diff --git a/docarray/typing/bytes/image_bytes.py b/docarray/typing/bytes/image_bytes.py
index f8aaf3c6caf..e5d1d400d99 100644
--- a/docarray/typing/bytes/image_bytes.py
+++ b/docarray/typing/bytes/image_bytes.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 from docarray.utils._internal.misc import import_library
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from PIL import Image as PILImage
     from pydantic.fields import BaseConfig, ModelField
 
     from docarray.proto import NodeProto
@@ -43,6 +44,38 @@ def _to_node_protobuf(self: T) -> 'NodeProto':
 
         return NodeProto(blob=self, type=self._proto_type_name)
 
+    def load_pil(
+        self,
+    ) -> 'PILImage.Image':
+        """
+        Load the image from the bytes into a `PIL.Image.Image` instance
+
+        ---
+
+        ```python
+        from pydantic import parse_obj_as
+
+        from docarray import BaseDoc
+        from docarray.typing import ImageUrl
+
+        img_url = "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Dag_Sebastian_Ahlander_at_G%C3%B6teborg_Book_Fair_2012b.jpg"
+
+        img_url = parse_obj_as(ImageUrl, img_url)
+        img = img_url.load_pil()
+
+        from PIL.Image import Image
+
+        assert isinstance(img, Image)
+        ```
+
+        ---
+        :return: a Pillow image
+        """
+        PIL = import_library('PIL', raise_error=True)  # noqa: F841
+        from PIL import Image as PILImage
+
+        return PILImage.open(BytesIO(self))
+
     def load(
         self,
         width: Optional[int] = None,
@@ -89,13 +122,7 @@ class MyDoc(BaseDoc):
         :return: np.ndarray representing the image as RGB values
         """
 
-        if TYPE_CHECKING:
-            from PIL import Image as PILImage
-        else:
-            PIL = import_library('PIL', raise_error=True)  # noqa: F841
-            from PIL import Image as PILImage
-
-        raw_img = PILImage.open(BytesIO(self))
+        raw_img = self.load_pil()
         if width or height:
             new_width = width or raw_img.width
             new_height = height or raw_img.height
diff --git a/docarray/typing/url/image_url.py b/docarray/typing/url/image_url.py
index 4c25e68094e..7fa0f58af80 100644
--- a/docarray/typing/url/image_url.py
+++ b/docarray/typing/url/image_url.py
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@
 from docarray.utils._internal.misc import is_notebook
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from PIL import Image as PILImage
     from pydantic import BaseConfig
     from pydantic.fields import ModelField
 
+
 T = TypeVar('T', bound='ImageUrl')
 
 IMAGE_FILE_FORMATS = ('png', 'jpeg', 'jpg')
@@ -39,6 +41,35 @@ def validate(
             )
         return cls(str(url), scheme=None)
 
+    def load_pil(self, timeout: Optional[float] = None) -> 'PILImage.Image':
+        """
+        Load the image from the bytes into a `PIL.Image.Image` instance
+
+        ---
+
+        ```python
+        from pydantic import parse_obj_as
+
+        from docarray import BaseDoc
+        from docarray.typing import ImageUrl
+
+        img_url = "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Dag_Sebastian_Ahlander_at_G%C3%B6teborg_Book_Fair_2012b.jpg"
+
+        img_url = parse_obj_as(ImageUrl, img_url)
+        img = img_url.load_pil()
+
+        from PIL.Image import Image
+
+        assert isinstance(img, Image)
+        ```
+
+        ---
+        :return: a Pillow image
+        """
+        from docarray.typing.bytes.image_bytes import ImageBytes
+
+        return ImageBytes(self.load_bytes(timeout=timeout)).load_pil()
+
     def load(
         self,
         width: Optional[int] = None,
diff --git a/tests/units/typing/url/test_image_url.py b/tests/units/typing/url/test_image_url.py
index b425e498ab2..b0a6048e69a 100644
--- a/tests/units/typing/url/test_image_url.py
+++ b/tests/units/typing/url/test_image_url.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import urllib
 
 import numpy as np
+import PIL
 import pytest
 from PIL import Image
 from pydantic.tools import parse_obj_as, schema_json_of
@@ -66,6 +67,23 @@ def test_load(image_format, path_to_img):
     assert isinstance(tensor, np.ndarray)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.slow
+@pytest.mark.internet
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'image_format,path_to_img',
+    [
+        ('png', IMAGE_PATHS['png']),
+        ('jpg', IMAGE_PATHS['jpg']),
+        ('jpeg', IMAGE_PATHS['jpeg']),
+        ('remote-jpg', REMOTE_JPG),
+    ],
+)
+def test_load_pil(image_format, path_to_img):
+    url = parse_obj_as(ImageUrl, path_to_img)
+    img = url.load_pil()
+    assert isinstance(img, PIL.Image.Image)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.slow
 @pytest.mark.internet
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(