TREND DOSSIER · rising

Flexibility Is the New Premium: Hybrid and Boutique Membership

Membership models are being rebuilt around flexibility: 66% of surveyed owners report members asking for flexible or shorter contracts and 65% for hybrid access — both well ahead of lower prices. Aggregators have become a revenue funnel rather than a discount threat, while rigid boutique portfolios bleed same-store sales.

Key figures — all cited

86% grew membership; 56% improved margin; 66% flexibility requests; 65% digital/hybrid; 46% lower prices: Wellhub's Fitness Business Growth Report 2026, surveying 662 gym and studio owners across 11 countries, found 86% grew their membership base this year and 56% improved profit margin, while member requests prioritized flexible/shorter contracts (66%) and better digital or hybrid options (65%) over lower prices (46%). — Health & Fitness Association (Sep 23, 2026)
$2.3B+ incremental revenue since COVID; 62M+ reservations in 2025: ClassPass reports it has generated $2.3 billion-plus in incremental revenue for the global fitness and wellness economy since COVID-19, with 62M+ reservations facilitated globally in 2025 across 88,000+ listed businesses in 643 cities and 31 countries. — ClassPass (Jan 2026)
Pilates +66% YoY (most-booked, 3rd year); mat Pilates +114%; reformer +71%: Pilates was the most-booked workout on ClassPass for the third year running in 2025 with bookings up 66% year over year; mat Pilates bookings grew 114% and reformer 71%. — Acuity Scheduling (Sep 23, 2026)
revenue $66.0M (-$10.2M YoY, ~-13%); NA SSS -6.8%; adj EBITDA $21.9M (-22%); FY2026 guidance lowered: Xponential Fitness Q2 2026 revenue fell to $66.0 million with North America same-store studio sales down 6.8%, adjusted EBITDA down 22% to $21.9 million, and management lowered full-year 2026 guidance. — The Motley Fool via Yahoo Finance (Aug 13, 2026)

State of play

The membership contract is being renegotiated by the member. Wellhub’s Fitness Business Growth Report 2026, surveying 662 gym and studio owners across 11 countries, found 86% grew their membership base this year and 56% improved profit margin — but 95% say competition has intensified over three years, and what members ask for has reordered: flexible or shorter contracts (66%) and better digital or hybrid options (65%) both outrank lower prices (46%). The aggregator channel has matured into a revenue funnel: ClassPass reports more than $2.3 billion in incremental revenue generated for the fitness and wellness economy since COVID-19, with 62M+ reservations in 2025 across 88,000+ listed businesses in 643 cities. Demand is concentrating in formats that suit the flexible model — Pilates was ClassPass’s most-booked workout for a third straight year, bookings up 66%, with mat Pilates up 114% and reformer up 71%. The cost of standing still is equally visible: Xponential Fitness posted North America same-store sales down 6.8%, revenue down $10.2 million to $66.0 million, adjusted EBITDA down 22% to $21.9 million, and lowered full-year guidance.

Why it matters

The survey’s most consequential finding is the ranking, not the growth: members value control of terms over discounts, so the operators winning are selling access structures — short commitments, hybrid tiers, app-plus-floor — rather than cheaper versions of the annual contract. Aggregators, once feared as margin-killers, are now demonstrably incremental revenue for small studios that treat them as top-of-funnel. And the divergence inside boutique — Pilates compounding while a multi-brand franchisor shrinks — shows that format fit and model flexibility, not category membership, decide outcomes. For mid-market chains the strategic question is whether hybrid tiers become standard pricing architecture or a defensive concession bolted on too late. Note what the survey does not show: owners reporting price as the primary member ask. If members wanted cheaper, discount-led operators would be winning the period; instead they want terms, which is a design problem operators can solve without eating their own margins.

Momentum call: rising, dated 2 November 2026 — flexible and hybrid models are taking share of both member demand and owner strategy.

What to watch

Whether hybrid tiers become standard pricing architecture at mid-market chains, not just boutiques.
Aggregator economics: whether incremental revenue holds as commissions face scrutiny.
Whether Xponential’s continuing strategic review forces portfolio surgery that resets boutique franchising.
Corporate distribution deals as a new member-acquisition lane for studios.