Lakewood Ranch's Waterside Place adds Pilates studio

Lakewood Ranch Commercial has signed another fitness facility for its Waterside Place hub as Texas-based Bodybar has targeted March for a new franchise opening.

Kamille McCollum, president and COO of Bodybar Franchising, said the Waterside Place location at 7600 Island Cove Terrace, Suite 102, will be its first studio in Florida with three more franchises planned (two in Tampa and one in Orlando).

"Florida is a lot like Texas," McCollum said. "It is friendly to small business owners and has a lot of people who are active."

Bodybar was founded in 2012 and is based around reformer Pilates, which incorporates a "reformer" apparatus that resembles a bed-like frame on a flat platform and uses springs for resistance. However, McCollum said Bodybar has its own take on the system, using more intensity and cardio bursts, training off or to the side of the machine, and using techniques to get the heart rate up and to build muscle endurance.

The company currently has franchises in Texas, Utah and Georgia.

McCollum said she is excited about making Lakewood Ranch her company's first franchise in Florida.

"It is beautiful and I know the area is full of active people," she said.

She said Pilates has remained fresh because instructors can be creative and develop their own routines. Bodybar continuously works on new programs to pass along to its instructors.

"Pilates has been around since the 1940s, but it has evolved," she said.

Businesses are expected to begin opening in Waterside Place in October, about six months after the anticipated opening as the COVID-19 pandemic has made construction materials scarce and slowed down the build-outs. Michael Demarski's 3Form Fitness is expected to be the first business to open early in October. 

Waterside Place is built on a 36-acre peninsula and sits on mile-long Kingfisher Lake. When complete, the development will feature 862 luxury apartments and townhomes. It features 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.