The Bar Method Expands Barre-Based Studio Franchise Fitness Brand for International Growth Beyond North America

International Expansion Plans

The first locations of The Bar Method outside North America will arrive in Japan. Fast Fitness Japan (FFJ), the master franchisee of more than 1,000 Anytime Fitness clubs across Japan and Germany, has acquired the master franchise rights for The Bar Method and expects to open the first studios in early 2025 in Tokyo.

The expansion of the brand arrives as the boutique fitness industry is projected to reach a global market value of $54.8 billion by 2029, a growth rate of 38% over 2024. In the U.S., barre workouts saw growth of 13%, from 3.8 million to 4.3 million participants, from 2022 to 2023.*

“This is an exciting new chapter for The Bar Method,” said Stephanie Schon, president, The Bar Method. “With over 20 years of experience in strengthening muscles, minds, and overall wellbeing in North America, we are eager to share our scientific method with a global audience to embolden even more individuals to reach their fitness goals. We’re thrilled to partner with FFJ, given our common purpose and their impressive operational excellence and expansion with Anytime Fitness.”

Global Growth Strategy

The expansion is part of an aggressive global growth strategy for Self Esteem Brands – which recently merged with Orangetheory Fitness – to open more than 10,000 fitness, health and wellness clubs and studios worldwide by 2030.

“We are honored that Japan has been chosen as The Bar Method's first overseas market,” said Kio Yamabe, CEO, FFJ. “We are excited to introduce this exceptional exercise program to a wider audience in Japan, particularly women, in order to increase Japan's fitness participation rate and promote the adoption and establishment of exercise habits. We are confident that this will be an exciting fitness experience for the Japanese people.

Together with The Bar Method team, we are committed to contributing to the improvement of healthy life expectancy by expanding our fitness business in Japan and around the world.”

For more than two decades, The Bar Method has been building stronger bodies with challenging workouts that infuse power into every movement. Each exercise is meticulously designed to transform bodies through resistance training fused into a ballet-inspired barre workout, resulting in greater flexibility, muscle definition, and metabolism-boosting endurance.

Founded in 2001, The Bar Method was created by Burr Leonard, considered a pioneer in barre-based fitness. Built on the body-elongating practice of dance conditioning, the science of physical therapy, the pace of interval training, and its unparalleled teacher training program, The Bar Method’s approach to personalized total mind and body fitness delivers increased strength, endurance and resilience results that can be felt after only a few sessions and maintained for a lifetime. The Bar Method was acquired and joined the Self Esteem Brands family in 2019.

Today, there are 77 locations in the U.S. and Canada with plans to add new franchised studios worldwide.

Demand for The Bar Method continues to grow as more people discover the benefits of a barre-based workout and feel the empowerment after each session. Now is the time for driven, community-focused entrepreneurs like you can bring a studio to your...