When I opened
Halo, my first boutique gym in Barcelona, I had no idea that the challenges I faced would one day spark a technology company. At the time, all I wanted was to create a space where people could train hard, feel supported, and leave stronger than when they arrived.
The gym was small — just six people per class — but the ambition was big. We wanted to combine strength and endurance in a way that felt personal, almost like training with friends rather than in a faceless studio. The energy was incredible. Clients raved about our inclusive space, they told their friends, and word spread quickly.
But behind the scenes, things weren’t as smooth. We were juggling schedules and training plans in spreadsheets, chasing payments on WhatsApp, calculating trainer hours manually, and trying to keep track of which client had which goals.
I spent 90% of my time on meaningless activity instead of celebrating the progress my clients were making, and thinking strategically about my business.
It didn’t take long to realise that running a boutique gym is a business of passion — but passion alone doesn’t pay the bills.
Every empty spot in a class meant lost revenue.
Every missed follow-up with a new lead meant fewer clients.
Every manual task meant less time for what mattered most: coaching people.
That’s when the idea for Orlo began.
Built in a Gym, for Gyms
Unlike platforms that try to serve every kind of fitness business, Orlo was born inside a real boutique gym. I built it to survive. I needed a way to:
- Automate bookings, cancellations, and waitlists - and reduce no-shows.
- See which classes were performing well, and which weren't.
- Hear real feedback from clients and understand which trainers were performing, and which weren't.
- Track progress so clients could see the results of their hard work.
- Send reminders so that no-show spots turned into paying seats.
- Manage memberships, packs, and payments without the headaches.
- Win back my evenings from admin so I could focus on growing the community.
My background is in programming, so I started building a solution. At first, it was an incredibly ugly booking system. Then we swapped out paper and clipboards for a weight tracking feature. Then automated WhatsApp class reminders. Then automatic no-show fees. Then smarter scheduling. Piece by piece, it grew into a platform.
The turning point came when one of my trainers said:
“This app makes my job easier, but actually it makes me a better trainer. I really know my clients better because I have all their goals and progress in front of me in the moment I need it.
That was the lightbulb moment. Orlo wasn’t just about saving time. It was about creating better experiences for clients and trainers, which in turn keeps trainers happy and clients coming back. Retention and growth, powered by automation. It wasn't just a tool. It was a structure our business came to thrive on.
Orlo is the rails, our gym is the train.
From One Gym to Many
It was our clients who pushed us to share Orlo. They kept saying it was the best gym app they’d used and that we should offer it to other studios.
That started to give me the confidence to test it beyond our own walls. I reached out to Victor and Rocio at
FitMastery — they were former trainers at Halo and they were very familiar with the app.
They were keen to run a pilot. What I didn't realise at the time was that they were drowning in admin. We migrated their schedules and payments, and Orlo handled bookings, reminders, and progress tracking in the background. Right after we launched, they suddenly found themselves unsure of what to do with their time. They'd gone from constantly reacting to requests, to everything running smoothly by itself.
Proving it in another gym showed the model scales: the same automation that kept our classes full and our trainers prepared could do the same for others.
Why Orlo Exists
Orlo is built on three simple beliefs:
- Growth is measurable. A gym should be able to see the revenue it generates each month — through recovered no-shows, upsells, referrals, and better retention.
- Time is the most valuable currency. Every hour saved on admin is an hour owners and trainers can spend strategically - building relationships, coaching and experimenting with new ideas for their clients.
- Clients should love the experience. If clients find it easy to book, track progress, and feel known by their trainers, they’ll stay longer and tell their friends.
These beliefs shape everything we build. Whether it’s automated cancellation fees, personalised client plans, or smart class scheduling, the goal is always the same: help small gyms grow, retain, and automate.
A Different Kind of Software Company
Most fitness software is designed for big chains. It’s bloated with features small gyms don’t need, clunky to use, and too expensive. Orlo is different. We believe boutique fitness embedded in community is the future of fitness, and we're striving not just to enable our gyms, but become a champion of what they do.
- Simple pricing: We charge a small setup fee and a percentage of revenue—so we only win when gyms win.
- No tiers, no limits: Every gym gets every feature. No upsells, no gatekeeping.
- Local first, global ready: We started in Barcelona, but we’re building for independent gyms everywhere.
- Delight first: We believe clients should enjoy using Orlo as much as gyms do.
The Road Ahead
Today, Orlo is used by independent gyms and trainers who share the same passion I had when I first opened my doors: changing lives through strength, endurance, and community.
But we’re just getting started. The vision is to make Orlo the invisible engine behind boutique fitness worldwide —the assistant that never sleeps, the system that grows revenue while owners rest, the platform that makes every client feel known and every trainer look brilliant.
Because at the end of the day, running a boutique gym shouldn’t feel like drowning in spreadsheets. It should feel like what you set out to do in the first place: helping people get stronger, healthier, and happier.
That’s why Orlo exists.
Steve Brewer