Detroit Body Garage

What Detroit Body Garage does

Detroit Body Garage (DBG) is a privately held community fitness gym founded in 2016 and headquartered at 8635 Mack Ave. on the East Side of Detroit, Michigan. The company operates a single physical location offering group fitness classes seven days a week across roughly 15 formats — including Body Garage (full-body barbell/TRX/kettlebell), Suspension, Torque (Olympic lifting), Full Throttle (max-strength barbell, capped at 6 students), MEchanics (endurance/mobility), High Octane (HIIT), Yoga, Open Gym, 1-on-1 personal training, and family-oriented FireBirds and Garage Tots classes. It also runs a recurring seasonal Couch to 5K running program (Season 4 in April 2026) and sells branded apparel via an owned e-commerce storefront.

The business monetizes through three primary streams: subscription recurring revenue from Monthly Unlimited ($130/mo) and Family Unlimited ($200/mo) memberships, one-time fees from drop-in classes ($25) and the New Neighbor 5-class intro pack ($50), professional services revenue from 1-on-1 personal training, and merchandise sales ($20–$55 per item). Class booking, scheduling, and payments are handled through the third-party MindBody SaaS platform. Customer acquisition is community-led — word-of-mouth, Instagram and Facebook organic social, the Couch to 5K community event, and referrals through existing members — rather than performance marketing.

Operationally, the company is small (1–10 employees, founder- and community-owned with no institutional capital beyond a $5,000 Comcast RISE grant in August 2023) and focused on serving Detroit's East Side neighborhoods as a "vehicle for change" through movement. Technology footprint is intentionally minimal: standard fitness equipment plus the MindBody booking layer, with no proprietary tech, no app, no API, and no AI/ML components. The company's strategic posture is that of a lifestyle/community business prioritizing depth in a single location over geographic expansion.

Name

Detroit Body Garage

Legal name

Detroit Body Garage

Website

https://detroitbodygarage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Detroit Body Garage is a single-location community fitness gym on Detroit's East Side offering 15+ group fitness formats, personal training, family programming, and branded apparel via subscription memberships and e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Fitness Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor Fitness & Park Bootcamps (HSADABAC)

Keywords

• Community fitness classes
• Group fitness training
• Personal training services
• Fitness apparel sales
• Gym membership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Gym Memberships: Monthly recurring memberships providing unlimited access to all group classes. Includes Monthly Unlimited ($130/month), Family Unlimited ($200/month for two people), and introductory New Neighbor packages.
2. Drop-in Classes: Single class purchases at $25 per session with no commitment to membership, providing flexible access for occasional users.
3. 1-on-1 Personal Training: Personalized training sessions with coaches for individual fitness goals.
4. Merchandise Sales: On-demand apparel sales including performance t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, crop tops, and toddler clothing sold through the gym's e-commerce shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Detroit Body Garage operates a community gym on Detroit's East Side offering group movement classes, 1-on-1 personal training, and specialty programs (Couch to 5K, Garage Tots, FireBirds) seven days a week. The company sells monthly unlimited memberships ($130/month), family memberships ($200/month), drop-in classes ($25), and a new-neighbor intro package ($50 for 5 classes). It also sells branded fitness apparel through its e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Detroit Body Garage is an East Side Detroit community gym offering a unified fitness service portfolio. The core offering consists of group fitness classes (Body Garage, Suspension, Torque, Full Throttle, MEchanics, High Octane, Yoga, Open Gym) and 1-on-1 personal training available seven days a week, supported by membership tiers (Monthly Unlimited $130, Family Unlimited $200, New Neighbor 5-Class $50, Drop-In $25). The company also runs community programs including FireBirds parent-child classes, Garage Tots for toddlers, and a seasonal Couch to 5K running program. An e-commerce shop sells branded apparel including Performance T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Hoodies, and Crop Tops. The gym uses MindBody software for scheduling and payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Monthly Unlimited Membership

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CrossFit (Affiliate Network): Affiliated-box model offering coached group strength and conditioning classes (Olympic lifting, barbell work, HIIT) with monthly memberships — overlaps with DBG's Torque, Full Throttle, and High Octane offerings.
• Barry's: Premium boutique studio combining coached strength and conditioning classes with a community-driven, apparel-merchandising brand — directly comparable as a coach-led, group-class boutique with merchandise revenue.
• Burn Boot Camp: Group fitness franchise built around coached bootcamp-style strength and conditioning classes with community focus and family-friendly programming — strong functional overlap with DBG's class mix and mission.
• The Bar Method: Boutique fitness franchise offering coach-led group strength and conditioning classes via monthly memberships — comparable boutique, coached, membership-driven model even though format is barre-focused.
• F45 Training: Global franchise delivering group functional fitness and HIIT classes in a coached, small-group setting with monthly memberships — closely aligned with DBG's group-class, subscription-based model.
• Orangetheory Fitness: Coach-led group fitness studio centered on interval and strength training sold via subscription and class-pack pricing — directly comparable in format and customer to DBG's Body Garage, Torque, and Full Throttle classes.
• TITLE Boxing Club: Franchised boutique fitness chain offering group boxing and strength classes on a membership basis — comparable small-group coached fitness model with similar price points.
• SoulCycle: Boutique indoor fitness brand with instructor-led group classes, premium pricing, branded merchandise, and community-driven loyalty — comparable in business model and member experience even though format (cycling) differs.

Broad incumbents

• Planet Fitness: National low-cost fitness chain operating on a membership model across thousands of locations — overlaps broadly with DBG as a membership fitness provider but at a much lower price point and broader scale.
• Equinox: Premium national fitness club operator offering group classes, personal training, and branded apparel/lifestyle products — comparable breadth of offering and merchandise angle, though at far higher price points and scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/detroitbodygarage
• Instagraminstagram.com/detroitbodygarage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/detroitbodygarage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Detroit Body Garage