Connect
A New Season of barre3: Inside Our New Studio Openings
As the first quarter of 2026 unfolds, barre3 is welcoming new studios—and the communities taking shape around them. Each opening begins with a shared belief: that movement can be a powerful way to bring people together.
From mountain towns to growing suburbs, these studios mark the start of something local and deeply personal. Behind every opening is a studio owner stepping into a new chapter—often shaped by change, resilience, and a desire to build something that matters beyond the workout.
While each story unfolds differently, a few threads connect them all. Again and again, studio owners speak to the importance of place, care, and partnership. Together, their experiences offer a clear picture of what growth looks like at barre3: thoughtful, people-first, and rooted in community.
Hannah Walters, Studio Owner
When Hannah Walters moved from Portland, Oregon, to Asheville, North Carolina, one thing was clear: life without barre3 wasn’t an option. What began as a personal practice had become a source of grounding and connection—something she couldn’t imagine leaving behind.
“I knew I wanted to open a barre3 studio the moment my husband and I decided to move to Asheville,” she says.
Although Hannah began conversations with the franchise team ahead of their move in 2022, she waited until she felt rooted in her new city before taking the leap. That moment arrived in 2024—just days before Hurricane Helene hit the area.
“Signing our franchise agreement three days before the storm was a gulp moment,” she shares. “But it’s been really special building this community at a time when Asheville itself was rebuilding and craving connection and wellbeing.”
Asheville’s outdoor, wellness-driven culture made it a natural fit for barre3’s functional approach to movement. “People here value inclusion, mindfulness, and community,” Hannah says. “barre3 complements the hiking, biking, and active lifestyle that’s already such a big part of life in Asheville.”
As a first-time studio owner, Hannah leaned heavily on the barre3 Support Center throughout the opening process. “They were with me every step of the way—from operations to studio development to team readiness,” she says. “That high-touch, empowering support was exactly what I needed to launch confidently.”
When clients come to barre3 Asheville for the first time, Hannah hopes they feel an immediate sense of clarity: “I want people to walk in the doors and think, this is it. This is the place, these are the people, and this is the workout I’ve been seeking.”
Amy McNamara, Studio Owner
Opening a barre3 studio wasn’t sparked by a single moment for Amy McNamara—it was the result of years spent teaching, learning, and growing alongside the barre3 community. She first discovered the workout through barre3 online, drawn to a practice that left her feeling grounded and strong rather than depleted.
While raising her children, Amy became an instructor, eventually joining the founding team at barre3 Old Town Alexandria. Teaching barre3 became both a creative outlet and a way to stay closely connected to clients, even as the idea of ownership stayed with her. In 2019, a planned relocation opened the door to that possibility—until plans shifted and the timing fell away.
Instead of stepping back, Amy leaned in. She spent the next several years deepening her understanding of the body and continuing to teach the workout she loved most. When her oldest graduated high school in 2024, the moment finally felt right.
After more than a decade with barre3, Amy knows exactly what she wants the studio to feel like. It’s not about chasing perfection, but about showing up with intention—moving with strength and confidence every step of the way.
“I want everyone to feel like they truly belong,” says Amy, “and for barre3 Arlington to be their happy place.”
Meaghan Boyd, Studio Owner
Meaghan Boyd didn’t realize how central barre3 had become in her life until it was gone. When she stepped away from teaching during COVID, the absence was immediate—not just the movement, but the daily feeling of shared presence that came with being in the studio.
Meaghan first found barre3 after the birth of her second daughter. The studio became a place where she could reconnect—both to her body and to a sense of care that extended beyond the workout.
“I went for the workout, but I found so much more,” she says. “barre3 made me feel like I was enough.”
With guidance from the barre3 Support Center, a long-held idea became a space ready to welcome its community.
When clients walk into barre3 Murrayhill, Meaghan hopes they feel what she once did herself—a place where they can show up as they are and feel genuinely supported from the moment they arrive.
“I want every person who walks in to feel supported and at home,” she says.
Kelly Bryant, Studio Owner
Some studios are born from opportunity. Others are built from lived experience. Barre3 Rockwall belongs to the latter.
After navigating loss, isolation, and a stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis, barre3 became a place of connection for Kelly Bryant when much of her life felt uncertain. What began as support during a difficult season slowly became something more—a desire to create a space where others could feel cared for in the same way.
The idea of opening a studio, previously set aside, returned during healing—prompted by a simple but powerful question: Why not? With her husband’s encouragement, Kelly stepped back into the possibility of ownership with renewed clarity and purpose.
Rockwall, a fast-growing Texas community with a strong sense of identity, felt like the right place to bring that vision to life. Throughout the process, Kelly leaned on the barre3 Support Center’s deeply personal, hands-on partnership—guidance that made the challenges of opening feel shared rather than carried alone.
When clients walk through the doors of barre3 Rockwall, Kelly hopes they feel welcomed without explanation, and leave better than they arrived.
“This isn’t just my job,” Kelly says. “It’s my purpose.”
More Studios Opening This Quarter
The studios featured here represent just a portion of the barre3 locations opening their doors in the beginning of 2026. While not every studio owner was able to share their story for this piece, each new barre3 location is rooted in the same commitment to mindful movement, passion-driven leadership, and creating spaces that invite people in.
Growth, Grounded in Care
Together, these stories offer a clear picture of what growth looks like at barre3. It isn’t defined by numbers or expansion alone, but by the people who choose to build something lasting in their communities.
Each studio opens with the same hope: that when someone walks through the door, they feel supported, capable, and exactly where they’re meant to be. As 2026 continues, these new studios stand as a reminder that barre3’s strength has always come from connection—and that the most meaningful growth happens when people come together, one studio at a time.
As the first quarter of 2026 unfolds, barre3 is welcoming new studios—and the communities taking shape around them. Each opening begins with a shared belief: that movement can be a powerful way to bring people together.
From mountain towns to growing suburbs, these studios mark the start of something local and deeply personal. Behind every opening is a studio owner stepping into a new chapter—often shaped by change, resilience, and a desire to build something that matters beyond the workout.
While each story unfolds differently, a few threads connect them all. Again and again, studio owners speak to the importance of place, care, and partnership. Together, their experiences offer a clear picture of what growth looks like at barre3: thoughtful, people-first, and rooted in community.
Hannah Walters, Studio Owner
When Hannah Walters moved from Portland, Oregon, to Asheville, North Carolina, one thing was clear: life without barre3 wasn’t an option. What began as a personal practice had become a source of grounding and connection—something she couldn’t imagine leaving behind.
“I knew I wanted to open a barre3 studio the moment my husband and I decided to move to Asheville,” she says.
Although Hannah began conversations with the franchise team ahead of their move in 2022, she waited until she felt rooted in her new city before taking the leap. That moment arrived in 2024—just days before Hurricane Helene hit the area.
“Signing our franchise agreement three days before the storm was a gulp moment,” she shares. “But it’s been really special building this community at a time when Asheville itself was rebuilding and craving connection and wellbeing.”
Asheville’s outdoor, wellness-driven culture made it a natural fit for barre3’s functional approach to movement. “People here value inclusion, mindfulness, and community,” Hannah says. “barre3 complements the hiking, biking, and active lifestyle that’s already such a big part of life in Asheville.”
As a first-time studio owner, Hannah leaned heavily on the barre3 Support Center throughout the opening process. “They were with me every step of the way—from operations to studio development to team readiness,” she says. “That high-touch, empowering support was exactly what I needed to launch confidently.”
When clients come to barre3 Asheville for the first time, Hannah hopes they feel an immediate sense of clarity: “I want people to walk in the doors and think, this is it. This is the place, these are the people, and this is the workout I’ve been seeking.”
Amy McNamara, Studio Owner
Opening a barre3 studio wasn’t sparked by a single moment for Amy McNamara—it was the result of years spent teaching, learning, and growing alongside the barre3 community. She first discovered the workout through barre3 online, drawn to a practice that left her feeling grounded and strong rather than depleted.
While raising her children, Amy became an instructor, eventually joining the founding team at barre3 Old Town Alexandria. Teaching barre3 became both a creative outlet and a way to stay closely connected to clients, even as the idea of ownership stayed with her. In 2019, a planned relocation opened the door to that possibility—until plans shifted and the timing fell away.
Instead of stepping back, Amy leaned in. She spent the next several years deepening her understanding of the body and continuing to teach the workout she loved most. When her oldest graduated high school in 2024, the moment finally felt right.
After more than a decade with barre3, Amy knows exactly what she wants the studio to feel like. It’s not about chasing perfection, but about showing up with intention—moving with strength and confidence every step of the way.
“I want everyone to feel like they truly belong,” says Amy, “and for barre3 Arlington to be their happy place.”
Meaghan Boyd, Studio Owner
Meaghan Boyd didn’t realize how central barre3 had become in her life until it was gone. When she stepped away from teaching during COVID, the absence was immediate—not just the movement, but the daily feeling of shared presence that came with being in the studio.
Meaghan first found barre3 after the birth of her second daughter. The studio became a place where she could reconnect—both to her body and to a sense of care that extended beyond the workout.
“I went for the workout, but I found so much more,” she says. “barre3 made me feel like I was enough.”
With guidance from the barre3 Support Center, a long-held idea became a space ready to welcome its community.
When clients walk into barre3 Murrayhill, Meaghan hopes they feel what she once did herself—a place where they can show up as they are and feel genuinely supported from the moment they arrive.
“I want every person who walks in to feel supported and at home,” she says.
Kelly Bryant, Studio Owner
Some studios are born from opportunity. Others are built from lived experience. Barre3 Rockwall belongs to the latter.
After navigating loss, isolation, and a stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis, barre3 became a place of connection for Kelly Bryant when much of her life felt uncertain. What began as support during a difficult season slowly became something more—a desire to create a space where others could feel cared for in the same way.
The idea of opening a studio, previously set aside, returned during healing—prompted by a simple but powerful question: Why not? With her husband’s encouragement, Kelly stepped back into the possibility of ownership with renewed clarity and purpose.
Rockwall, a fast-growing Texas community with a strong sense of identity, felt like the right place to bring that vision to life. Throughout the process, Kelly leaned on the barre3 Support Center’s deeply personal, hands-on partnership—guidance that made the challenges of opening feel shared rather than carried alone.
When clients walk through the doors of barre3 Rockwall, Kelly hopes they feel welcomed without explanation, and leave better than they arrived.
“This isn’t just my job,” Kelly says. “It’s my purpose.”
More Studios Opening This Quarter
The studios featured here represent just a portion of the barre3 locations opening their doors in the beginning of 2026. While not every studio owner was able to share their story for this piece, each new barre3 location is rooted in the same commitment to mindful movement, passion-driven leadership, and creating spaces that invite people in.
Growth, Grounded in Care
Together, these stories offer a clear picture of what growth looks like at barre3. It isn’t defined by numbers or expansion alone, but by the people who choose to build something lasting in their communities.
Each studio opens with the same hope: that when someone walks through the door, they feel supported, capable, and exactly where they’re meant to be. As 2026 continues, these new studios stand as a reminder that barre3’s strength has always come from connection—and that the most meaningful growth happens when people come together, one studio at a time.
