Tone 360 celebrates 10 years of fitness, growth in College Station

College Station fitness studio Tone 360 celebrated 10 years in business this October after growing from a single studio into a full-service gym offering classes from pilates and yoga to cycling and strength training.

The women-owned local business was founded by A&M graduates Kaleigh Bowman ‘12 and Nayokia Lyons ‘14 on Oct. 10, 2016. Bowman told Community Impact the business has grown to serve roughly 700 clients as the business approached its 10-year mark and has continued expanding class offerings and space.

“It’s been a really good 10 years,” she said. “We need to expand more.”

Looking back

Bowman and Lyons met while Bowman was working at another fitness center and Lyons was her client. The two became friends and the idea of opening their own fitness studio came when a former client approached them about investing.

“When we got approached, it was like, ‘oh, somebody believes in us,’” she recalled.

It was that vote of confidence which helped push the two women toward opening their own business.

Neither Bowman nor Lyons initially set out to be fitness studio owners or even trainers, Bowman said. She said she studied recreational park and tourism sciences with an emphasis in youth development at Texas A&M University and Lyons studied civil engineering at Prairie View A&M.

“I’ve loved fitness my whole life,” Bowman said. “We just know how good it makes you feel mentally and physically, and so it’s just something that I’ve always wanted to help other people feel the same way about.”

Career history

Tone 360 began to hit its stride around 2019. The three-year mark is where businesses hit their “make it or break it” point, Bowman said. She said this was when she and Lyons began to feel confident the business could become a long-term venture.

“We were finally at that peak,” she said. “We’re not playing scared anymore. We’re doing this.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the gym to close for about a month, the owners moved classes online, teaching from their homes.

“It was a whole month of just teaching to a phone without human interaction,” she said. “It was wild.”

Bowman credited excellent clients to Tone 360’s survival through the pandemic. She said members continued paying their monthly fees even while the gym was closed.

What’s in a name

Tone 360’s original location focused on barre pilates and strength training. The studio expanded two years ago to offer cycling in a dedicated space. 

That operation recently moved across the courtyard at the Woodstone business center this August, where pilates, yoga, a sauna and childcare are offered in addition to cycling.

Altogether, Tone 360 offers:

• Cardio jam

• Barre pilates, also known as “barrelates”

• Pilates and hot pilates

• Yoga and hot yoga 

• TRX and TNT training

• Strength training

• Cycling

The founders said they chose the name Tone 360 to be representative of their higher mission.

“Working out helps your mind, helps your body. It just helps your whole soul,” Bowman said. “It helps everything.”

Tone 360 serves a wide range of clientele, Bowman said. She said clients range from high school students to senior citizens. While a majority of Tone 360’s clients are women, it is not a women-only gym and men are welcome to join.

Childcare is also an attractive point of the gym, Bowman said. Both studios offer childcare during class times.

The impact

Community connection and involvement have become a large part of the business and its success, Bowman said.

Tone 360 periodically hosts free classes for the community and events for local vendors.

As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, Tone 360 raised $2,089 for Pink Alliance of Brazos Valley through a raffle which featured prizes donated by the gym and local businesses. The fitness center also hosted free classes all day with freebies, vendors and a live DJ.

Bowman said the anniversary was an opportunity to recognize not only how much the business has grown, but the people who helped it get there.