A Miami-born boutique fitness brand known for its sweat-soaked, infrared-heated Pilates classes is setting up shop in SoHo, taking over a former Orangetheory space at 62 Crosby St. The studio is slated to open in early December, bringing heated, 50-minute workouts to a neighborhood already crowded with wellness options.
BODY Hot Pilates was founded by Lyndsey Meade and her husband and business partner, Chris Meade, according to WhatNow. The couple lived in Miami for a decade before building the brand, and the SoHo studio marks the company's fifth location and its largest to date, with room for up to 35 guests per class. Classes blend intentional, high-repetition, low-impact movements with resistance training and infrared heat, and the lineup includes hot Pilates, sculpt, arms and abs, and abs and buns formats designed for all fitness levels, the outlet reports.
From Soccer Injury to Studio Founder
Lyndsey Meade's path to opening a fitness brand started with an injury, not a business plan. A former collegiate soccer player, she stepped away from the sport after sustaining concussions, and it was during her rehabilitation that she discovered Pilates, an experience that sparked the idea for BODY Hot Pilates, per the same account. The couple went on to open studios in Aventura, Sarasota, Coral Gables and Midtown before setting their sights on New York.
Chris Meade, who handles first-timers' nerves with some simple advice, put it plainly: “If you need to drop the weights, if you need to slow down, nobody is judging you.” He also told WhatNow that business has been booming after 18 months in operation; the planned New York locations have yet to open.
What's Coming to Crosby Street
The SoHo studio will include a separate lobby and a dedicated area for members to gather, the report notes, with an interior the founders describe as blending Miami charm with New York flair. Lyndsey and Chris Meade also plan to host partnerships with local brands and use the space to build community among members, rather than just running people in and out of class.
BODY Hot Pilates isn't stopping at SoHo. The brand plans to open another studio at 71 Smith St. in Downtown Brooklyn in mid-December, with additional locations planned for the first and second quarters of 2027, according to the same WhatNow report. When the brand's Midtown/Wynwood flagship opened in Miami on October 24, it had already signaled that its SoHo and Downtown Brooklyn studios were set to open later that fall, according to World Red Eye. That Midtown opening followed the brand's Sarasota studio debut the previous month, the outlet reported.
A Booming Market for Boutique Fitness
BODY Hot Pilates' expansion lines up with a broader surge in small businesses crossing into serious revenue territory. The number of U.S. nonemployer businesses reaching $1 million in annual revenue jumped from 57,822 in 2021 to 117,060 in 2023, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures cited by Forbes. Within the arts, entertainment and recreation category specifically, 3,882 businesses reached between $1 million and $2.49 million in revenue that same year, Forbes reported, underscoring just how many boutique fitness and wellness brands are scaling up nationally.
For now, SoHo residents can expect the studio's doors to open in early December, with Downtown Brooklyn following about two weeks later. Whether the Crosby Street space keeps to that timeline remains to be seen, but the Meades' rapid buildout from a handful of Florida studios to multiple New York City locations suggests they aren't slowing the pace anytime soon.
