The situation is all too familiar: You sign your life away to a year-long contract at the latest and greatest fitness studio only to find out that as soon as you put your money down, your friends have discovered something new.
Problem solved with StudioHop, a membership that allows you to hop from workout facility to workout facility for one flat rate.
Founder Natalie Wolfe was a yoga-loving SMU student when the idea first came to her. Although she loved her yoga three times a week, she craved more. She tried visiting various types of workout studios for a $30 fee and joining a big gym to try its wide variety of classes, but still she was unsatisfied.
StudioHop allows members to try several workouts for the price of one studio membership — or less, in some cases.
Wolfe preferred the experience of a boutique studio, the type of place where the staff greeted her by name when she walked in because they really knew her and not because her name popped up on the screen. It was then that StudioHop came to her.
“I wanted to change the way we work out,” Wolfe says. “The idea kept me up at night — dreaming up a logo, jotting down my favorite studios I’d want to include and going through business models in my head.”
Wolfe is preparing for the official launch of an app in Dallas in January 2015; Austin will follow soon. Currently in the beta stage in Dallas, StudioHop allows members to try several workouts for the price of one studio membership — or less, in some cases. And it’s not just the users who benefit. The studios dig it too.
“Most studio owners support the idea of a well-rounded workout schedule, and many fitness instructors in Dallas teach at multiple studios of all kinds,” Wolfe says. “Both parties benefit: Members get more fun workout options, and studio owners also get paid for spaces that may have been left empty. It’s a win-win.”
Jenn Baird, one of the beta testers, was looking for a little variety in her fitness routine. Not exactly keen on the atmosphere of big gyms and craving the attention that only a small fitness studio can provide, she gave StudioHop a go.
“Initially, my favorite part of joining was the unique variety it offered for such an amazing price,” Baird says. “But after my first two to three weeks, it shifted to being the results I saw in my body. The variety delivers faster body transformations because of the different combinations you can try.”
StudioHop offers two membership levels. The lite membership is $100 a month for up to 10 classes at any participating studio without restrictions; the full membership is $150 per month for unlimited classes. Although it’s not up and running quite yet, StudioHop is booking memberships on a pre-order basis, and that includes gift cards.
Some of the participating facilities include Uptown Yoga, City Surf, Pure Barre and Beyond Pedaling, with more on the way.
With new fitness studios joining daily and an app that includes the ability to invite friends, rate instructors and get customized workout suggestions based on your preferences, we only have one question: Where do we sign up?
A StudioHop membership gives you access to several fitness studios for one flat rate.
