Canadian movement and wellness company Jaybird is expanding its Toronto footprint with a 5,000-square-foot studio in Midtown that will combine its mat and reformer offerings under one roof.
The new location at 2574 Yonge St. is scheduled to open in early October, joining Jaybird’s existing studios in Yorkville and Queen West. The Midtown studio will have capacity for 38 mat guests and 20 reformer guests and will introduce the company’s first custom-designed reformer.
Expansion into Midtown
Jaybird said the decision to open in Midtown was driven by the neighbourhood and its existing customer base in the area. The studio will be located just north of Yonge and Eglinton, in an area with a mix of wellness, design, retail and hospitality businesses.
“We fell in love with this pocket of Midtown at first sight. We weren’t seriously looking for another location, but when we came across this one, we couldn’t resist,” says Barbie Bent, co-founder and CEO of Jaybird. “There’s this great juxtaposition between the energy and high-rises of Yonge and Eglinton and, just a few blocks north, this cozy neighbourhood that almost feels like a great high street. We already know our guests spend time here. We’re surrounded by friends like nutbar, Formula Fig and Aesop, so it immediately felt like somewhere Jaybird belonged.”
The Midtown location will offer both Jaybird Mat and Jaybird Reformer, giving the company a combined format at its third Toronto studio. Jaybird said the space is intended to fit into the daily routines of people who live and work in the neighbourhood while offering a setting distinct from the activity outside the studio.
Neighbourhood-inspired design
Jaybird said each of its studios has a different design influenced by its surrounding neighbourhood, with colour, materials, lighting and architectural elements varying between locations while retaining the company’s overall design approach.
“Every Jaybird is uniquely designed, and we always draw inspiration from the neighbourhood when deciding how we want that design story to unfold,” says Bent. “We first saw this space on a bright, sunny day and were immediately taken in by the street, the surrounding homes and the beautiful, design-forward storefronts. This pocket of Midtown felt charming and upbeat, and we thought it was the perfect place to do something a little brighter and more playful.”
The Midtown studio was designed by Future Studio in collaboration with Jaybird co-founders Bent and Ariel Swan. The design uses mustard, honey and golden tones with travertine and rich wood accents, floor-to-ceiling timber slat walls, an arched backdrop and amber-toned lighting.
A skylight will be a central feature of the two-storey space, while sculptural lighting, abstract forms, cork accents and curved walls will also be incorporated into the studio.
Custom reformer
The new location will also mark a product development step for Jaybird, with the introduction of its first custom-designed reformer. The equipment was developed as part of the company’s continued changes to its Reformer method.
“Jaybird’s approach to the reformer has always been non-traditional, and it has continued to evolve as we’ve learned more about how our guests want to move,” says Swan, co-founder and head of product at Jaybird. “We love the intensity and strength that comes from slow resistance training, but we also wanted to bring more of the foundations of classical Pilates into the experience. Designing our own reformer allows us to bring those elements together in a way that feels distinctly Jaybird.”
The new reformers will debut at the Midtown studio, where they will be used as part of the company’s latest Reformer offering.
Third Toronto location
Jaybird was founded in Vancouver in 2019 by Bent and Swan and has since expanded its studio network across Canada. The company offers mat and reformer classes built around a combination of fitness and mindfulness.
The company says its classes are electronic-free and use infrared heat, candlelight and immersive music as elements of the studio experience. Its instructors cue movements through sensation rather than focusing on appearance, while classes are structured from beginning to end around movement and presence.
The Midtown studio is expected to open in early October and will occupy approximately 5,000 square feet at 2574 Yonge St., bringing Jaybird’s two Toronto class formats together at its newest location.
Bent said the brand has four studios in Canada: Yaletown and Kingsway in Vancouver, and Queen West and Yorkville in Toronto. Midtown opens this October as our fifth Canadian studio and third in Toronto.
“For us, this is about building deeper roots in a city where we already have a community. Studios in different neighbourhoods make Jaybird more accessible in our guests’ everyday lives and create more opportunities for our teachers and teams. Midtown also brings Mat and Reformer together again under one roof, giving guests more ways to move depending on what they need that day,” she said.
Attracted to the neighbourhood
“The neighbourhood really drew us in. We weren’t actively looking for another Toronto location, but when we found this space, we could immediately see Jaybird here. There’s an interesting shift from the energy and density of Yonge and Eglinton to this pocket just a few blocks north, which feels like a neighbourhood high street.
“We already know our guests spend time here, and being surrounded by businesses like nutbar, Formula Fig and Aesop felt like a natural fit. The opportunity is to bring Jaybird closer to where people live, work and already spend their time.
“The neighbourhood also shaped the design. We first saw the space on a sunny day and loved how warm and upbeat the area felt. Working with Futurestudio, we’ve brought that into our brightest studio yet, with honey and mustard tones, wood, travertine and a beautiful skylight.”
Multi-million dollar investment
Bent said Midtown represents a multimillion-dollar investment in its growing collection of studios and reflects its confidence in Toronto.
“We’ve put a great deal of care into every element, from the design of the space to our first custom-designed reformers,” she explained.
“We see an opportunity to welcome new guests from the neighbourhood while bringing Jaybird closer to existing guests, making it easier for them to build movement and mindfulness into their everyday lives. Our goal is to become part of their weekly routine: a place they return to for movement, but also for time to disconnect and reconnect with themselves.”
Bent said its Reformer method has continued to evolve, and the brand wanted the equipment to evolve with it.
“Ariel leads our product development, and tens of thousands of classes have given us a deeper understanding of how our guests want to move,” she explained.
“We love the intensity and strength-building qualities of slow resistance training, and we wanted to bring more of the foundations of classical Pilates into that experience. Designing our own reformer allows us to bring those elements together in equipment developed specifically for the Jaybird method.
“For guests, that means an evolution of the Reformer experience they already know, bringing a greater classical Pilates influence alongside the slow resistance work. The intention remains the same: to build strength while bringing attention back to the body and how movement feels. The new reformers will debut at Midtown and will also be featured at Nomad.”
U.S. expansion next
Bent said the company’s next major step after Midtown is its first U.S. flagship in Nomad, New York, opening in November. It will bring both Mat and Reformer to a 6,350-square-foot space on West 25th Street.
“Looking further ahead, our approach is to build depth in the cities we enter. We’ve learned that multiple studios in one city help us build stronger communities and give our teams more opportunities to grow. We see New York as an opportunity to take that approach into a new market,” she said.
“The right neighbourhood and the right space will continue to guide our decisions. Each Jaybird takes inspiration from its surroundings, while sharing the same purpose: making mindfulness more accessible and fitness more impactful.”
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