We're thrilled to announce the winners of our first ClassPass Partner Awards series!
With these awards, we sought to recognize partners within our network of 8,500+ studios and gyms around the world who demonstrate the passion and drive to grow their local fitness community and move the industry forward.
We’re pleased to honor the following exceptional businesses in the Open Heart, Innovator, Customer Champion, Growth Master, and Community Leader categories.
OPEN HEART
This business exemplifies the ClassPass mission of expanding the global fitness community by welcoming the most new users to their studio or gym.
Winner
Transform Fitness Studio
Mountain View, California
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Transform Fitness Studio, which offers group Megaformer, HIIT, and indoor cycling classes in Mountain View, California, embodies the "Open Heart" award by welcoming a high rate of new ClassPass users to the studio month over month, relative to their capacity and market. The studio also consistently receives amazing ratings and reviews on ClassPass, with an average 4.8/5.0 star rating.
Owner Jennifer Donat shares, "We get tons of new clients every week by accepting ClassPass! This is super important to us because we are a single small family run studio. Our exposure through ClassPass has brought many new clients through the door, some who are even just visiting from out of town, and has helped us grow and spread the word within our community." She adds, "At Transform Fitness Studio, we welcome people of all athletic ability and thrive on seeing their individual strength gains. We promote a healthy yet balanced life that everyone can feel a part of, just like family!"
INNOVATOR
This business is focused on the future of the fitness industry with cutting-edge improvements to their studio or gym, whether through technology, the in-class experience, video, or more.
Winner
Scenic Cycle
Sydney, Australia
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In 2012, Tom Sproats created a virtual spinning prototype in a garage in Sydney while filming, editing, and producing all his own content. After months of perfecting the product underground, he opened a studio in the heart of Sydney’s financial district with the help of investors that believed in the product. We selected Scenic Cycle for this award due to these very innovations in the class experience, where they stream video during class to take riders on an escape to the greatest cycling routes in the world: from the untouched and untamed lands along the fierce West Coast of Tasmania, to the snow lined hill climbs through the French Alps and back to the beautiful sunset in the famous streets of San Francisco. Now with hundreds of riders daily across 2 studios (that is about to become 3 studios!) and a worldwide franchise plan in place, Scenic Cycle looks set to become a dominant force in the indoor cycling world.
CUSTOMER CHAMPION
This business demonstrates exemplary customer service by responding well to customer reviews and engaging with ClassPass users on social media.
Winner
Lean Bean Fitness
Sydney, Australia
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Lean Bean Fitness — Sydney's favourite female fitness hang out — offers uniquely choreographed classes based on continuous functional body weight movement, inspired by their amazing instructors who have a range of dance, HIIT, barre and pilates backgrounds. What started in 2015 as a bootcamp overlooking the iconic Bondi Beach soon grew to a community of hundreds of Lean Beans that laugh and sweat together, as making friends and having some fun is at the core of the LBF experience.
Founder Lizzie Bland moved to Sydney after graduating from the Urdang Dance Academy in London and has since dedicated herself to building the LBF community. After a successful first year, LBF found its home at a beautiful studio in Bondi Beach in 2016, and studio #2 recently opened in Darlinghurst. We selected Lean Bean Fitness for the Customer Champion award because of their commitment to engaging with ClassPass users in reviews, whether to respond to an inquiry or chime in with a fun and chipper line of encouragement. No surprise then, that they consistently receive high ratings on ClassPass, with 4.8/5.0 stars on average.
GROWTH MASTER
This Partner demonstrates the drive to grow the boutique fitness industry by opening the most locations or expanding their space while on ClassPass.
Winner
Barrecore
London, United Kingdom
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The London-based barre brand Barrecore caught our attention for this year's Growth Master award due to their impressive expansion efforts. Since launching with ClassPass, the studio has grown from five London locations to nine in the space of two years, with two more in the pipeline. They have also opened three UK-wide locations and 2018 will see them expand into Europe.
Peter Woods, CEO of Barrecore, shares his philosophy for his growing barre brand: "At Barrecore we believe our studios are special places, not just for the lasting effects that working out with us delivers, but for the atmosphere and environment we create. We’re committed to ensuring our instructors are the best at the barre thanks to our rigorous in house 200 hour training programme. Maintaining this quality enables our clients to get the best results from their exercise."
Woods adds, "In 2018 we’ll be adding to our London portfolio as well as exploring European city expansion plans. Our offering is constantly evolving and we look forward to bringing Barrecore to more communities very soon."
COMMUNITY LEADER
This business has a lasting impact in their local community through outreach programs, charity work, and other social initiatives.
Winner
GritCycle
Costa Mesa, California
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GritCycle was founded in 2013 by Marisa Wayne and Matt Bourne, and in 2016 they welcomed Joe Pham to the partnership. They have two studios in Orange County, CA, located in Costa Mesa and Monarch Beach, and their first Los Angeles County studio is opening this spring in Long Beach, CA. According to the team, "GritCycle was founded on the principles of fun, integrity, giving, music, and GRIT by a partnership motivated by goals. GritCycle has grown into a Community of Riders and Team Members who come together multiple times per week to sweat, play, connect, elevate and motivate each other in the name of wellness. We use our time together to build one another up and work as a team to feel energized both in the Saddle Room and out."
GritCycle has been incredibly involved in giving back to their local community. Each year, they host a three-hour ride called "The Gritty Up," where 100% of the money raised goes to the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. The studio has raised over $800,000 in three years, and with the next Gritty Up in 2018, they will reach over $1,000,000 raised. In addition, each month they hold Karma Rides in both studios to raise money for local organizations. These rides have raised thousands of dollars since they opened in 2013.
The team adds, "GritGives is one of our founding principles and we are extremely proud of it. We are passionately devoted to creating good karma through acts of giving. GritCycle recognizes that it is more than the sweat on the floor. It is the day to day Grit and our ability to handle it with integrity that makes us strong, happy and well in the Saddle Room and the world."
Congratulations again to our winners!
To learn more about how we launched and solicited award nominations, visit our initial blog post.
