btone Fitness Brings Reformer Manufacturing In-House Ahead of 50-Studio Expansion

The Boston-born boutique chain spent a year designing its reformer, trading third-party machines for onshore production as it chases nationwide expansion

The Pilates boom has turned the reformer into the most valuable piece of furniture in fitness — one btone Fitness (officially branded as btone FITNESS) would rather craft than outsource.

The Boston-born boutique brand, known for its slow-tempo, resistance-based reformer classes, is rolling out the btFormer, a proprietary machine it designed and built in Massachusetts after more than a decade using third-party equipment. 

The reformer arrives this month in Chelmsford, Braintree and Brighton, Massachusetts, with installs to follow across new and existing studios. The brand has more than 37 studios open across New England, Illinois, Utah, Florida and North Carolina, with plans to have 50 in operation within the coming year. 

“Every feature was intentionally designed around our method, our members and every body that walks through our studio doors,” btone founder and CEO Jody Merrill said.

btone built the btFormer with Stream + Bleck Product Development, a North Chelmsford firm with a background in medical devices and industrial design. The two spent roughly a year refining materials for easier cleaning, adding traction, improving stability and widening modification options for different body types.

According to the brand, bringing production home also gave btone something third-party machines could not: a buffer against a turbulent import market.

“From a supply chain perspective, it gives us greater visibility and flexibility,” Merrill said. “Having more control over production timelines, logistics and sourcing helps us better navigate challenges that affect many growing brands, including shipping disruptions and tariff-related pressures.”

However, Merrill noted one important distinction — the brand isn’t building equipment to sell to the broader fitness industry, but exclusively for btone.

“Our focus has always been on creating the best possible experience within our own four walls, and this gives us another way to invest directly back into the community who has helped build the btone Fitness brand,” she added.