Franchisee Spotlight: The Bar Method in Silicon Valley & Bay Area

Pandemic-tested and growing, these long-time Bar Method owners built more than a business — they built a community

Most barre workouts end with a cool-down sequence or some restorative breathwork. However, those hosted by Laura Santora and Noreen Dante aren’t brought to a halt so easily.

While their classes run a reasonable length and finish on time, their business is as resilient as any in the fitness and wellness industry. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple reallocations, fluctuating membership levels and a period where their scheduling depended on availability at a children’s ballet studio, Santora and Dante found a way to keep people stretching, squatting, planking and pumping. 

“Thank God Noreen is as hard a worker as she is, and I’m as hard a worker as I am, or it could have fallen apart,” Santora told Athletech News. “We were both very determined and very eager to make this thing go. We kept going, and going, probably even when we should have stopped, but here we are now.”

“Here” is sitting with multiple Bar Method locations across California and with an expanded staff, having recently added a downtown San Francisco studio and a third partner to their team. 

Luck of the Draw

Before Santora and Dante launched their operation, they didn’t even know each other. They didn’t know The Bar Method either — but had sisters that did. 

“They recommended it to each of us,” said Santora. “Unbeknownst to the other, we started taking classes in a San Francisco studio.”

After one session, Santora found herself infatuated with the brand both as a consumer and from a career standpoint. Just wanting to get involved, she initially took a desk job at a Bar Method, and after expressing an interest in owning a location, she quickly found herself in contact with Dante, who shared that interest. 

“They basically match-made us,” Santora recalled. “We both thought we could run our own business. So we asked ourselves, ‘Why don’t we try it?’ And that’s how it started.”

Around the same time, The Bar Method was growing from equally humble beginnings. When Santora and Dante first launched, the brand wasn’t even franchising yet with less than 10 locations in California. However, much has changed since Purpose Brands (then Self Esteem Brands) acquired it in 2019.

“We went from a five-page teaching manual to one that now has about 1000 pages,” Santora said. “There’s a complete and total organization behind us now, which we never had. We have full access to anything and everything from marketing to different technologies and all the resources for paid media and CRM. It’s a full operation.” 

Overcoming Obstacles, Including COVID 

As members and teachers before owners, Santora and Dante had a front row view of The Bar Method. They were impressed by the product, saw the public interest in it and knew they could replicate it, even without any experience in running a fitness business beforehand. 

“The method was great, and we knew we could do the same thing but in a different location,” Santora said. “It was absolutely addictive. People were flocking to the studio.”

Santora and Dante’s vision eventually came true. They launched a site in San Mateo in 2004 and another in Palo Alto soon after. 

However, the unforeseen snares and setbacks that often come with running any business eventually struck, the largest being the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a hurdle Santora is still working on fully clearing and distancing herself from today. 

“We have a very hesitant client base,” Santora said. “I have clients, even to this day, who wear masks in class. I have clients who are just returning after COVID, who are finally not fearful of coming into the studio.”

Santora shared that her business even shrank by 50% during the pandemic’s height. Unable to make pandemic-related concessions at their original location, they had to move out and rent a ballet studio. 

“It was very disruptive — I was very down and even thought at one point we’d never make it through,” Santora said. “We really did consider disclosing the Palo Alto location entirely, but we said to ourselves, ‘Let’s keep going. Let’s see what we can find.’”

Santora and Dante squeezed in classes whenever they could for 14 months to stay afloat. Difficult as it was, that persistence led to their inspiring turnaround.

“We found this great spot in Palo Alto,” Santora said. “It took months to build it and get it situated, but it ended up paying off. It was a huge risk that ended up being okay.”

It also led to the duo’s third location. With real estate prices plummeting at the time, Santora and Dante found a cheap space remodeled as a Pilates studio and vacant for years. Purchasing the property, they rolled the dice again and profited substantially.

“Opening all three was a huge milestone,” Santora said. “It’s a major accomplishment, especially because we weren’t even sure if we would continue. Then, to turn around and say, ‘You know what? We’re gonna swing big and go for it,’ we’re very proud of that.”

Somewhere You Want To Be

Along with that determination, Santora credits her success to hospitality. It’s not just an added layer of her business that makes it stand out, but a key retention booster that it depends on. 

“This is more about the community than it is the workout,” she said. “I think that’s what translates to retention. We know everybody’s name when people arrive at the desk — there’s no walking by and checking in with a scanner. This is a high-touch, personal place.”

“When people come in, we know their goals, their stories, their heartbreaks and their personal lives,” she added. “We know what’s going on with them, and because of that, when we do marketing retention events like fitness challenges, we get a good response because everybody’s participating in a common, shared experience and it’s really fulfilling…I think that’s the biggest selling point for retention. People don’t leave because this is where all their friends are. This is their family outside of their home, and that’s what translates into everything that we do.”

Members aren’t the only ones sticking around, either. Santora noted that she has clients and staff who have been around since they first opened in 2004. 

“We had a 20th anniversary party in our San Mateo location, and we had a private class just for students who’ve been with us since we opened,” she said. “There were 24 people in the room, and I thought that was pretty amazing…It goes to show you what a strong community we’ve built, and that really makes us proud.”