New research from boutique fitness management platform bsport surveyed more than 550 studio members globally to find out what drives discovery, loyalty and growth. The findings have significant implications for how Australian fitness businesses operate, market and grow.
Running a boutique fitness studio in Australia has never been more competitive. New studios are opening constantly, members have more choice than ever, and simply offering great classes is no longer enough to guarantee a full timetable or a loyal membership base.
But what do members actually want? And what separates the studios that retain members from those that can’t stop the churn?
A major new industry report from bsport surveyed more than 550 boutique fitness members across four markets to find out. The findings point to a fitness consumer who is evolving fast: one who is motivated by experience and community as much as by the workout itself, and who is increasingly difficult to retain without the right operational foundations in place.
Here is what Australian studio owners need to know.
Pilates Is the Most Popular Boutique Fitness Activity, But Members Rarely Stop There
The report confirms what many Australian operators are already seeing: Pilates has become the cornerstone of boutique fitness, with 52% of members attending a studio primarily for this activity. Yoga follows at 47%, with strength training (36%), HIIT (27%) and dance (22%) rounding out the top five.
The insight that matters more for studio owners, however, is what happens beyond that single format. More than 85% of members participate in more than one type of activity, and over 63% of Pilates practitioners combine it with two or three other formats, most commonly yoga, strength training and dance.
We asked bsport CEO, Zakaria Mansour, what this means for Australian studio owners; “The data shows members want variety but for most boutique studio owners, adding a new format isn’t as simple as putting it on the timetable, it means new equipment, new instructors, new overhead. The smarter first move is often to understand what your members are already doing outside your walls, and then explore partnerships with like-minded studios nearby. You can offer variety without stretching your margins or betting the business on a format that may not stick.”
For Australian studio owners, particularly those running Pilates-focused businesses, this finding cuts both ways. Members who cannot get everything they want from one studio will split their attendance across multiple locations. Studios that offer complementary formats, or that make it easy for members to build a strong habit around their space, are better positioned to become the anchor in a member’s weekly routine rather than one of several options.
Zakaria Mansour, bsport.
How Fitness Studio Members Discover New Studios
Understanding how members find studios in the first place is essential for any owner thinking about where to invest their marketing budget.
Proximity remains the biggest driver of discovery, with 61% of members choosing studios based on how close they are to home or work. Word of mouth is nearly as influential, with 58% of members discovering studios through recommendations from friends or family. Social media accounts for 35% of discovery, while search engines drive 34%.
Third-party class booking apps such as ClassPass and Urban Sports Club contribute to discovery for around 25% of members, though their role is strongest at the top of the funnel rather than as a long-term retention channel.
For Australian studio owners, the practical takeaways are clear. Being easy to find locally, maintaining a strong Google presence, generating genuine reviews, and showing up consistently on social media are not optional marketing activities. They are fundamental to filling classes with new faces.
The Biggest Barriers Stopping New Members from Booking a First Class
Knowing what stops people from trying a studio is just as valuable as knowing what attracts them.
Class schedules that do not fit members’ lives are the single biggest obstacle, cited by 63% of respondents. Location inconvenience follows at 38%. A quarter of members say having no option to try a class before committing would stop them entirely, while 19% say a complicated or unclear booking process would put them off.
That’s 1 in 5 members abandoning a studio over friction with booking. So what does a friction-free booking experience look like? We asked Zakaria Mansour to weigh in;
“A friction-free booking experience comes down to a few non-negotiables. Creating a profile should take seconds, not minutes. Payment should happen in as few taps as possible, every extra click is a dropout risk. And once a member has booked that first class, the studio should live in their pocket. A well-designed app isn’t a luxury, it’s what turns a one-time visitor into someone who checks your timetable every Sunday night. But the studios that really stand out go further: letting members reserve their specific spot (a reformer, a mat, a bag) removes a hidden anxiety that stops people from committing. And for your most popular classes, a waitlist feature doesn’t just fill cancellations, it signals demand and keeps members engaged even when a class is full.”
The booking channel data adds further context. While 42% of members book through a studio’s own mobile app and 37% book via the studio website, 18% still book by messaging or emailing the studio directly. In 2026, that represents a meaningful source of friction, and an opportunity to convert those members to a simpler, faster direct booking experience.
Why Boutique Fitness Members Keep Coming Back to the Same Studio
Loyalty in boutique fitness forms quickly and is driven by factors that many studio owners underestimate.
More than 90% of members decide whether to return to a studio within their first three classes. Nearly a quarter make that decision after just one session. This puts significant pressure on studios to deliver a strong experience from the very first interaction, well before a member has had the chance to build a habit.
When members do return, instructor quality is the strongest driver. Forty-six percent of members cite coaching quality as the primary reason they come back to the same studio. The same proportion say that having regular classes with the same instructor makes them feel more connected to the studio.
The community dimension is equally important. Only 1 in 10 boutique fitness members attends purely for the physical workout. Seven in ten say that being around other people is an important part of the experience, and 1 in 7 say the social aspect is a primary reason they keep showing up.
Instructor consistency is one of the strongest retention drivers in our data, and yet most studio owners are still focused almost exclusively on member retention,”says Mansour. “The reality is that the two are inseparable. If you want members to keep coming back, you need instructors who keep showing up, and who want to. That starts with building a real teacher community, where instructors feel valued, connected and part of something. But community alone isn’t enough. They also need the right tools to do their job well: clear scheduling, reliable pay, frictionless substitution management. These aren’t perks, they’re the operational foundations that determine whether your best instructors stay, or walk across the street to a competitor.”
For Australian studio owners, this points to a clear operational priority. Supporting instructors with clear scheduling, reliable pay, manageable admin and genuine recognition is a direct investment in member retention. Studios that look after their instructors are far more likely to maintain the consistency that keeps members coming back week after week.
The Growing Demand for Wellness and Recovery Services in Fitness Studios
One of the clearest commercial signals in the report is the scale of member interest in services that extend beyond the workout itself.
Seventy-eight percent of boutique fitness members are interested in adding lifestyle or recovery services to their routine. The breakdown is revealing: massage is the most desired add-on at 59%, followed by sauna at 55%, healthy food and smoothies at 27%, infrared therapy at 26% and cafe-style social spaces at 25%.
This reflects a broader shift in how members relate to their studio. Boutique fitness spaces are increasingly viewed as wellness destinations, and the studios that evolve to meet this expectation have a significant advantage over those offering classes alone.
When it comes to converting that interest into actual revenue, the report identifies a clear trigger: intro offers and trial discounts are the most effective way to get members to try a new service, cited by 39% of respondents. Bundling classes with services is the next most effective approach at 15%.
For Australian studio owners exploring this opportunity, the practical starting point is low-commitment add-ons such as recovery sessions or massage that complement the existing class offering. Testing through partnerships or pop-ups before committing to a permanent service is a lower-risk way to gauge demand before scaling.
The Risk of Over-Relying on Third-Party Class Booking Platforms
For studios using class aggregators such as ClassPass, Urban Sports Club or Wellhub, the report contains an important commercial warning.
These platforms are genuinely effective for discovery. Around 25% of members find studios through them, making them a useful acquisition channel, particularly for reaching new audiences who might not otherwise find a studio through search or social media.
The risk emerges when aggregators become the default booking channel rather than a stepping stone. The report found that 37% of members continue booking through third-party platforms even after discovering a studio, with 19% using both platform and direct booking methods simultaneously. Studios that rely heavily on this model tend to see lower revenue per class and weaker direct relationships with their members, both of which make long-term retention harder to achieve.
The studios managing this most effectively treat third-party platforms as a first-visit channel. Once a member has attended, the goal shifts: move them to a direct booking relationship through a better app experience, member-only pricing or perks that platform bookings cannot access.
Fitness Studio Pricing: What Members Are Actually Willing to Pay For
The report’s findings on price sensitivity challenge some widely held assumptions about what drives member decision-making.
While 59% of members say fair pricing for value is an important factor when choosing a studio, only 13% say price is their primary deciding factor. Members across the survey are looking for an experience that justifies the cost, rather than simply hunting for the cheapest option available.
When asked what would make them willing to accept higher prices, 41% of members said better schedules, and the same proportion said higher instructor quality. A third said the availability of additional services would justify paying more.
According to Mansour, one of the most damaging things a studio owner can do is discount their way through a quiet patch. “It feels like a quick fix, but it trains your members to wait for the next deal instead of valuing what you offer. Our data is clear: only 13% of members say price is their primary deciding factor. What they’re actually willing to pay more for is better schedules, stronger instructors, and additional services. So instead of cutting prices, ask yourself: are your classes running at the times your members actually want? Are your best instructors on your busiest slots? Is there a recovery or wellness add-on you could introduce tomorrow? Those are the levers that build pricing power, not discounts.”
For Australian studio owners, the implication is significant. Competing on price by discounting or undercutting competitors is unlikely to build lasting loyalty. Investing in scheduling quality, instructor consistency and a broader service offering is a far more effective path to both retention and pricing power.
How to Use Referrals as a Fitness Studio Growth Strategy
Despite the rise of social media advertising and class aggregator platforms, word of mouth remains the most powerful acquisition channel available to boutique studios. Fifty-eight percent of members discover studios through friends or family recommendations, making personal referrals nearly twice as effective as any digital channel.
The practical implication is straightforward: the strongest marketing investment a studio owner can make is in the quality of the member experience. Members who feel genuinely welcomed, known and part of something will tell other people about it.
Referral incentives can accelerate this significantly. Thirty-four percent of members say a free class for both the referrer and their friend is the most motivating incentive to recommend a studio, followed by discounts at 26% and the ability to attend together at 23%.
The operational tools here are not complicated: referral credit programs, guest pass options, bring-a-friend class formats and member events that invite people to share the experience with others. Many studio management platforms now have these features built in, making it easier to run referral programs consistently without adding to the administrative load.
Building a Boutique Fitness Studio That Grows Sustainably
Reading across the full report, a consistent theme emerges. The studios that perform best over time are not necessarily those with the largest budgets or the most sophisticated marketing. They are the studios that get the operational detail right, day after day.
Smooth booking. Consistent scheduling. Strong instructor support. Timely member communication. A first-visit experience that feels personal even when the studio is full.
None of this is sustainable when it depends on manual effort and goodwill alone. The studios that maintain this standard consistently tend to have systems that automate the operational layer, freeing owners and instructors to focus on what matters most: building genuine relationships and delivering sessions members want to come back to.
Key Takeaways for Australian Studio Owners
The bsport Fitness Studio Playbook offers a clear set of priorities for boutique studio owners heading into the second half of 2026.
Get the first three classes right. Loyalty is decided quickly. Make every first-visit experience, from booking through to post-class follow-up, feel seamless and personal.
Invest in your instructors. Instructor quality and consistency is the single strongest retention driver in the data. Supporting instructors operationally is a direct investment in member loyalty.
Remove booking friction. One in five potential members will not try a studio because of a complicated booking process. Booking is part of the product.
Expand beyond the class offering. Members want recovery, wellness and community alongside their workouts. Studios that broaden their offering thoughtfully will see stronger revenue per member and improved retention.
Convert platform bookings to direct relationships. Use third-party apps to win new members, then work to move them into a direct booking relationship where you control the experience and the margin.
Build schedules around member demand. Better schedules are the number one thing members say would justify paying more. Data on class demand and attendance patterns is one of the most valuable inputs a studio owner can act on.
The Fitness Studio Playbook 2026 is published by bsport, the boutique fitness management platform powering over 3,000 studios worldwide. bsport covers booking, scheduling, memberships, payments, marketing and reporting, giving studio owners the systems to deliver a consistent member experience at every touchpoint. Download the full report here.
Research methodology: 550 boutique fitness members surveyed across the UK, France, Germany and the United States. Respondents were regular attendees of boutique fitness studios rather than traditional gyms. Data collected October 2025.
For more information about bsport software for boutique fitness studios., you can visit the website.
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