7 High-Impact Holiday Plays for Boutique Fitness Studios

The end of the year isn’t a slowdown—it’s an opportunity.
Boutique fitness brands that plan intentionally don’t just survive the holiday dip… they capitalize on it.

While attendance typically softens in November and December, revenue tells a different story. Our data shows studios can see a surge during this same period—especially when they lean into strategic holiday promotions, gift card campaigns, and community-building events.

Average monthly attendance, 2026 Boutique Fitness Industry Report

Average revenue per month, 2026 Boutique Fitness Industry Report

This season is busy, emotional, and full of consumer intent. Your most loyal members are actively looking for meaningful gifts, festive experiences, and simple ways to stay consistent in the chaos. With the right plays, you can turn the last eight weeks of the year into one of your strongest revenue windows.

Below are seven holiday-ready activations designed to maximize spend, deepen engagement, and set your studio up for a powerful start to 2026.

1. Make gift cards your holiday power play

Gift cards are a holiday classic for a reason — they convert. Even with a small discount or bonus offer, your studio instantly unlocks new revenue and new members. For your clients, gift cards create a simple, quick gift for their friends and family—perfect for Christmas morning, last-minute gifting, or surprising a friend who’s traveling.

Even if you sell gift cards at a slight discount (or offer a bonus with each gift card purchase), you’re still likely to boost revenue. There are so many reasons why gift cards can be the perfect holiday offer:

Studies show that nearly 60% of consumers spend more than the value held in their gift card, increasing your studio’s revenue with each transaction. Many purchases exceed the card’s amount by $30 or more. If you sell a $50 gift card, that can lead to a total sale of $80+.

2. Encourage your members to give the gift of fitness by bringing a guest to class

Make it convenient for members to bring someone they love to class during the holidays.

The Bring a Guest feature is built directly into the booking flow. Clients can use their existing credit packs to bring friends or family — perfect for guests who are visiting or locals who want to try something new. The more the merrier!

You can also run special guest-friendly classes (like Black Friday morning) where anyone who attends can bring a friend for free. These moments convert casual visitors into committed clients.

3. Celebrate every member’s achievements in your studio

As the year winds down, your members want to see their progress — and share it.

Year in Motion from Mariana Tek packages their annual wins into one tap-ready, social-shareable highlights reel. Members feel celebrated. Your brand gets amplified. And your studio becomes top-of-mind for every friend who sees the post and is thinking about their own fitness goals for the new year.

It’s one of the most joyful, high-engagement features of the entire year.

4. Make lead gen effortless before the new year

January is coming… and with it, a wave of resolution-ready prospects.

Lots of people will have fitness-related resolutions, and you want to make it simple for them to try out your studio and start bringing new revenue!

Set up a form on your website for prospects to fill out and immediately get a free class in their account. The leads flow directly into your marketing CRM (Xplor Growth), so you can easily track interactions and follow up in 2026.

During the busiest season of the year, put your lead generation on autopilot.

5. Use challenges to drive up member engagement

Holiday chaos doesn’t have to pull clients away — it can pull them in.

Gamified challenges and festive events keep clients motivated and connected at the exact moment their routine starts to slip. Whether you run a “Maintain Don’t Gain” challenge, a Streak Tracker, or holiday-playlist-only classes, you give members a reason to stay consistent.

Studio Spotlight: Studio One’s Christmas Music Rides

Holiday-themed cycling classes featuring classics like Michael Buble and Mariah Carey or a Holirave? Yes, please.

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Studio Spotlight: PLNK Fitness’ 12 Days of Giveaways

PLNK Fitness has multiple Lagree locations and runs 12 Days of Giveaways every year. They keep it simple: All customers have to do is come to class, and they’ll be entered to win. 

Momentum matters — and holiday events make fitness feel fun again.

6. Host events to boost merch sales

Holiday shopping is already happening inside your walls — so give members a reason to buy.

Plan a Sip & Shop night, a cozy holiday market with local vendors, or a post-class shopping hour where members can bundle merch with exclusive seasonal discounts.

This boosts revenue and makes space for new collections in the new year.

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Studio Spotlight: Rev Cycle Studio’s Sip ‘n Shop Event

Rev Cycle Studio invited clients to stay after class, sip a beverage and socialize, plus shop great deals on merch. Who could say no to that?

7. Intro Offers for New Members

New Year’s resolutions bring a spike in attendance, making January the biggest month for studios on average. You can already start running new intro offers and promotions throughout the holidays, or keep the train rolling in the new year to bring in new members that want to hit their fitness goals!

Mariana Tek makes it easy to offer promotions on your buy page, whether during the holidays or at any other time of year.

Bonus: You can even target promotions to specific segments, so the promo is only shown to the users you choose! 

Bonus: Give Back!

Along with all these revenue-boosting ideas, consider initiatives that encourage your members to give back to the broader community. That could mean a clothing or food drive, a volunteering event, or a charity class.

‘Tis the season, after all. Happy holidays, everyone!