How do you open a Stretch Lab franchise in the United States?
For a new Studio, the verified path is application and approval, federal disclosure review, Franchise Agreement execution, site and lease acceptance, approved design and buildout, trained personnel, mandatory pre-sales, and written Soft Opening authorization. The 2026 FDD gives an approximately 12-month estimate, but the contract sets a separate 13-month opening deadline and does not guarantee either result.
Legal franchisor: Stretch Lab Franchise SPV, LLC; direct parent XPOF Assetco, LLC.
Disclosure basis: 2026 Amended FDD, issued April 17, 2026 and amended June 18, 2026.
Formats covered: one Studio under a Franchise Agreement; multi-unit Development Rights under a Multi-Unit Agreement plus a separate Franchise Agreement for each Studio.
Timeline mode: official total estimate with separate contractual milestones and deadlines; checked July 14, 2026.
Primary provisions used: FDD Items 1, 5–12, 15–17 and 20; Franchise Agreement §§1.2, 2.2, 5.4–5.5, 6.1–6.8 and 7.1–7.4; Multi-Unit Agreement §2 and Exhibit A. The official U.S. franchise opportunity page is supplemental; the 2026 FDD and signed agreements control contractual requirements.
Calendar days before a binding agreement or covered payment.
Measured from the Franchise Agreement Effective Date.
Lease must be executed by this contractual milestone.
Typical Initial Training Program duration before opening.
Estimated instruction for personnel delivering services.
What must an applicant qualify for before Stretch Lab awards a franchise?
The 2026 FDD says the applicant supplies Application Materials concerning experience, skills and resources, but it does not publish a universal credit-score minimum, required degree, mandatory fitness background, or guaranteed approval test. The official franchise page displays a $250,000 cash requirement and $500,000 net-worth requirement, but references the 2025 FDD. Confirm whether those screening figures apply to the owners, unit count and market.
An entity applicant must identify an Operating Principal authorized to act for the franchisee. Every person owning at least 10% directly or indirectly—and that owner’s spouse—must sign the Guarantee when the Franchise Agreement is executed. Meeting a marketing-page financial screen does not require Stretch Lab to approve the applicant, territory or site.
What are the actual steps from inquiry to Soft Opening?
Actor: Applicant.
Action: Disclose ownership, resources, experience and the desired single-unit or multi-unit path.
Blocker: The FDD does not promise approval or territory availability.
Actor: Franchisor.
Action: Decide whether to award one Studio or Development Rights.
Next dependency: Confirm owners, Operating Principal, guarantors and proposed market.
Actor: Applicant and advisers.
Timing: At least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or covered payment under the FTC Franchise Rule; counting starts the day after delivery, so day 15 is the earliest federal-rule signing or payment day.
Blocker: Material unilateral agreement changes can create an additional review period under federal rules.
Actor: Approved franchisee, guarantors and franchisor.
Action: Sign the Franchise Agreement, Guarantee and required payment authorizations; multi-unit developers also sign the Multi-Unit Agreement and first Franchise Agreement concurrently.
Blocker: Do not treat an award, disclosure receipt or territory discussion as contract execution.
Actor: Franchisee finds and documents the site; franchisor accepts or rejects it.
Timing: Within 90 days after the Effective Date if no site was identified at signing.
Blocker: Incomplete demographics, access, parking or site materials delay review.
Actor: Franchisee, franchisor and landlord.
Timing: Return the Authorized Location Addendum within 10 days; execute an accepted lease within 6 months of signing.
Blocker: The lease must be submitted before execution and include the required Lease Addendum or acceptable equivalent provisions.
Actor: Franchisee, architect, contractor, suppliers and government authorities.
Action: Obtain approved plans, permits, compliant buildout, signage, equipment, inventory, technology, utilities and insurance.
Blocker: Local approvals, delivery schedules and construction are third-party dependencies.
Actor: Operating Principal or owner, approved Designated Manager and initial Flexologists.
Timing: Required programs and testing must be completed before the relevant management or service activity and before Soft Opening.
Blocker: Classes depend on trainer availability and projected opening date.
Actor: Franchisee performs; franchisor approves the plan and authorizes opening.
Timing: Pre-Sales Phase begins at least 60 days before Soft Opening; Soft Opening is due within 13 months.
Blocker: Unmet membership threshold, unpaid amounts, incomplete training, missing insurance documents or permits can prevent authorization.
Which milestones control the opening schedule?
The approximately 12-month Soft Opening figure is an estimate, not a deadline. The lease and opening dates are contractual, while financing, permits, construction, delivery and staffing can delay work or create default risk.
Bars show elapsed months from the same trigger. Estimates and contractual deadlines are intentionally distinguished.
Interpretation: the one-month gap between the typical Soft Opening estimate and the contractual deadline is not a guaranteed buffer. Source: 2026 Amended FDD, Item 11, pp. 35–36; Franchise Agreement §2.2.D.
How are the market area, site, territory and lease approvals different?
A Designated Market Area guides the site search but does not provide exclusivity. After Stretch Lab accepts a proposed site, that premises becomes the Authorized Location and the franchisor defines a Designated Territory, generally using an area with at least 15,000 people; the territory provides limited same-brand protection while the franchisee complies, but it is expressly not exclusive and remains subject to reserved channels and Non-Traditional Sites.
Each box is a distinct approval or dependency; completion of one does not automatically satisfy the next.
Designated Market Area: geographic search area if no Authorized Location exists at signing; no territorial protection.
Site package: proposed premises plus all demographics, access, parking and other information requested.
Site acceptance: typically communicated within 30 days after a complete package, but no single-unit contractual response deadline.
Authorized Location Addendum: identifies accepted premises and Designated Territory; return within 10 days.
Lease acceptance: proposed lease goes to Stretch Lab before execution and must include required protective terms.
Possession and approvals: landlord, architect, contractor and authorities must enable compliant buildout and occupancy.
Source: 2026 Amended FDD, Items 11–12; Franchise Agreement §§1.2, 2.2.C and 7.2; Authorized Location Addendum and Lease Addendum.
A typical Studio is described as approximately 1,100–1,500 square feet and rectangular, often in an anchored retail center evaluated for demographics, parking, traffic flow and access. These are disclosed planning criteria—not a promise that a landlord, zoning authority or franchisor will accept a particular premises.
Who must train, and what must be complete before opening?
The owner or entity’s Operating Principal must complete the Owner/Operator Module to Stretch Lab’s satisfaction. Personal day-to-day supervision is recommended rather than required, but a Studio must always be managed and staffed by at least one person who completed the Owner/Operator or Designated Manager module. A Designated Manager must be franchisor-approved and complete the 21-hour manager module before assuming management responsibility.
Every person delivering Approved Services must complete the Flexologist Training Program and related testing before providing services. The 2026 FDD estimates 49 hours to 50 hours 25 minutes for the complete program; Stretch Lab’s public Flexologist Training Program page describes a broader 50–70-hour blended curriculum, so franchisees should use the then-current Learning Management System and opening roster requirements for scheduling.
| Required person | Program | Completion gate | Opening relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner or Operating Principal | Owner/Operator Module; 9 classroom hours within a typical 2–3 business-day program | To franchisor satisfaction before Soft Opening | Required even when a manager will run daily operations |
| Designated Manager, if appointed | Designated Manager Module; 21 hours | Approval and completion before management duties | Required when the owner or Operating Principal will not manage on site |
| Each service provider | Flexologist Training Program and testing | Before providing any Approved Services | Initial instructors must be ready for opening; an Authorized Instructor must be on site during services |
The franchisee must also implement the mandatory Opening Support Program through the designated provider, obtain approval of the pre-opening sales plan, begin the Pre-Sales Phase at least 60 days before Soft Opening, install required POS and technology systems, purchase approved FF&E and inventory, hire personnel, and deliver insurance and permit evidence. Stretch Lab may provide one to two business days of on-site opening assistance, but that assistance is discretionary and is not opening authorization.
How does the multi-unit or resale path change the sequence?
A multi-unit developer signs a Multi-Unit Agreement and the first Franchise Agreement concurrently. The Multi-Unit Agreement defines a Development Area and a customized Development Schedule, usually for at least three Studios. Each later Studio requires site acceptance and a separate then-current Franchise Agreement, which may contain materially different terms from the first agreement.
If a developer misses a Development Schedule deadline, the disclosed extension is a one-time reasonable period of no more than 90 days, conditioned on already having signed the applicable lease and requesting the extension at least 30 days before the deadline. Failure to satisfy the schedule can terminate remaining development rights, and cross-default provisions can connect defaults across related agreements.
A buyer acquiring an existing Studio follows a transfer route rather than the new-site roadmap: prior written consent, then-current qualification review, training, transfer documentation, and—at the franchisor’s election—a then-current Franchise Agreement or assumption of existing obligations. Required training must be complete before takeover. Non-Traditional Sites are reserved franchisor rights in the 2026 documents and should not be assumed to be an applicant-selectable format.
What should the buyer verify before committing to an opening date?
Stretch Lab authorizes the Soft Opening only after the franchisee completes all pre-opening obligations, including the then-required minimum membership level, training, payment, insurance documentation, permits and other required deliverables. The FDD does not disclose the numeric membership threshold, so it must be obtained in writing from the current opening plan rather than inferred from another Studio.
The FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide and the current text of 16 CFR Part 436 explain the federal disclosure framework. State registration, addenda, lease law and local operating approvals may add requirements, so the final transaction documents and the authorities governing the actual Studio location must be checked separately.
What is the practical decision rule for a Stretch Lab opening?
The verified new-Studio path is approval, disclosure review, Franchise Agreement execution, accepted site, Designated Territory documentation, accepted lease, approved buildout, trained management and Flexologists, pre-sales, and written Soft Opening authorization. The FDD provides an official approximately 12-month estimate, while the contract imposes a 13-month deadline.
The most important applicant-controlled dependency is securing an acceptable site and lease early enough to complete buildout and staffing. The largest franchisor/third-party dependencies are site and plan approvals, landlord terms, permits, construction and supplier delivery. Before commitment, verify the exact signing payment, the current membership gate, the opening-document checklist, and any written extension terms.