A first Pilates class after eight years at a desk: from the quiz to a small-group class, where Vivian's core training began

A 30-second quiz to let the site get to know you

Vivian has worked as a financial analyst at a company in Nangang for eight years. Lately, even after sitting through a single meeting, her lower back stiffens when she stands up. A coworker suggested she try Pilates, but she didn't even know what a Reformer looked like, let alone which studio to start with.

She started with HAOTIVA's join flow. The first step is choosing how to sign in — the HAOTIVA app, Apple, Google, LINE or an email code — or just starting without signing in; next you pick your home city, interface language and currency and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Then comes a separate consent for health data: only after you agree does the site ask about your health goals, exercise habits and food preferences, which are used for personalised recommendations. You can use every feature without agreeing, and you can withdraw and delete it any time later in the member centre.

She agreed. Under "What do you want this trip to help with?" you can choose up to three; she picked "Posture & core" and "De-stress." For how often she exercises, she chose "1–2× a week"; for favorite activities, "Yoga & Pilates"; and for travel pace, "Slow — sleep comes first." When the results came in, her wellness travel persona was "Mindful Wanderer": slow the breath, come back to yourself.

The reason for each recommendation, right on the card

After she finished the quiz, a "For you" section appeared on the home page, headed "Ranked by your wellness travel persona." Under each listing card is a line explaining why it was recommended, such as "Matches your goal: Posture & core" or "Right in Taipei." She liked that approach: the recommendations aren't a black box, she knows why the site ranks things the way it does, and she can click "Edit preferences" to answer again.

These preferences are stored only in the browser on her device. The Member center has "Retake quiz" and "Delete my preference data"; once deleted, her quiz preferences, health preferences and food log are no longer kept.

Small-group reformer Pilates in Da'an: what beginners should know

Near the top of her recommendations was "Da'an, Taipei | Small-group reformer Pilates." The first line of the page reads: up to 6 people per class, the instructor adjusts each person's form one by one, and even first-timers can keep up. That line spoke directly to her worries.

"Intensity & who it's for" lists the intensity as moderate (3/5, beginner-friendly), matched to the goals "Posture & core" and "Build strength"; it's good for "Trying Pilates for the first time" and "People who sit a lot and want a stronger core." Bring grip socks (available for purchase on site) and fitted workout clothes; the small-group Reformer class, grip socks and showers are included.

The plans are a single class for NT$1,200 (55 minutes) and a 5-class pack for NT$5,400 (use within 60 days). Free cancellation is up to 24 hours before; the restrictions state that you can't enter more than 10 minutes after class starts, and that if you're pregnant or have had a recent injury or surgery, you should consult a doctor first. She booked a single class first, planning to buy the 5-class pack once she was sure she liked it.

• 07:00: Before work, good for early risers
• 12:15: Lunch break, so you won't be too worn out back at the office in the afternoon
• 19:00 and 20:15: After work, the fastest to fill up on weekdays

Spots left today: check availability and pick a slot

Under "Spots left today" on the Fitness & Wellness page you can switch between today, tomorrow and the days after, and filter by venue. Each row lists the time, class name, venue, duration and how many spots are left, with the price and a "Book" button right beside it; two spots or fewer are highlighted in colour. For today, only classes that haven't started yet are shown, so you don't have to work out what time it is.

Vivian saw that the Wednesday 12:15 class still had spots, and tapped "Book" right beside it. For an office worker with only an hour for lunch, seeing on the same screen whether there is still a spot matters more than anything else.

Using challenges to get through the first and hardest month

When you start a new habit, the hardest part is week three. The Challenges page keeps it simple: you join a challenge in the HAOTIVA app, which reads Health on your phone to calculate your progress automatically, with nothing to report by hand; when you finish, the badge goes into the trophy case in the app. The page also states that HAOTIVA coupons will only be issued once online booking opens.

After the quiz, challenges that suit her are marked as recommended. She picked out two: the "October flexibility challenge" asks you to do 10 hours of yoga or Pilates this month, and the "October 10 active days challenge" only asks you to move for 10 minutes on each of 10 days this month, with any exercise counting. The first kept her coming back to the studio, and the second got her stretching at home for ten minutes even on days without class.

I don't need someone pushing me to train. I need someone to remind me: today's already day four.

Browsing challenges on your phone, and the next step

The Challenges page is just as complete on a phone: the featured challenge's badge, dates and description are on the first screen, and below is the list of other challenges, each card showing the goal, dates and finisher badge; joining and progress tracking happen in the HAOTIVA app.

For the day she wants to go a little farther, she jotted down the sunrise rice-terrace yoga in Ubud, Bali (NT$1,350, held in a bamboo pavilion beside the terraces, followed by a coconut smoothie bowl) in her notes.

Pre-launch notes

HAOTIVA is currently adding partners one by one. Partners that are already listed can take bookings and payments online, while the classes and prices in this article are items marked "Demo": they are for display only and can't be booked or paid for. Joining challenges and tracking progress happen in the HAOTIVA app. Actual terms are as shown on each page.

You can take the quiz now to find out your health-travel persona, and then browse the studios and classes that are already listed on the "Partner venues" page and in "Spots left today".