, made in Melbourne

Grown here, knitted here.

The fabric is our MerinoFlow, made from Australian merino wool. Both pieces are designed and made in Melbourne. Wool is a protein fibre, so it biodegrades at end of life rather than persisting.

The set

Bought together, 25% off both pieces.

The discount applies automatically in the cart when one of each is added. They were designed to be worn together, so we price them that way.

Reformer, mat, a run, the sauna, or sitting in a cafe afterwards in something you are happy to be seen in. One set covers all of it.

For what to wear in the studio itself, see what to wear to Pilates.

Shop the Micro Short →

Common questions

Can you wear merino wool in a sauna?

Yes. Wool breathes, handles moisture without clinging and is a protein fibre rather than a plastic one. Polyester softens at sauna temperatures, since its glass transition point overlaps the range most saunas run at, and synthetic fabrics shed fibres carrying chemical additives that hydrated skin absorbs more readily than dry skin.

Is merino wool good for Pilates?

Yes. Flatlock seams sit flush with the fabric rather than forming a ridge, so nothing digs in during floor and reformer work, and merino resists odour across repeat sessions.

Why does the gusset lining matter?

Most activewear shorts line the gusset in polyester. The Enduro Micro Short uses a 100% merino lining, so only natural fibre sits against the most sensitive skin. Merino is breathable, absorbs moisture into the fibre and naturally resists odour causing bacteria.

What is the Studio to Sauna set?

The Merino Micro Short and Merino Bandeau bought together, designed so one set carries from a Pilates class from the studio to the cafe to the sauna without changing. Both are made from MerinoFlow Australian merino in Melbourne, and the pair is 25% off when one of each is in the cart.

What temperature range do they suit?

Both pieces are rated from 20 degrees through to sauna heat, which is why the set is built around a single fabric rather than two.