Boutique fitness has always been about personalization. Rather than go to a big box gym where no one knows them, customers choose boutique studios where they can attend exciting classes while feeling personal support from instructors and a sense of community.
Today, more and more brands and studios are taking this one step further with 1-on-1 personal training sessions. People are asking for variety and even more personal attention—this move meets the market where they are. It’s the perfect pairing of personal experiences with boutique fitness classes.
Not offering 1:1 personal training yet at your studio? Here are 5 reasons to consider adding the offering in 2026.
Why Should Studios Offer 1:1 Personal Training?
1) Demand for strength training
Strength training is rising in the ranks of fitness priorities these days. In our survey of Mariana Tek studios, owners and operators ranked strength training as the #1 trend they expect to influence boutique fitness studios—and they ranked it higher than trends like healthy aging, recovery and wellness services, women’s health, and GLP-1s.
There’s a need in the market for 1:1 coaching to help people reach their strength goals. Plus, with personal training, instructors can provide immediate corrections and guidance without having to address other individuals in a group.
2) Personalized experiences
Personalization is a hallmark of boutique fitness. Your customers could go anywhere for their fitness activities, but they chose your studio. There’s an expectation in boutique fitness that members are getting something extra—experiences they couldn’t get at any random gym. With 1-on-1 sessions, your knowledgeable trainers can personalize services even more than they can in a group fitness class.
It’s a great way to build a strong community, too. A 1:1 session with a loyal customer gives staff the chance to check in, discuss goals, and keep them motivated.
How does a personalized approach help further your goals as a community?
We’ve heard from our community that it means a lot to them to know that B/SPOKE cares about different types of groups and individuals. It’s been this way since the beginning, and I think that having this consistent vision and values has played a huge role in our approach to community building. – B/SPOKE Studios, Massachusetts
3) A “holistic” wellness approach
We can see from our data that customers are looking for variation and balance in their fitness routines—and studios want to meet that demand. 44% of Mariana Tek studios hope to add new class formats in the next 24 months, and 24% want to introduce wellness/recovery services.
For some of your members, just taking a class doesn’t cut it anymore. People are trying different things, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve with what they’re looking for.
4) Increased revenue potential
The cost of personal training varies widely across regions, but prices range anywhere from $50 to $150+ per hour. That can drastically increase your studio’s revenue per customer—and it’s a great way for instructors to make more money, too.
Tip: Consider offering packages of personal training sessions. Just like a class pack, this encourages members to make a long-term commitment.
5) Competitive Differentiation
The competition is fierce in the fitness world. In 2024, the number of fitness facilities expanded nearly 4% year-over-year and memberships grew by 6%.
So what is your studio doing to stand out?
Personal training isn’t offered at every studio, so it can set you apart from the competition; not only in terms of what’s on your offer menu, but also in the type of community and customer relationships you build.
Maybe you want to offer 1:1 personal training, but you’ve been held back by one or more of these blockers:
- You’re juggling messy, disconnected systems for private sessions.
- Tracking bookings and payments across multiple tools is a headache.
- Trainers can’t schedule on the go, and conflicts frustrate both staff and clients.
Right now, most of the systems used by boutique fitness studios were originally built to service multiple industries, from barbershops to nail salons. This leaves you with systems packed with features you and your team don’t need, and missing the ones you actually need for running 1:1s and private sessions.
At Mariana Tek, we’ve always made class booking seamless and polished. Now, we’re bringing that same experience to your one-on-one sessions. Appointments is designed to give your team effortless control over scheduling, payments, and insights—all in one place. Learn more here.
by Julie Sippy Senior Marketing Manager
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First published: June 10 2026
Written by: Julie Sippy