Holistic well-being has become a fundamental aspect of modern living, with individuals seeking more than just physical exercise to maintain their overall health. Today’s consumers are taking a more all-inclusive approach to life and wellness and looking for activities and practices that will nurture their minds, body, and spirit. This changing perspective is opening opportunities for boutique fitness studios to evolve beyond conventional fitness by integrating wellness services into their class schedules and the services they offer. In fact, new data from boutique fitness studio owners and managers gathered by Xplor Mariana Tek shows that many fitness studios have already incorporated wellness and well-being activities into the services they offer – and many others are planning to do so soon.
The concept of wellness is nothing new, but what is new is the growing consumer demand for well-being activities. In a McKinsey survey of around 7,500 consumers in six countries in 2021, 79 percent of the respondents said they believed that wellness is important, and 42 percent considered it a top priority. In fact, consumers in every market surveyed reported a substantial increase in the prioritization of wellness over the past two to three years.
Why is this? Well, over and above the residual stresses of the pandemic, the increasing desire from consumers for wellness and well-being activities is predominantly due to the busy, digital lives we are all living. Many now suffer from technostress and in-person social disconnection, along with difficulties sleeping. Without being able to unplug from digital technologies regularly, people are under increasing pressure to stay connected: they are sharing constant updates, responding to work-related tasks in real-time, and almost always multitasking. The prevalence of technology in our lives and the pace at which we live is giving rise to a self-care movement and a newfound respect for holistic well-being activities. This is why consumer demand for wellness has started to span more than just physical health and nutrition and fitness to keep up appearances – the sector is expanding to include more services promoting the health of the mind and spirit.
When considering wellness classes and offerings at their local gym or studio, the average person is likely to think of saunas and yoga. But contrary to expectations, wellness is no longer limited to just these – many fitness studios are now pioneering innovative services specifically designed to support the mind and spirit. Emerging practices include mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork, along with cryotherapy and ice baths.
Post-pandemic mindfulness is gaining widespread consumer acceptance. We see this with meditation-focused apps, such as Headspace and Calm, growing in popularity and subscriber numbers. But, while mindfulness is the act of being aware of what is around us and how our bodies feel, it is meditation – the practice of training the mind to reel in our thoughts – that helps people to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state of being. Without real guidance and regular practice, many can struggle with using mindfulness and meditation techniques.
Breathwork, on the other hand, is an active form of meditation designed to help people disconnect from their minds. Through a guided, focused breathing session, people can breathe out those thoughts, beliefs, memories, and actions that limit their growth, helping them to feel more equipped to handle any stress, anxiety, or lingering trauma day-to-day. There are many different breathwork techniques, and each one has a unique purpose and effect on the body.
Once just a practice for elite and professional athletes, cryotherapy and ice baths are also becoming more mainstream. Cryotherapy involves various treatments that use freezing or near-freezing temperatures, while the temperature of water in an ice bath varies from 45F to 60F. Both treatments can decrease soreness, pain, and inflammation in the body to help with faster athletic recovery for the body, but there are benefits for the mind, too, as the treatments promote greater focus and mental clarity.
One of the hottest new studios in the wellness space is Othership, an otherworldly bathhouse brand that is becoming renowned for its hot and cold therapies, guided mindfulness, and breathwork experiences. With a cult-like following amongst holistic wellness seekers, Othership has thousands of customers and is growing rapidly. What started as an ice bath concept in founder and CEO Robbie Bent’s backyard grew into a converted garage with a sauna, baths, and a tearoom, and then a 3,000-square-foot studio in downtown Toronto, Canada. New studio locations are opening in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Toronto in 2024.
But Othership is more than just a cool wellness experience. The brand’s ability to create a safe and welcoming space for relaxation and emotional wellness is turning attendees into devotees who appreciate the sense of community and belonging. “Our goal is to help people find a more mindful, meaningful, happier state, by offering emotional wellness experiences that are accessible to everyone,” said Robbie Bent, CEO of Othership. “Some journeyers come alone, especially to the more emotionally-focused classes like loving-kindness, forgiveness, and anger expression – while others come in groups to our evening socials, looking for social connection and networking.” Personally, the “Letting In and Letting Go” class I did recently was both healing and inspiring. The team at Othership has created an amazing space and experience, and I cannot wait to return.
Where can you experience one of these new wellness services for yourself? The answer is anywhere because every group fitness modality currently offers wellness services in some form: from boot camp to boxing, cardio to CrossFit, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) Pilates, and more. Sixty percent of boutique fitness studios across North America told us they either already offer or plan to offer wellness services soon. The news is especially good if you are a HIIT or Bootcamp fan because these are the studios that are the most likely to introduce new wellness services in the future.
In addition to meditation and breathwork, wellness services like nutrition and recovery are also on the rise. In fact, according to new data gathered by Xplor Mariana Tek, most fitness studios are planning to add nutrition and recovery services to their class schedule in the future. Studio owners and managers also ranked the following wellness services in order of importance: nutritional services, recovery classes, meditation/breathwork, cryotherapy/ice baths, and sauna.
What is driving the creation of these new services? According to new data gathered by Xplor Mariana Tek, 47 percent of studios have witnessed an upward trend in competition in the boutique fitness industry. With unique brands entering the market, alongside rising operating costs, boutique fitness studios are operating in an increasingly competitive market. Every fitness brand is trying to attract more footfall new members and encourage loyal customers to attend more classes – the addition of wellness services is an innovative way to distinguish a brand and capitalize on emerging consumer demand.
Seizing the opportunity to invest in new wellness services also means investing in the right technology for streamlining studio operations. There is little point in offering brand-new wellness classes to customers if they cannot easily see what is on offer, book, and be rewarded for their loyalty. But with the advent of machine learning, automation, and other digital-first technologies, the average studio management software is no longer just average. Nowadays, studios can access business management software with customer experience, marketing, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and business insights tools built-in – providing everything a business owner needs to develop brand-new income streams from wellness services, operate more efficiently, and ultimately get more time back in their day-to-day.
When it comes to delivering the exceptional experience that boutique fitness customers have come to expect, the brands that stand out from the competition are those that truly customize and personalize customer interaction both inside the studio and out. Whether it is value adds like automatic geo-location check-in allowing people to register attendance for class on their cell, ‘pick-a-spot’ for reserving their favorite yoga mat, or tailored instant messages for celebrating milestones, gathering class feedback, or dynamic perks and rewards, technology is now enabling studios to build a lasting connection between a brand and its customers and to differentiate themselves more easily than ever before.
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Investing in wellness services should be a priority for every small- to medium-sized fitness business looking to capitalize on emerging consumer demand. With the right wellness services, coupled with the right technology, boutique fitness studios will be able to deliver an exceptional wellness experience, attract new customers and future-proof their business.
James Reyes, Xplor Mariana Tek’s General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer
James Reyes is General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer, Fitness and Well-being at Xplor Technologies, responsible for serving boutique fitness studios and parks and recreation center customers globally with all their Fit-Tech needs. With 20+ years’ experience in SaaS software, James is passionate about helping businesses use technology to transform their business, grow at scale, and deliver an exceptional customer experience. He leads sales, marketing, account management and customer services teams, and is responsible for over 1500+ customer locations and a team of 100+.
Before joining Xplor Technologies, James’ career spanned various roles at ACTIVE Network LLC, originally joining the company as a software engineer before quickly moving up the ranks in finance, sales leadership, general management, and corporate development, leading a team of ~250 people; and Aquatics Informatics, where he was responsible for sales, marketing, revenue operations, professional services, and customer success. James has a degree in Commerce, Management Information Systems & Finance from Concordia University, and is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA Canada). Based in British Columbia, Canada, outside of work James loves the outdoors and is a diehard fly fisherman.