A new era of social strength training.
Boutique fitness faces an identity crisis.
Under Pressure
A disruptive force of the 2010s, boutiques are now confronting the innovator’s dilemma — struggling to adapt as the category they once defined evolves.
Two recent developments make this shift clear:
Xponential Fitness offloaded Rumble and CycleBar, cut 2025 openings by 30%, and is consolidating around Club Pilates.
Life Time launched an exclusive club in Midtown Manhattan, blending boutique fitness and high-performance wellness.
Once an arms race to collect concepts and chase hyperscale, boutique fitness now confronts a more complex landscape shaped by the rise of wellness clubs, run crews, Everything Gyms, and longevity clinics.
Even as US gym memberships reach record highs, boutique attendance remains below pre-COVID levels. Affordability is a growing concern, with 63% of studio-goers saying fitness feels too expensive and churn exceeding 30% at most studios.
Still, not all formats are stalling. Pilates, strength, and multi-modality concepts are gaining ground with sticky routines, clear results, and better retention.
Out With the Old
The cracks in the boutique model are showing.
Wellness eats fitness. Beyond the workout, consumers are buying identity, care, and results. As expectations rise, single-modality studios are losing ground to full-stack health hubs.
Format fatigue. The novelty of yoga, cycling, and boxing is wearing thin. Members want substance, not choreography, and decreased demand exposes the limits of classes without outcomes.
Home base. Cultish communities defined boutiques. But gyms and wellness clubs bundled belonging, fitness, and self-care into new third places, beating studios at their own game.
Messy middle. While budget gyms win on price and luxury clubs on experience, mid-tier studios are stuck in the middle, with rising costs and stagnant attendance leaving no margin for error.
In With the New
Fitness is fragmenting, revealing untapped opportunities.
Go full-stack. Boutiques can shift from formats to systems, layering strength, recovery, nutrition, diagnostics, and coaching. As supergroups roll up concepts, independent franchisors can leverage strategic partnerships to compete.
Pilates platforms. Specialized, scalable, and longevity-aligned, Pilates is leading boutique expansion, accounting for 27% all studio openings last year, driving acquisition and retention.
Strength as default. From big-box gyms to luxury clubs, strength workouts have overtaken cardio. Operators leaning into functional training, expert coaching, and performance diagnostics will pull ahead.
No rules. Gyms are launching signature classes, hybrid studios are merging modalities, and social wellness clubs are entering fitness. The industry’s antiquated definitions are breaking down, creating an opportunity to rewrite them.
Looking ahead: The boutique boom is over — now comes the rebuild. Novel formats, hypergrowth, and high-profile instructors won’t move the needle. Operators combining connection, convenience, and outcomes will keep people coming back.
Jona founder and CEO Leo Grady, PhD discusses AI-powered microbiome testing.
Using metagenomic sequencing and machine learning to deliver personalized metabolic health insights, Jona’s platform predicts how factors like diet and lifestyle affect the gut.
We also cover: Gut tests vs. blood tests, digital twins in healthcare, and building AI to read medical literature at scale.
Listen to today’s episode here.
🩺 Longevity’s new archetype: Doctor x Founder
Armed with content, credentials, and community, science influencers are skipping affiliate deals to launch companies of their own.
Mark Hyman backs lab startup Function and RoseBar longevity club.
Tony Robbins co-founded Lifeforce and diagnostics hub Fountain Life.
Peter Attia co-created Biograph clinic and runs digital practice Early Medical.
Meanwhile, Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint is planning physical locations, and Superpower is recruiting “the next Huberman.”
Trust gap. Once limited to advisor roles, these figures now control the funnel, building belief, driving behavior, and converting followers into patients.
Resonating, they make wellness-seekers feel seen and in control: 44% of young adults say self-research rivals doctor advice, and 55% consume health content weekly.
Fine line. Built on biomarkers and personal protocols, these brands promise freedom from a broken system. But without clinical guardrails, credibility is on the line.
Punchline: People trust people, not institutions. But if influence outpaces evidence, longevity’s biggest promise could become its weakest link.
🤝 The Future of Social Strength Training
Fitstop combines strength training with social connection, creating a group fitness movement taking the US by storm.
The Fitstop formula. Progressive, team-based workouts help members grow stronger together, building resilience and delivering results.
Geared for growth. With 30K+ members and 160+ locations across four countries, Fitstop is a proven success for franchisees and members.
Smarter, not harder. 12-week structured programming prioritizes movement quality over burnout, keeping members engaged long-term.
Community-driven fitness is booming, and Fitstop is leading the way — here’s your chance to be part of it.
Bring Fitstop to the US. Request a franchise info pack today.
🌊 Blue spaces boost well-being
A recent study found that just a few minutes near open water reduced stress more than green spaces, lowering blood pressure and heart rate while increasing relaxation.
Making waves. Nature is medicine, but water is a multiplier. People living near the coast move more, sleep better, and report improved mental health.
Taking the plunge, being in water can also support metabolic, thyroid, and cardiovascular health, with cold exposure delivering a 250% dopamine boost.
At ease. Researchers credit water’s rhythmic, immersive quality for inducing “soft fascination,” easing mental fatigue while boosting clarity and mindfulness.
Landlocked. Yet, 25% of Americans stay indoors all day, and 63% get less than an hour of fresh air. Biophilic design and wellness tech attempt to fill the gap, but nature might be the best prescription.
Takeaway: Waterways are a science-backed relaxant. As urbanization outpaces access to natural spaces, biohackers and wellness-seekers should prioritize doses of blue.
US 🇺🇸 / Canada 🇨🇦
Better-for-you Tech maker Garmin acquired MYLAPS, a Dutch sports timing and performance tracking platform.
NA spirits maker The Pathfinder secured $3.6M in funding.
Grass League, a franchise-driven par‑3 golf league, landed a $2.75M Series A led by Old Tom Capital.
Virtual mental health provider Cerebral acquired outcome-driven mental healthcare platform Resilience Lab.
Fitness Ventures LLC, a Crunch Fitness franchise group, acquired three locations in Portland, OR.
Crunch Fitness franchise group Primetime Fitness acquired 13 locations in NY/NJ.
Employee wellness benefits platform JOON secured funding from ACQ Ventures.
Skylight Health, a value-based multi-specialty care platform, launched with $13M in financing.
Brightstar Capital Partners acquired DTC diagnostics platform Analyte Health.
Europe 🇪🇺
London-based workplace mental health platform Unmind secured $35M in a funding round.
Sava, a UK developer of multi-molecule biosensors, raised $19M in a Series A round led by Balderton Capital and Pentland Ventures.
Swiss healthy eatery chain Arctic Juice & Cafe closed a Series A round.
Hytro, UK-based creator of blood flow restriction (BFR) wearables, raised £2M ($2.65M).
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.