How Therapy turned a bold idea into one of the Gold Coast’s most distinctive fitness communities

There’s a moment Emma Masters describes that happens at the end of every cycle class at Therapy. The music fades. The lights come up. And before anyone can unclip their shoes, members are already leaping off their bikes to help the people they could see were new.

“You can’t convince a community to do that,” Emma says. “It just has to naturally cultivate.”

That moment captures something essential about what Emma and her partner Kyle Riley set out to build when they opened Therapy on the Gold Coast in November 2021. Not just a fitness studio, but a space where people genuinely look out for each other. Where movement is a tool for mental health. Where every room, every class, and every member touchpoint is designed around how people feel, not how they look.

A studio built around how people feel

Therapy runs three rooms, each designed to create a different emotional experience. The Run + Lift room is dark and high-intensity, built for people who want to move through something. The Cycle room is rhythm-based, social, and energising. The Connect space is quieter and more introspective, centred on somatic movement and breathwork.

Members are encouraged to choose based on what they need that day. That philosophy has attracted people who don’t typically feel comfortable in traditional fitness environments: busy parents, corporate professionals, people looking for somewhere they can show up without feeling judged.

“I think it’s your everyday person who’s looking for somewhere to join, to belong,” Emma says. “Especially in an industry right now that’s so heavily focused on the way you look.”

“Therapy is a space for people to come for 45 minutes and be present,” Emma explains. “Hence the no phones in the rooms policy, hence the no late policy. We’ve curated all these little things to create an experience where people can just switch off.”

Mariana Tek was the platform they’d been waiting for

When Emma and Kyle were planning Therapy’s launch, Mariana Tek was already on their radar. They’d experienced it from the member side through Barry’s and other US boutique brands they admired, and the consumer-facing experience was exactly what they were looking for.

So they launched on an alternative platform.

However eventually Mariana Tek did come into the Australian market, and they took that moment to switch across.

It’s a decision they haven’t looked back on.

What changed when Therapy switched to Mariana Tek

For Therapy, the most important moment in any member’s journey isn’t the workout. It’s everything around it. The booking. The arrival. The feeling someone gets when they walk into class for the first time. Those moments are what turns a first-timer into a regular.

Having a seamless book a spot feature was top priority, Emma recalls – 

“That was so important to us. Not just for the keen bean who wants the front row, but for the new person who’s shy and needs to guarantee their back row spot. I think it’s even more important for them. That readiness to come into class knowing they’re not going to be put under a spotlight.”

It’s a decision they haven’t looked back on. “It has the most fitness boutique interface and a great member app,” Emma says. “I think as a whole, it has the most you could look for that’s currently out there.”

The team also found the day-to-day back-end fast and intuitive. Therapy runs a smoothie bar, and members can pre-order through the app before class, a detail that fits the experience they’ve worked hard to create. End-of-shift payment processing became quick and streamlined. 

We onboard new staff with ease. Kyle runs reception onboarding himself and found the interface really user friendly.

“Even on the first training day, it’s all very intuitive. Whether it’s going to a member’s account or looking at class history, you just follow the clicks,” he says. 

Using automation to make every member feel seen

Therapy’s culture is built on connection. Instructors who know your name, staff who notice when you haven’t been in for a while, a community that leaps off their bikes to help a stranger unclip their shoes. The challenge as you grow is keeping that feeling intact.

Mariana Tek’s marketing automation tools have been central to making that work. The team runs email and SMS sequences that map to each stage of the member journey, from first visit through to intro pack completion and membership conversion. Their sales manager works from the dashboard daily, using automated reminders to know exactly when to reach out.

“It’s about making sure we get to these first-timers and have a meaningful conversation with them,” Emma explains. “Irrespective of the sale. Because we know fitness is daunting for a lot of people. Walking into a gym the first time takes courage.”

Gamification is woven into the experience too. Therapy runs a monthly Streaker of the Month feature in their newsletter, spotlighting members using class streaks. During challenges, they combine the in-app challenge tracker with a physical stamp card in-studio, because some people still like ticking something off.

What’s next for Therapy

Four years after opening, Therapy is actively looking for their second site on the Gold Coast. Beyond that, the goal is 10 locations in 10 years, predominantly Queensland, with interstate and potentially international expansion in the mix.

Each new location will be personalised to its community rather than simply replicated. New modalities will only be added if they pass what Emma calls the “therapy lens,” asking whether something can create a genuine immersive experience connected to physical and mental health.

“We feel like Therapy is bigger than we are,” Emma says. “It really helps a lot of people. And so we’re willing to take it where it wants to go.”

Inspired by Therapy’s story? See how Mariana Tek supports boutique fitness studios across Australia.