As demand for recovery modalities continue to rise and the popularity of Pilates keeps growing, entrepreneur David Altamura saw a gap in the health and wellness landscape. His successful studio, Wildsoul Wellness, is now available for franchising and opens up a real opportunity for potential investors and business owners to step into the Pilates and recovery space. We asked David a few questions about this exciting Pilates and recovery franchise opportunity.
What is Wildsoul Wellness?
Wildsoul Wellness is a resort-style health studio that brings recovery, Pilates, and allied health under one roof. The holistic approach to wellness includes;
- Reformer Pilates, mat Pilates, and hot Pilates delivered by industry-leading instructors;
- Infrared saunas;
- Contrast therapy;
- Compression boots;
- Red light therapy;
- Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF); and
- Naturopathic consultations.
What’s more, the fusion of offerings and resort-style aesthetic from tropical gardens to elegant outdoor contrast has memberships at a similar price point to any other Pilates studio, making Wildsoul Wellness accessible, rather than exclusive.
“Our purpose is to provide a holistic health and wellness space, that not only services the physical through both reformer and mat Pilates, but nurtures the body through beautiful curated recovery and contrast spaces,” said David. “We provide a sensory experience to our members, that engage in a deeper and more meaningful way to the traditional Pilates or recovery space.”
Wildsoul has also created its own health teas and powders, that are purposefully connected to whatever activity the client has undertaken (e.g infrared sauna = glow tea and BodyBalance greens powder).
Why a Pilates and recovery franchise makes sense
Globally, the wellness space is currently a $12.3 trillion (yes, trillion) industry with major investment funds recognising a significant financial opportunity that is expected to keep growing. Wellness is becoming a factor in every area of consumers’ lives, from their workplaces, homes, and holidays and travel experiences. Accor worldwide are now providing health and wellness spaces in all of their holiday properties and coworking spaces that include wellness facilities are becoming increasingly sought after. Employers are beginning to understand the benefits of providing their workers with health and wellness plans that nurture their teams.
The planning and design process for medium and high density dwellings are placing more emphasis on the importance of green spaces, meditation gardens, and wellness spaces in order to be attractive to future residents.
Pilates is another explosive area of health and fitness. While certainly not new (Joseph Pilates opened up his first studio in 1926), the modality has slowly and steadily gained a following over the past century. Still predominantly practised by females, Pilates has huge benefits for men and women of all ages and fitness levels. It’s a versatile workout for improving whole-body strength and mobility. In Australia alone, the number of wellness and Pilates studios have risen by 250% over the last 24 months, and are expected to overtake gyms as the preferred health and wellness offering by 2028.
What does the Wildsoul Wellness brand represent?
So, if there is such a demand for these kinds of wellness offerings, how does Wildsoul differentiate itself from other studios out there? Wellness has definitely had a big part to play in the influencer world, and could be viewed as something only those of a certain demographic or privilege can partake in. Wildsoul are passionate about making their brand inclusive.
“Wildsoul’s unique ability to provide the member with a fusion of Pilates, recovery and health, at a price point that our competitors offer for either Pilates, or recovery – not both – is a competitive advantage in a fiscally tight environment,” said David. “Wildsoul has a history with all modalities blending seamlessly, whilst our competitors are urgently trying to retro fit additional services to satisfy consumer demands for the combined services of Pilates and recovery.”
The Wildsoul concept is one that promotes inclusivity and connection within its community of members as well. “We believe health extends beyond the physical to encompass the health of our mind. Behind the mats and the dumbbells, our HQ team is working hard to continuously encourage confidence and body positivity. We believe deeply in making every individual feel at home within their skin. If embracing your real body isn’t at the heart of what we do, then we’re not doing it right.” said David.
All of the Wildsoul classes incorporate body awareness and breathwork, highlighting mental and physical strength, rather than body composition. “Ending with breathwork, we encourage clients to take a moment to thanks themselves and their bodies for what they can do and achieve, rather than focusing on negatives.”
David Altamura on recognising growth opportunities
David Altamura’s career in health, wellness and fitness spans over 20 years. He’s no stranger to entrepreneurship and has had multiple successful ventures, including Byron Bay’s first health and wellness centre, Spirit Health Club. He grew the centre to 1700 members in 12 months, attracting some big name clients such as Baz Luhrmann and Michelle Bridges.
David has also launched gyms and functional fitness studios in Melbourne, namely Go Fitness in Parkdale and Globe Athletic in Mordialloc, both proving to be successful businesses.
Rewind 5-10 years and the Australian fitness scene looked very different to today. High intensity group exercise was trending (although still popular) and recovery facilities such as infrared saunas were more commonly found in day spas than fitness studios. There’s been a definitive shift in recent years to recognise the vast benefits that low impact exercise varieties such as Pilates can offer and in the value of recovery modalities such as sauna use. There is a fresh realisation that the old adage “no pain, no gain” is simply not true.
David recognised this shift beginning to occur and set out to create a blue print for a new kind of facility, combining Pilates, state-of-the-art recovery facilities, and naturopathy for a holistic experience to nourish body and mind.
The inception of Wildsoul Wellness started pre-pandemic, but as the COVID impact took hold of Melbourne, and David saw how the fitness and wellness landscape and people’s needs changed. Wildsoul Wellness evolved to balance physical wellness with nurturing mental wellbeing and opened its doors in November 2021, just as social connectivity and shared workplaces were starting to come back after the pandemic.
“This created a slow beginning for Wildsoul from a membership point of view, but gave valuable time and focus on the changing needs of the client.” said David. “With this focus, we were able to accelerate growth to where we are today, looking after 700 active users in the space. Mordialloc was chosen, as the geographic and demographic profile matched the Pilates and recovery member profile.“
He wasn’t wrong. Wildsoul Wellness has proven to be a winning formula. “As an owner of both fitness and wellness studios, I have seen the meteoric rise in interest in Pilates and recovery, as fitness studios, whilst still retaining some market share, do not touch the general population that wellness does.” said David. “As an example, Wildsoul receives over 120 leads per month, Globe Athletic attracts 50 leads per month. Clients are now looking for an ‘experience’ that stimulates all the senses, and reaches them at a physical and mental level. As a keen observer of both Australian and overseas wellness business models, the wellness industry is on an explosive trajectory world wide.”
Thinking of investing in a Wildsoul Wellness franchise?
There are a myriad of business options on the menu for a budding franchisee, but there are definitely some indicators that Wildsoul has picked friendly waters ahead to navigate. ClassPass has reported Pilates as the fastest growing genre of exercise in Australia and New Zealand, with its’ popularity 2.8 times higher than the next contender, which was yoga. What’s more, a recent report released by Mindbody showed:
- Almost 40 of consumers use physical activity to support their mental wellbeing
- Nearly 65% of consumers believe that wellness is more important than other leisure expenditure, and
- Three out of four people feel that wellness is more important than ever.
Wildsoul was set up with a view to franchise from the beginning, although David said their model has evolved significantly, with the Mordialloc studio being used as a testing and data collection site to explore and perfect the model before moving forward. We asked him about what a potential franchisee could expect by investing in a Wildsoul Wellness studio:
Why is Wildsoul an attractive investment option?
Wildsoul Wellness’ diverse profit model ensures success, growth and revenue – Pilates, recovery and product sales. Our multi layered revenue model offer its business owner a healthy balance of work, life and wellness. From our burning Pilates classes and ice cold plunge, to our signature herbal blends, your Wildsoul studio will be an inviting sanctuary for you and your community to enjoy.
What does an ideal Wildsoul Wellness franchisee look like?
The ideal Wildsoul franchisee is ambitious, driven and is striving for change. They are encouraged by a triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) and are seeking to make change on a larger scale. They are conscious of health on an individual, social and planetary scale.
What support and training can franchisees expect?
You will receive comprehensive training and support throughout the duration of your Wildsoul journey. Our experienced team of professionals are on hand to ensure the success of your Wildsoul studio. Our Melbourne based HQ team provides support, training systems and ongoing marketing – your success is our bragging right.
What kind of capital investment or studio size will be required?
Capital investment ranges from $550,000 – $750,000, which provides a turnkey business, fully fitted out, stocked, and ready to trade. A Wildsoul Wellness studio size ranges from 350 – 550 m2.
Have new locations already been identified as prime opportunities for Wildsoul studios?
Wildsoul have identified three initial locations – Cheltenham, Bentleigh and Elsternwick as the next three best locations. 2025 will see a further five studios open in Victoria, with us opening studios all along the east coast of Australia in 2026.
How Wildsoul Wellness is making an impact and building connected communities
If you’re interested in finding out more about Wildsoul Wellness or owning your own studio, visit the website and make and enquiry with the HQ team.
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