By Arielle Dollingerarielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollingerAugust 19, 2026 2:00 am
As a pharmacist delivering medicine to patients’ homes, Mady Pisano saw physical struggle
“One lady inspired me the most,” said Pisano, founder and head pharmacist of RelyRx Pharmacy & Medical Supplies. “I walked into the apartment, before the aide arrived, she was stuck at the bathroom. She couldn’t reach for her walker, she couldn’t lift herself.”
Feeling called to help herself and others physically — beyond medication — Pisano started practicing Pilates
Next month, Pisano will open her first and Long Island’s second Bodybar reformer Pilates studio. The 3,200-square-foot Hauppauge Shopping Center location, with 14 reformers and a room for private training sessions, will celebrate its grand opening on Sept. 8, the business announced in a news release
Nationally, Pilates is increasingly popular, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association
“Pilates is one of the fastest-growing activities within the fitness category,” Jenny Karn, SFIA’s senior director, said in an email
The Bodybar workout is built primarily around the Pilates reformer — a machine with a sliding platform attached to weight-bearing springs, used in fitness and physical therapy settings
An area local, Pisano said she wanted to open an accessible, community-building studio she and others could visit
Formerly RockBox Fitness, the space has been open for studio tours since late July and free, 30-minute Bodybar 101 classes on weekdays since Aug. 10, said Alexis Paul, of franchise marketing agency Tidehouse. The studio will continue to run free trial classes twice a week after the studio officially opens in September, Paul said.
Pisano estimated she would need seven to 10 instructors and five brand ambassadors to work the front desk
Presale membership packages are discounted and are not subject to an enrollment fee, Pisano said. Once the studio opens, membership packages will range from $149 a month for four visits to $249 a month for unlimited classes, plus a $50 enrollment fee, she said. Single, drop-in classes will cost $39.99
Having founded a pharmacy, Pisano chose to open a Pilates studio as a franchisee instead of starting from scratch. Bodybar has a location at 925 Walt Whitman Rd. in Melville under different ownership. Pisano plans to open another location next year in southern Long Island, she said
The Bodybar franchise has 89 studios nationwide and 30 scheduled to open this year, according to the news release
“Not only is there a desire for group fitness and community-based classes here, but residents really value their health and wellness,” said Kamille McCollum, chief brand officer, president and co-founder of Bodybar Pilates, in the release
SFIA’s 2026 Topline Participation Report showed a 6.8% increase in the number of Americans ages 6 and above who participated in Pilates last year. From 2020 through last year, the report showed a 39% increase in Pilates participants. The survey used a sample size of 18,000 interviewees and weighted the responses “to balance the data to reflect the total U.S. population ages six and above,” the report details.
In July, Cushman & Wakefield senior director Melissa Naeder told Newsday wellness and fitness businesses were “definitely on an uptick,” representing about 30% of new retail leases on Long Island last year
Wellness businesses are currently experiencing the kind of growth boutique fitness saw in previous years, she said.
“We saw boutique fitness expand years ago, and now we’re really seeing consumers invest in recovery, longevity and preventive health,” Naeder said
By Arielle Dollingerarielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger
Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets
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