Overview
If your group chat has spent the past year debating grip socks, infrared sweat and the inherent importance of a 7am reformer class, you already know the pull Upstate exerts. The Victorian-born movement brand has spent the better part of two decades turning Pilates, hot yoga and boxing into something closer to a lifestyle than a workout — and Brisbane, it turns out, has been paying close attention.
Barely two months after opening its first Queensland studio in West End, the brand is doubling down. Upstate has confirmed a second Brisbane location, landing on Fish Lane in South Brisbane, with doors slated to open in summer 2027.
The new studio will be a three-room wellness hub at 41 Merivale Street, folded into one of the city's busier eating-and-drinking strips. Expect two large reformer Pilates rooms and a dedicated infrared studio running hot mat Pilates and hot power yoga, plus the slower end of the spectrum — Yin and sound bath sessions — for the days you need to wind down rather than power up. One thing the announced schedule leaves out: boxing, a fixture at some of Upstate's Victorian studios, isn't on the Brisbane timetable.
Founded by sisters Gail and Charelle Asbell, Upstate now runs 18 studios nationally, with a footprint spanning Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. The South Brisbane news cements Brisbane as one of the brand's quickest-growing markets.
"Brisbane has completely embraced the Upstate energy," said co-founder and co-CEO Gail Asbell. "There's a real sense of momentum here, people want movement that feels social, uplifting and part of their lifestyle. South Brisbane felt like the natural next step."
Launch details and opening offers are still under wraps. For now, South Brisbane has a reason to keep an eye on Fish Lane — and West End has competition.
For class schedules and membership details closer to opening, visit Upstate.
Images: Supplied