btone’s new Dorchester studio offers workouts that use customized reformers, featuring an approachable hybrid of Pilates-inspired movements & strength training

Grand opening weekend classes will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester 

DORCHESTER, MA — SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 — btone FITNESS announced today the official opening of its newest Boston location in Dorchester, Massachusetts. *Grand opening festivities are planned for Friday, September 19th with a ribbon cutting at 10am attended by Greater Ashmont Main Street and local city officials, and donation based classes to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester. The new 1,850 square-foot studio is the growing brand’s latest franchise to open. btone now boasts a total of 23 franchisees across the United States, with plenty more on the way. This new studio joins several other Boston locations including those in Back Bay, the North End, South Boston and studios opening soon in Charlestown and Somerville.

The Dorchester studio, located at 500 Talbot Avenue in the new VIV Boston apartment building, is owned and operated by Dorchester resident and former middle school teacher, Victoria O’Connor who says, “the btone workout is an approachable and customizable hybrid of Pilates-inspired movements and strength training, delivered in a 45-minute, joyful flow that’s ideally suited for all levels and ages, for every body, every day.”

The Dorchester studio joins additional New England btone locations in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and studios outside of New England including those in Lakeview, Chicago and Salt Lake City, Utah. Expansion plans also call for additional studios to open in the Northeast including more in Massachusetts (Hyannis) and in Maine (Portland.)

According to btone FITNESS founder Jody Merrill, btone is committed to accelerating its national growth, breaking into new markets that align with its strategic vision for expansion. Among the next wave of planned openings, btone is working toward expanding its footprint to Florida, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, with additional markets also on the horizon.

Says Merrill, “the company is on a fast track to have close to 40 opened studios by the end of 2025. In 2022, we grew from seven studios to ten. In 2023, from ten to 15 studios. And by the end of 2024, we opened 22 studios in the US. Our goal to operate 40 studios nationwide by the end of 2025 marks a major milestone for btone and strategically lays the foundation for continued growth across the country.”

Referencing the Dorchester market, Merrill says she’s excited to introduce even more Boston residents to btone FITNESS given the popularity of the brand and workout for 15 years. “However,” she says, “if you’re new to btone, our equipment and workouts have been inspired by and evolved from traditional Pilates. And we combine elements of Pilates with strength training and functional movement for maximum efficiency. This is the wildly efficient 45-minute workout that Boston residents have been loving since we first opened our doors in Lexington in December of 2010.”

Merrill adds that “Victoria is the ideal franchise partner because she’s been an instructor and ambassador for the btone brand for several years, and she certainly loves everything about the Dorchester community. This isn’t her first time at the btone rodeo. We know she’ll continue to successfully expand our brand throughout the greater Boston area, building loyal btone communities along the way.”

According to O’Connor, “I’ve had my sights set on my hometown of Dorchester since the beginning days of taking btone classes in Waltham and 500 Talbot Avenue is the perfect spot for a new btone FITNESS studio. We look forward to welcoming and introducing Dorchester residents to our btone FITNESS workouts. One of my personal goals is to make btone FITNESS more accessible to all of the amazing diverse communities that call Dorchester home. I’ll be welcoming neighbors, friends and family to experience, enjoy and fall in love with our workouts.”

Given that O’Connor’s two young boys have been visiting The Marr Clubhouse for most of their childhood, she’s thrilled to support the Clubs with the grand opening of btone FITNESS. Adds Bob Scannell, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, “We are thrilled to welcome btone to the Dorchester community and to celebrate this new partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester (BGCD).  It’s inspiring to see one of our Club parents invest in creating opportunities that promote health, wellness, and connection for families. Having btone in the community will not only strengthen our neighborhoods, but also reflect the spirit of collaboration and commitment that makes Dorchester such a special place. We are incredibly thankful for btone’s support of BGCD as they pursue their dreams.”

The new Dorchester studio will offer twelve customized reformers [exclusive to btone FITNESS] to ensure a highly personalized Pilates hybrid workout where clients will feel comfortable regardless of their fitness levels. Unlike other group exercise classes, btone specializes in 45-minute, total-body TONE workouts on these customized machines, allowing clients to tailor each and every move with spring resistance and body placement. Clients can easily and safely modify their workout based on their current fitness level and wellness goals.

Concludes O’Connor, “btone makes it easy to squeeze in a total-body workout during the day, before or after work, or whenever your busy schedule permits given our location is convenient to the MBTA Red Line and offers ample on street parking. Our classes strengthen every major muscle group in your body on our state-of-the-art reformers, which we affectionately named TONEy, derived from our signature TONE class. From move to move, you have the ability to tailor and adjust your workout resistance, along with your body positioning, to make each exercise the most comfortable and effective it can be. This is where reformer fitness meets Pilates remixed, and it definitely packs a punch.”

You can learn about the pre-opening btone fitness special offers here! 

Image courtesy of btone fitness.