So what on earth is one boutique a week and WHY are we doing it?

The concept for ‘one boutique a week’ is really as the name suggests – we set out in January 2023 to complete one unique boutique workout, each week, for the rest of the year. Now entering into week 34 and well over the halfway point now, we felt it was a good time to share the why behind OBAW, our learnings so far, why choosing a career in boutique fitness could be for you, and what’s in store for the world of boutique and the rest of the challenge…

The why…

Education:

Love Recruitment are fitness industry talent specialists and we really pride ourselves in being the experts in this. Within our fitness focussed business we also have what we now refer to as ‘lanes’ – the boutique/ supplier/ independent gyms lane, commercial fitness lane and public sector/ leisure lane – these have further allowed us to become even more adept in our knowledge and so ‘one boutique a week’ was initially put in place to continue evolving that. When we say we’re experts – we want to mean it! It’s been such an educational experience for not only our boutique group but also the entire team. We know recruitment, we know fitness, and this challenge has allowed us an even more practical view on boutique gyms specifically – the talent, the experience, the product, the growth and so much more.

Showcasing some incredible brands/ engagement from our fitness network:

We’ve been fortunate enough to visit some truly amazing brands and are proud to be able to showcase them on our platforms. We’re definitely not influencers (although we’d welcome a blue tick if offered ;)) but what we do have is an extensive fitness network (including candidates, prospective employers, fitness professionals and more) and being able to shout about where we’ve been to that week has been really well received. People that want to try the workouts, clients that have asked for our recommendations and being able to speak to candidates about these brands from our own personal experience has been so invaluable.

The excitement and feedback from our industry peers has also been amazing and somewhat unexpected! With no relation to recruitment, some of the most common questions we’re now asked include:

“Which boutique are you trying next?”

“What has been your favourite boutique that you’ve tried so far?”

and our favourite – “Can I come and join in a boutique workout with you soon?”

So far we’ve been joined by Chloe Kinch (Proinsight) during our first international OBAW experience at Fibo, Jon Nasta (Retention solutions) joining us for some live boutique workouts at Balance Festival, and Rob and Amy from Independent Gyms when we all enjoyed experiencing a fabulous local independent boutique (Cycle Culture) together. As the challenge has progressed, we now also have some fabulous brands reaching out to us that are keen to host the team and get involved which is amazing.

Team building/ FUN:

The enthusiasm and commitment the team have shown and the fun we’ve had doing our weekly boutique workouts has just been incredible, and it has become a real added benefit. Some of our favourite experiences have been those where other teams in the business, members and special guests like those mentioned above have got involved also. One of our most memorable experiences was when the whole team did a Barry’s bootcamp together – it got extremely competitive as you can imagine but was SO much fun. We look forward to this continued engagement for the rest of our challenge (and beyond – more of that to come in part 2).

Common themes about great boutiques

Community:

One of the advantages of boutique gyms is the huge sense of community they foster. Fitness professionals in these spaces often build strong connections with their clients, nurturing a supportive and motivating atmosphere. As recruiters, we value personal connections and aim to build rapport with potential candidates. By visiting boutique gyms, we gain insights into how trainers interact with their clients and how they cultivate a sense of belonging. Members love to feel like they are part of something bigger. Whether it's the events the clubs hold, the challenges, the social events, all these intimate, fun experiences help to build that loyal member base long term. All of this of course, is with thanks to the amazing people that work in boutiques both operationally and delivering the workouts and the loyal members that are part of these incredible ecosystems. Sleven was an amazing example of community at it's finest!

Service (and those little touches that go a long way):

Offering amazing member service should be universal across the fitness industry but great boutiques go above and beyond here. A huge benefit of having a smaller membership base is the real opportunity to get to know each and every one of your members really well and, done properly can have a massive impact on retention. This means more than just knowing your members by name and we’ve seen some great examples of this during our challenge:

- As a new visitor to Orangetheory they invite you to the studio 30 minutes before the workout, you do an introduction session with the coach and to explain the session, then they spend time with you afterwards chatting through your results and what they mean

- We had a fabulous coach James at F45 Soho who really understood the assignment when we asked if he could get photos/ videos for OBAW whilst we trained – we ended up with all of the content and all important ‘angles’ and all whilst he instructed a (gruelling but great!) class.

Boutique brands often come at a premium price point, and with an average cost £20+ per class there is often an expectation from members for added extras. Towel services, water stations, premium bathroom products, amenities such as straighteners and Dyson hairdryers (shout out SoulCycle) are all lovely touches we’ve seen. Some boutiques offer healthy snacks, shakes (the shakes at Barry’s are sensational) and coffees as well as merchandise which really add to the whole experience (and also great additional revenue drivers).

Of course little touches don’t have to cost money to go a long way – cleanliness (might sound obvious but we’ve seen a few, quite frankly, disgusting changing rooms, and probably wouldn’t go back despite how good the rest of the experience was!), asking for and actioning on member feedback, shouting out member milestones (both in personal life and their fitness journeys) and service calls are all fab examples of things we’ve noticed too (and obviously if your coach is willing to get the money shots like James at F45 that’s always a win!).

Quality of the product/ variety offered:

Most boutiques studios are specialist and focus on one modality of training – it’s part of what makes them so special! Although it’s a highly competitive market and with apps like Classpass readily available, commanding member loyalty has never been tougher – so the quality of your product and variety in offering could make all the difference in retention. Some of the best workouts we’ve tried have had an amazing standard of programming and really have been the best in their craft. Some standout examples we’ve seen of product/ variety:

- UBX, a boxing inspired workout offering zero class times and great results. UBX pride themselves on their team members undergoing extensive training to be able to teach and train their members in boxing with members feeling like they are learning a real skill that they can master over time.

- Milo & the Bull have really nailed the variety element and offer classes, free gym, challenges AND Personal Training under one roof and we’re big fans!

- BFT do some incredible 8 week challenges throughout the year (including full programming and nutrition advice)

- Boomcycle changing it up with themed soundtrack workouts offering something a little different to your spin (and possibly an out of breath sing-a-long?!)

Thank you so much for reading our story so far and we look forward to sharing part 2 with you soon - where we share all about careers in boutique fitness, what's to come in the world of boutique and for the rest of our challenge!

Maddie & Casey x