08/13/2026
Physique 57 turned 20 earlier this year, and thinking about those early days has brought so many pleasant memories, enduring lessons, and old photos to mind. I’ve started writing about what’s proven most pivotal, for myself and for my advisory clients, reflecting on where the boutique fitness category first started, and exploring the exciting places it’ll go next.
I started building Physique 57 before I had a cofounder, a lease, or even a company name. What I did already know, though, was exactly who I wanted beside me.
tanyabeckerp57 was the best barre teacher in New York City at the time, and for eight weeks, I called her on my flip phone, trying to get her onboard.
She was the right partner, but she was not yet convinced that I could turn the idea into a real business. I needed to keep building. I developed the brand and the vision, explored real estate, and shared regular updates on the progress I was making toward what I already imagined we could create together. We made our partnership official two weeks after we finally met.
Two weeks after that, Tanya began teaching classes in the basement of the Martha Graham Dance Studio on the Upper East Side. At the time, our “company” was simply called Tanya’s Class.
There was no social media and no marketing budget back then.
Word of mouth was our only path to awareness, and we were excited to see the class numbers growing as more women began telling their friends about the workout.
Over the next few months, we found the right name, secured our first space on West 57th Street, and assembled a strong team that was eager to see what this new concept could become.
This was well before boutique fitness even became a category, and before barre became a phenomenon and fixture in the fitness industry. We were simply Physique 57, and we had to prove that this was a business and a brand worth celebrating.
I did not wait for every piece to be in place before moving forward. I kept building until the opportunity became tangible enough for the right partner, the right team, and eventually the market to see what I could already see.
What are you still waiting to have “in place” before you begin?
