Mini-fitness centers are popping up throughout the suburbs, particularly in Montgomery County, and often at your local shopping center, writes Suzette Parmley for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It’s a huge trend,” said Todd Sussman, senior vice president of retail for Colliers International, who recently placed an I Love Kickboxing studio in Jenkintown. “People want an experience, so you bring the gym closer to their homes with these boutique studios.

“It’s really just grown in the past 24 months in places like Willow Grove, North Wales, Ardmore,” he said.

Flexible class schedules, with some starting as early as 5:30 AM, and ending as late as 9:30 PM, along with small class sizes, have made these studios ideal for those with busy lives, or who want to skip the big-gym experience.

Some people, especially those new to fitness, are intimidated by the big-box gym scene, said RipFit owner Deanna Mallozzi. Other studio clients “want a more elite fitness program to take it to the next level.”

The 2,200-square-foot RipFit studio opened on July 1 at the Village Square Shopping Center on Route 202 in Blue Bell. It offers both indoor cycling and a boxing circuit.

Steven Gartner, managing director for retail services at commercial real estate firm CBRE Inc., placed SoulCycle’s first Pennsylvania studio at Suburban Square in Ardmore in May.

“We are seeing our upscale customer come more spread out through the day, not just at traditional shopping times,” he said since SoulCycle’s debut on May 27.

Click here to read more about the mini-fitness centers in the Philadelphia Inquirer.