What Aqua By does

Aqua By is a Parisian boutique aquabiking (aquacycling) studio operator founded in 2013, running four owned studios across central and eastern Paris (Bastille, Charonne, Réaumur/Marais) and Boulogne-Billancourt. Each studio delivers 45-minute coach-led group sessions on stationary aquabikes submerged in heated pools, with formats spanning core Aquabiking, AquaHiiT, Performing, CAF (Cuisses Abdos Fessiers), Aquacross, and Aquapalming. All locations include post-session wellness amenities — sauna at all studios and hammam at Charonne and Boulogne — and the customer journey is built around a credit-based booking system accessed through aqua-by.com and the Sanctuary App on iOS and Android.

Revenue is generated through three layered streams: (1) pre-paid session credit packs (€19 welcome offer up to €799 for 40 sessions, valid 1-16 months), (2) weekly-billed subscription plans with 1, 2, or 3 sessions per week at 3-, 6-, or 12-month commitments (per-session cost down to €15 on the longest commitment), and (3) the Sanctuary Pass — a cross-concept membership providing unified access to all 6 brands and 15 studios within parent group The Sanctuary Group. A €15/€15 referral (parrainage) program and a Sanctuary Pass corporate wellness channel supplement direct-to-consumer acquisition, which is otherwise driven by Instagram, a Google review base of 4,000+ reviews at 4.9/5, and earned media across TF1, Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire, Gala, and Biba.

Aqua By is a brand within The Sanctuary Group, a French private diversified fitness conglomerate that controls the booking platform, mobile app, and member relationship across the portfolio. The group also holds B Corp certification.

Name

Aqua By

Legal name

Aqua By

Website

https://aqua-by.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aqua By is a Parisian boutique aquabiking studio chain operating four studios across Paris and Boulogne-Billancourt, offering 45-minute coach-led pool-cycling sessions. It is part of The Sanctuary Group, providing cross-concept access to 15 studios and 6 fitness brands via the Sanctuary Pass.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Aquacycling Fitness Studio Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Aqua Fitness Classes (HSADABAL)

Keywords

• Aquacycling studios
• Boutique fitness services
• Aquabiking sessions
• Wellness memberships
• Pool cycling workouts

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Session credits / packs: Aqua By operates on a credit-based system where customers purchase packs of credits. Sessions cost between 10-16 credits depending on session type, time slot, and demand (85% of sessions cost 12 credits). Purchasing larger packs reduces per-session cost. Credits are valid for 1-16 months depending on pack size.
2. Subscription memberships: Weekly-billed subscription plans offering 1, 2, or 3 sessions per week. Plans available with 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month commitments. Longer commitments offer lower per-session pricing (down to €15/session). Credits are valid for 4 weeks and can be shared among family members.
3. Referral program: Existing members receive €15 for each friend who enrolls and makes a purchase of at least €35 within one month of signing up. The referred friend also receives €15 credit.
4. Sanctuary Pass cross-concept access: The Sanctuary Pass provides unified access to all 6 Sanctuary Group concepts across 15 studios via a single membership, centralizing revenue across the group. Cross-selling across brands (Aqua by, Le Cercle Boxing, Poses, Decibel, DRIP, Space Cycle).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Aqua By operates four boutique aquabiking (aquacycling) studios in the Paris metropolitan area — Bastille, Charonne, Réaumur and Boulogne — where customers attend 45-minute coached sessions on stationary bikes submerged in heated swimming pools. The offer is sold à la carte via per-session pricing, prepaid multi-session packs (5, 10, 20-session credits), recurring subscription plans (1, 3, 6 and 12-month commitments), and gift cards, with a Welcome Pack introductory bundle for new members. Subscribers gain multi-brand access through the Sanctuary Pass, which extends membership privileges to sister concepts under Sanctuary Group.

Product overview

Aqua By is a Parisian aquabiking (aquacycling) fitness studio chain offering 45-minute cycling sessions in pools. The company operates as part of the Sanctuary Group, providing access to 6 fitness concepts (Aquacycling, Boxing, Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Dance Workout, HIIT, Indoor cycling) across 15 studios. The core product is the aquabiking session with multiple formats including standard Aquabiking, Performing, AquaHiiT, CAF, Aquacross, and Aquapalming. Aqua By serves customers through session packs, subscription plans, and the Sanctuary Pass unified membership program, accessible via their mobile app. Four studio locations operate in Paris (Bastille, Charonne, Réaumur) and Boulogne-Billancourt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Sanctuary Group: Parent company umbrella brand encompassing six fitness concepts: Aquacycling, Boxing & Bootcamp, Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Dance Workout, HIIT & Indoor cycling across 15 studios.

Products and services

• Aquacycling Sessions 45-minute coached aquabike workout delivered in a heated swimming pool, designed for urban adults seeking a low-impact cardio session led by a professional instructor. For both men and women at certain studios and women-only at others.
• Session Packs (prepaid credit packages) Prepaid credit bundles of 5, 10 or 20 aquacycling sessions redeemable at any Aqua By studio, offering a volume discount versus à la carte pricing.
• Subscription Plans (1, 3, 6 and 12-month commitments) Recurring monthly subscriptions with tiered commitment lengths (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months) that unlock progressively lower per-session pricing and high usage tiers for committed members.
• Welcome Pack Promotional introductory bundle offered to first-time Aqua By customers, comprising a starter session pack plus a perk at a discounted entry price to reduce first-purchase friction.
• Gift Cards Gift card valid for purchase of Aqua By aquacycling sessions or subscriptions, intended for gifting and corporate gifting use cases.
• Sanctuary Pass Single subscription product from parent Sanctuary Group that grants access to Aqua By and its sister fitness concepts (Le Boudoir, Holi, Pause, KMS, Ground Flow) for members who want variety across multiple boutique formats.
• Sanctuary Pass Corporate B2B corporate wellness package sold to French employers, granting employee access to Aqua By and sister Sanctuary Group fitness concepts as a unified employee benefit, purchased by HR / People & Culture / QWL teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Burns up to 600 Kcal per 45-minute session
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sanctuary Group (The Sanctuary Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAqua By is part of the Sanctuary Group, a collective of 6 boutique fitness concepts operating across 15 studios in Paris. The Sanctuary Pass provides a unified membership enabling access to all 6 concepts (Aqua by, Le Cercle Boxing, Poses Studio, Decibel, DRIP Hiit, Space Cycle) via a single app and account. ©2025 THE SANCTUARY GROUP is listed in the website footer. Aqua By's booking and credit systems are fully integrated into the Sanctuary platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Poses Studio: Sister Sanctuary Group brand offering yoga and Pilates in Paris. Comparable boutique studio under the same Sanctuary umbrella with cross-sell overlap via the Sanctuary Pass.
• Decibel Dance: Sister Sanctuary Group brand for dance-based workouts in Paris. Operates under the same Sanctuary umbrella with cross-concept membership access.
• Space Cycle: Sister Sanctuary Group brand operating indoor cycling studios in Paris. Direct peer because it shares the same parent, customer base, Sanctuary Pass membership and Sanctuary App booking system as Aqua By.
• DRIP HIIT: Sister Sanctuary Group brand offering HIIT workouts in Paris. Direct boutique fitness peer with shared Sanctuary Pass and customer overlap.
• Le Cercle Boxing: Sister Sanctuary Group brand running boutique boxing studios in Paris. Same parent, shared membership and target audience, making it a directly comparable boutique fitness unit.
• On Air Fitness: Paris-headquartered boutique fitness chain with multi-format studios. Comparable urban boutique positioning and subscription model targeting Paris professionals.
• Episod: Paris-based boutique fitness brand offering yoga, Pilates and barre under a single membership. Comparable premium boutique positioning with multi-format membership model in the same Paris geography.

Regional players

• Neoness: French urban fitness chain with studios in Paris and other major French cities. Comparable regional fitness competitor operating a lower-priced model in the same core geography.

Broad incumbents

• F45 Training: Global boutique fitness franchise with HIIT-focused group classes. Comparable franchise-driven boutique fitness model, though broader in modality and significantly larger in footprint.
• Barry's Bootcamp: Global boutique fitness incumbent combining HIIT and indoor cycling. Comparable premium boutique positioning and class-pack pricing, but operates at much larger scale and broader modality mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aqua_by/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aqua By