The exterior of Body Shop Movement Studio, a boutique fitness studio located at 1917 Dutton Drive in San Marcos, Texas. 

When Kim and Jason Frueh set out to create their boutique fitness studio, they were determined to create a communal space where guests could move their bodies and connect with others through fun, versatile workouts.
Rather than opening a traditional gym with equipment and machines, they opened up Body Shop Movement Studio, a space aimed at establishing communities that bond and exercise together.
“It’s always been intriguing to me to have or recreate some of that community feel I’ve had in past experiences with group fitness,” Jason said. “In a gym, you can get that sense of community, but it really is all about that one class because it’s those people.”
Located at 1917 Dutton Drive ste 110, Body Shop Movement Studio opened in October 2020 and offers a variety of fitness classes. Kim said they always keep their studio community in mind and try new things based on what others want to see. The studio conducts yoga classes such as Still Stoic Flow, Align Vinyasa, Power Vinyasa, Yoga Bootcamp, Hatha and Hot 26 Yoga. Pilates, barre and dance classes are also offered.
Heat panels installed throughout the studio ensure every class is between 85- and 105-degrees Fahrenheit. Estelle Saba, a fitness instructor at the studio, said hot studio classes help participants stretch better and find more ease with their movements.
“Obviously, all fitness is great, all movement is necessary but something that’s really cool is seeing just how much quicker one can benefit from their practice here in the hot space,” Saba said.
Kim began teaching vinyasa-style yoga classes six years ago and received certification for teaching Bikram yoga, also known as hot yoga, two years ago. While she and Jason both enjoy practicing yoga, Jason said he also enjoys high-impact HIIT-style classes.
Body Shop Movement continues to explore alternative fitness experiences such as kickboxing and a skate fit class. Additionally, occasional workshops such as a full moon ritual and the studio’s upcoming Crystal Voyager Sound Bath event are available.
“We don’t want to — I don’t want to just be a yoga studio,” Kim said. “There’s lots of yoga studios and if that is your jam, have that be your jam and that’s fabulous. And yoga is fabulous, and I love it, obviously. But if you want other forms of movements, we’ve got you.”
Kim and Jason first bonded over fitness when they met at a health club 22 years ago. At the time, Kim was working the front desk at the club and Jason was attending a fitness class. However, their passion for fitness began six months before their wedding in 2004 when they decided to join a Gold’s Gym to get in shape for the big day. Since then, fitness has played an important role in their lives.
The couple landed on opening their studio in San Marcos after moving from south Austin, where they lived for 15 years. They were familiar with the area and visited San Marcos often after Kim received her master’s in professional counseling from Southwest Texas State.
They enjoyed the small, college town feel of San Marcos and how it reminded them of Jason’s hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. The tight-knit community of small-owned businesses in San Marcos also contributed to their move.
Kim and Jason have been open to collaborating with other local businesses since opening Body Shop Movement Studio. They previously worked with The Davenport to host free yoga events featuring drinks and snacks and a rooftop yoga class with the Vistas San Marcos apartments.
“We try to make things fun,” Jason said. “[What] we want to really do is build a community at the studio. We’d like for people to be involved; we’d like for people to talk. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. I mean, we definitely are committed to fitness, but we like to have fun.”
Since its opening, Body Shop Movement Studio’s community has steadily grown. Kim and Jason said they love having a regular clientele along with welcoming new guests. To create an inviting studio environment, Kim and Jason come up with weekly questions for their guests to answer on a large chalkboard wall in the back of the studio. With this, both teachers and guests allow themselves to open up and unwind together.
The quality of the studio’s members and its teachers are what make the overall environment of the space special, Saba said. As a teacher, she hopes her students leave class with a sense of personal fulfillment and accomplishment. She said if she gets to play a part in making that feeling happen for her students, then she’s accomplished her mission as a teacher.
“Some people get very intimidated, especially when they’re just like new in their fitness journey to come into a space, you know, you’re very vulnerable as a student, putting your body, your practice into the hands of someone else,” Saba said. “The instructors here take that very seriously. We take our job very seriously, with very much care and very much love and I feel that just working here. I love the atmosphere here.”
Kim and Jason’s main priority with Body Shop Movement Studio is to uplift their local community without taking themselves too seriously. They want to encourage their guests to explore the variety of workout classes available as well as show them that movement and fitness can be fun.
“A lot of people think that working out, and like physical health, is about punishing yourself,” Kim said. “It’s not what we want to do. This isn’t a punishment, this is — you want to be here, you want to forget the fact that you’re working out, but you’re actually having a good time.”
For more information on Body Shop Movement Studio, visit its website.