Barre & Bike: Bringing Big-City Fitness to the Sunshine Coast

When Elisha and her husband left their careers in marketing and communications to travel the world, they weren’t looking for a business idea. They were just doing what they loved: moving their bodies in incredible studios in New York, LA, London, and everywhere in between. When they came home to the Sunshine Coast, they noticed something was missing.
“We kind of think of it like bringing a big city style studio into a smaller regional area,” says Elisha, co-founder of Barre & Bike. “Back in 2019, there was really only a handful of studios around and they were mainly small Pilates or Reformer studios. There was just nothing like what we were wanting to offer in terms of beat-based workouts and higher energy group fitness focused around community.”
They essentially opened with two studios under one roof: a rhythm cycling studio and a barre and movement space. Seven years on, they remain the only studio on the Sunshine Coast offering beat-based cycling, with a community that keeps coming back for both.

When the technology starts costing you more than time

Building something genuinely different takes energy, and Elisha didn’t have time to spend that energy firefighting software problems. For the first few years, Mindbody did the job. Then gradually, it stopped.
Bugs became more frequent. Getting onto support took longer. Small frustrations stacked up. Then came the moment that made the decision for them. When Barre & Bike introduced Pick a Spot for their bike studio, a bug meant that cancelled bookings weren’t releasing the spot back as available. Classes were showing as full. The studio was sitting empty.
“We ended up printing off a map, laminating it, and when people came in we’d do it all manually, write their names on it. It was just awful. And they couldn’t fix it. It was months ongoing.
“Around the same time, member payments were being duplicated and tripled, with no refund capability available. Elisha had to contact every affected member individually, collect their bank details, and process the transfers herself. For a founder managing operations, admin, and membership enquiries without a dedicated studio manager, that kind of disruption cuts deep.

Following the studios they admired most

Elisha had actually been paying attention to Mariana Tek for a while before the switch became urgent. During COVID, when studios everywhere opened their classes online, she and her husband spent time studying the studios they respected most around the world. A pattern kept emerging.
“When we looked at the studios we most admired, we noticed a bit of a trend that all of the top studios were on Mariana Tek.”
They’d already reached out to the Mariana Tek team but the platform wasn’t yet available in Australia. When it was, they didn’t hesitate. Barre & Bike went live as the first studio in Australia on Mariana Tek.

Getting time back to build the business

Running two studios without a dedicated studio manager means Elisha handles everything herself alongside her husband: operations, advertising, membership enquiries, all of it. The reliability of their platform isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s what determines whether her day goes toward growing the business or fixing someone else’s problems.
“We don’t have a studio manager, so as the owner I manage the operations, all the admin, all the membership enquiries. My time is valuable. To not have to worry about things going wrong and instead be able to build the business is very valuable.”
That peace of mind has been one of the most tangible differences since making the move.

A platform that feels like it belongs to them

What happened next surprised them a little. Members started complimenting them on their app, assuming Barre & Bike had built it themselves.

That seamless brand experience carried through to how members buy. Elisha noticed that the familiar, online-shopping-style checkout made it easier for clients to commit. “Our demographic knows online shopping. Mariana Tek’s checkout experience is very similar to what you’d do when shopping online, so I think that helps convert people. It’s an interface they’re already familiar with.” Automated late cancellation and no-show fees added another layer, and with Apple Pay available at checkout, the path from interest to booking got a lot shorter.

Room to grow, on their own terms

That ease of use matters even more when you’re launching something new. In 2026, after close to a year of planning, Barre & Bike launched their infrared heated classes. It was a significant moment for the studio, and Elisha was able to manage the entire rollout herself without needing a developer or waiting on anyone else.

For Elisha and Barre & Bike, that kind of independence is what seven years of building something different on the Sunshine Coast actually looks like in practice.

Inspired by Barre & Bike’s story? See how Mariana Tek supports boutique fitness studios across Australia. Experience Mariana Tek