Can gyms really re-create the intimate, high-energy studio feel inside of a large club and thus take market share away from boutiques? ATN explores some of the ways operators are trying to do just that
Big-box gyms and health clubs are the lifeblood of the fitness industry. Despite the rise of innovative new studio concepts, at-home machines and digital apps, this statement has never felt more true than it does in 2025.
According to the latest data from the Health & Fitness Association (HFA), around 25% of Americans had a fitness facility membership in 2024, a healthy increase from previous years, driven in large part by Gen Z’s affinity for low-price HVLP gyms.
But big-box gyms aren’t resting on their laurels; they’re innovating and expanding their offerings. Faced with increased competition from boutique fitness concepts, some gym operators have opted to create their own boutique fitness-style classes, or in some cases, build an entire brand around running various group fitness modalities under one roof.
Can gyms really re-create the intimate, high-energy studio feel inside of a large club and thus take market share away from boutiques? ATN explores some of the ways operators are trying to do just that.
HVLPs Look To Bring Boutique Fitness In-House
Vasa Fitness might well be leading the charge when it comes to recreating the boutique fitness look and feel inside of a big-box gym. The fast-growing high-value, low-price (HVLP) chain offers three “Studio” style classes:
Studio Red, a high-intensity interval training experience that features Myzone heart-rate tracking
Studio Flow, an infrared yoga class that promotes mobility, recovery and mindfulness
Studio LFT, a coach-led strength training class featuring power racks, benches and plyo boxes.
Studio LFT, in particular, is proving to be a hit amid the explosive rise of strength training. Originally rolled out in January, Studio LFT was first offered in four pilot clubs, where Vasa coaches led more than 3,000 classes in the first six months following the program’s launch. Sessions averaged 12 to 16 participants, with more than 1,500 classes waitlisted, according to Vasa.
credit: VASA Fitness
Looking ahead, Vasa has said Studio LFT will be in 11 Colorado locations by the end of this year, with new clubs opening in Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana also set to feature the program. Starting in 2026, all new Vasa locations will include Studio LFT, with additional retrofits planned in key markets.
Available as part of a premium, $44.99/month membership level, Vasa’s intentions and its Studio classes are clear: outcompete boutique fitness studios on price while offering a similar fitness experience.
“Vasa members don’t have to join other boutique studios to get these benefits,” a company spokesperson told ATN.
Crunch Fitness, long known for the quality of its group fitness offerings, is also leveling up its classes to more closely match the quality of the boutique studio experience.
As part of the brand’s ambitious new Crunch 3.0 gym redesign program, new Crunch locations will feature revamped group fitness studios featuring updated color palettes, enhanced overhead lighting, backlit mirrors, a lit instructor platform and digital timers. Franchisees can even add a hot studio to their club for heated group classes including yoga, Pilates, barre, HIIT, mobility and core.
Crunch is also exploring adding mindfulness and meditation-focused classes to its group exercise lineup, as well as potentially adding sound bath classes.
“We’re like a mall of fitness, but in a good way,” Crunch chief operating officer Molly Long has told ATN. “We have these different boutique studios under a single roof, and they’re done in an incredibly high-quality way. People would have to pay hundreds of dollars (per month) at multiple boutique studios to come close to what they’re getting at Crunch.”
‘Club of Studios’ Concepts Gain Ground in North America
Some brands are taking the cost-saving views espoused by Crunch and Vasa to the extreme, creating entire facilities around the concept of offering multiple boutique fitness modalities under one roof.
Altea Active, a Canadian luxury fitness brand, recently opened a large Ottawa location that offers nine different boutique-style classes, from reformer Pilates to hot yoga to small-group functional strength training.
The idea, according to CEO Jeff York, is to create “multiple boutique experiences in a big-box” gym setting to save consumers money over the long run.
Boutique studio at Altea in Vancouver (credit: Altea Active)
“The boutique experience should exist, but it should exist within a big box, so you can have multiple boutiques within the big box and give your customer actual value,” York, who previously grew Canadian grocery brand Farm Boy into a household name by offering lower prices than upscale supermarket chains like Whole Foods, told ATN.
Some brands in the United States see a similar opportunity.
Styles Studios Fitness, an Illinois-based brand that offers multiple boutique-style classes under one roof, has launched a national franchising arm and is eyeing expansion across the country.
Founded in 2020 by industry veteran and former Health & Fitness Association (HFA) board chair Carrie Kepple, Styles Studios touts what it calls a “club of studios” concept, blending the versatility of a big-box gym with the community feel of boutique fitness.
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The brand’s flagship location in Peoria, Illinois, offers four different boutique-style classes spanning modalities including strength and conditioning, yoga, Pilates, cycling and recovery, along with open gym access, for a single membership price.
“We’ve created a space where people can explore all aspects of fitness under one roof for one price,” Kepple said. “We are the lower-cost, higher-convenience solution to the boutique fitness industry that we are dubbing ‘LCHC.’”
credit: Styles Studios Fitness
Fitness International LLC, the parent company of LA Fitness, has similar plans for Club Studio, a concept it introduced in 2023 that combines six boutique studio rooms under one roof, with classes ranging from boxing and HIIT to reformer Pilates and yoga.
Fitness International has 15 Club Studio locations open across the U.S. today, and is planning to have 50 open nationwide by the fall of 2026, its chief real estate officer, Nick Roberts, has said.
credit: Club Studio
Meanwhile, Action Black, a Colombia-based concept founded in 2015 by former reality TV star Wilder Zapata Torres, is pursuing American expansion under a similar model.
The brand’s location in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood features several separate workout rooms, each of which is stocked with equipment for a different group fitness class. Locations also feature the “garage,” a free gym area stocked with strength training equipment like power racks, machines and free weights.
Oscar Toro, an Action Black investor who is helping lead the brand’s U.S. expansion, echoes Kepple and York in his assessment of the market opportunity.
“At most studio gyms, it’s only one modality. Or they have only one space where they’ll do boxing, treadmill, etc.,” Toro told ATN. “We combine all of these modalities into one (location), each of which has its own individual studio. You don’t have to go anywhere else.”
A version of this article originally appeared in ATN’s report, “Fitness Center Reimagined: The Evolution of Gyms, Wellness Tourism & Real Estate,” which explores how gyms, health clubs, hospitality brands and boutique fitness operators are reshaping their brick-and-mortar offerings to meet shifting member expectations and lifestyle demands. Download the free report.