The first bricks and mortar Kinrgy studio opens today (1 March) in West Hollywood.

Founded by Emmy Award-winning dancer, Julianne Hough, the brand started as a dance and fitness platform.

Hough announced a partnership with boutique brand franchisor, Xponential Fitness at the end of last year to turn the online platform into an immersive in-person studio experience in what HCM is calling a reverse pivot, as the power of live experiences grows and digital brands launch physical locations.

Four core class formats will be on offer at Kinrgy WeHo: Rhythm, X, Connect and Rhythm + Carve, which cover dance, cardio, fitness, mindful movement, meditation and sound healing.

Intended to be a judgment-free environment, empowering people to connect with their true nature and express their authentic selves, the concept is less about looks and more about making people feel good about themselves.

Open seven days a week, there will initially be four to six classes daily, with plans to add more. Monthly memberships are available for four, eight or unlimited visits per month, as well as drop-in options. Special founding memberships are available for a limited time.

"This opening marks the next evolution of Kinrgy,” says Hough. “With Xponential’s end-to-end operational expertise in providing best-in-class boutique fitness studio experiences, we’re thrilled to provide our community an in-studio offering that lives up to the standards of our online platform.

She says Kinrgy is more than a workout: “It's a journey back to oneself, and I'm eager to see the West Hollywood community, and beyond, embrace this new chapter of wellness and self-expression with open hearts and energy.”

Further studios are planned in the spring for Austin, TX and Seattle and Washington, which is becoming a hotbed of wellness.

HCM editor, Liz Terry, said: “The market is seeing increased commercial pressure on boutiques from big box operators with their extensive club-in-club offerings that gather multiple boutique modalities under one roof for one price.

“In many markets, this shift is threatening the boutique sector, but Xponential is countering with its XPass – the aggregator product which gives consumers access to multiple Xponential locations in one package, although the success of this depends on the network having enough clusters to deliver and the company offering workout modalities that are growing in popularity, rather than declining – hence the need to churn the estate.

“Xponential has to work this formula hard to maintain growth, ensuring clusters are located in areas of demand and that the XPass is effectively priced and marketed and has good take up.

If this model fails due to weak clustering and lack of market penetration, poor take up of the XPass or a decline in interest by consumers in specific workout modalities, the company will be more vulnerable to competition from big box operators and/or declining market share.”

Xponential Fitness is home to Club Pilates, Pure Barre, StretchLab, CycleBar, Row House, YogaSix, BFT, Rumble, AKT and metabolic healrh brand Lindora, which is bought last year.

The company recently gave away its running brand, Stride, to focus on higher growth sectors.