Designing a modern meditation experience for stressed-out professionals.

Context & Design Challenge

By the late 2010s, meditation was everywhere.  Headspace and Calm turned it into a billion-dollar category, packaging mindfulness as approachable and secular.  Millions downloaded, but few stuck with it (myself included).  The static audio sessions felt useful for a week, then quickly lost value.

Meanwhile, meditation studios were opening in major cities, borrowing the boutique fitness playbook that made SoulCycle a cultural phenomenon.  In contrast to the apps, they promised community, live guidance, and sensory escape from city chaos.  But most leaned hard into a “Goop-coded” aesthetic of crystals and incense.  Walking into one, I immediately felt out of place.  They appealed to the wellness-inclined, not the high-performers battling burnout in glass towers—the people who arguably needed mindfulness most.

I recognized a gap in the market: a modern brick-and-mortar meditation experience designed with the needs of the stressed-out urban professional in mind.  An experience that felt as restorative as a spa, as credible as therapy, and as habit-forming as boutique fitness.  Something approachable but substantive, sensory but secular.

Securing capital for a Toronto pilot location, I set out to solve this design challenge and prove out a model that could expand across North America.

MNDFL was amongst the first to pioneer pairing mindfulness with the boutique fitness model—rapidly expanding to multiple locations in NYC—but skeptical professionals often felt out of place.

Headspace made meditation approachable with lighthearted illustrations, but it wasn't performance-oriented and its repetitive UX struggled to retain long-term.

Target Persona

Constraints

Brand Identity Design

Name

In the early concept phase, I explored the working title ANIMA—Latin for “breath” or “life force.” It neatly tied to meditation while rooting the brand in Western philosophy rather than Eastern spirituality.  On paper, I felt it worked.  In practice, it didn't: user interviews revealed people kept hearing enema.  Not exactly the association you want.

That feedback steered me toward something clearer and more credible.  I landed on MINDSET: familiar to professionals, versatile, and suggests a subtle double meaning ("reset your mind"). To give it edge, I appended “brain gym”—sharper than "meditation studio," more memorable than "mental fitness," and distinct enough to spark curiosity and intuitive understanding.

Visual Identity + Logomark

From the outset, I wanted waves in the identity.  Early sketches used them as a visual metaphor for the breath, tying to the Latin definition of "anima."  As the concept matured, the waves shifted to reference EEG patterns, tying directly to the brain-sensing tech in some classes. This grounded our identity in science and measurability—a deliberate counterpoint to the “woo-woo” aesthetics that might turn off the professionals we aimed to attract.

For typography, I landed on the Source Sans family for its neutrality and modern clarity. Set in bold, all-caps, it projected weight and authority, steering clear of the soft, ethereal tropes common in wellness branding without feeling too masculine fitness-coded. The final mark was simple and versatile—equally effective on large-format signage or small-scale collateral.

Experience Design

Pilot Studio Location & Layout

For our pilot, I chose Toronto’s upscale Yorkville neighborhood—a dense hub of high-earning professionals, and close to offices and transit.  It was the ideal setting to test product–market fit with our target persona: time-poor, skeptical, and status-conscious.

The 2,500 sq. ft. studio was designed with two complementary zones: living spaces and the meditation room. Allocating generous square footage to the former signaled hospitality over fitness efficiency, while a 25-seat meditation room struck the balance we wanted: intimate enough to feel personal, but busy enough to telegraph legitimacy and social proof.

Living Spaces

The “front of house” was designed as a home away from home—not a waiting room to be rushed through.  We wanted guests to feel welcome arriving early and lingering late to unwind.

A neutral, warm palette with wood, woven straw, preserved moss, and greenery softened the environment.  Soft lo-fi beats and a custom signature scent created a consistent sensory backdrop.  Together, these details reinforced the approachability our persona craved: calming, modern, and contemporary without feeling clinical or mystical.

To support the business model without breaking that calm, we wove in subtle touchpoints: table toppers throughout the space highlighted memberships, guest passes, and seasonal offers in a low-pressure way—ambient reminders that blended into the environment rather than interrupting it.

Spa Inc. Magazine wrote, "stepping into this extraordinary space, the noise and frenetic pace of downtown Toronto simply falls away."

A custom neon sign framed above a lounge couch, designed as a viral Instagram moment to turn guests into informal brand advocates.

A curated personal development library in place of retail merchandise. This doubled as a non-fiction bookstore, visible from the street, showcasing titles that would resonate with ambitious professionals already exploring self-improvement.

A "Brain Bar" at reception, serving complimentary tea (custom-blended for focus and calm with a local partner) and kombucha on tap — subtle signals of generosity and premium hospitality.

Multi-sensory Meditation Room

Where the living spaces were grounded and natural, the meditation room was deliberately ethereal and modern. Crossing into the room was meant to feel like crossing into a different state of mind—immersive, otherworldly, and unmistakably premium.

Hundreds of LED panels washed the room in dynamic waves of blue, synchronized with curated musical journeys. Signature essential oil blends were developed and diffused for each class type: calming scents for stress, energizing for focus. Ergonomic modular seating supported long sessions while allowing staff to reconfigure the room (ensuring it never felt empty, even on slower days).

This deliberate sensory layering—sight, sound, smell, touch—delivered what apps could not: a visceral experience that justified a premium price point and built trust through tangible design.

Teacher Hiring & Training

Teachers were our most important touchpoint. More than the lights or scents, they embodied the credibility and warmth that made the brand feel human.

We vetted instructors against three pillars: approachability, authenticity, and academic grounding. Many came from corporate or fitness backgrounds, ensuring they could speak the language of our persona without slipping into mysticism.

A smaller roster with higher teaching frequency created consistency: members could build familiarity with “their” teachers, while we maintained quality control and exclusivity. Training emphasized evidence-based language and the importance of making first-timers feel at ease—upholding our principle of being welcoming to beginners, credible to the committed.

Class Stickiness

Our biggest challenge was creating the equivalent of the “sweat factor” that made fitness classes addictive. Apps failed because results felt abstract; our persona needed something tangible, immediate, and repeatable.

We first partnered with Muse EEG headbands to offer a data-driven “Focus” class that tracked how often minds wandered.  It drew press attention and curiosity, but the metrics backfired.  Clients often left feeling frustrated or discouraged by initial low scores, or simply bought a headset for home use. 

Awareness was high, but we immediately saw clear struggles with long-term retention: a cohort analysis uncovered that we were failing to attract over three visits from 95%+ of new clients.

That failure taught me an important lesson: tangibility alone doesn’t drive stickiness.  Our clients didn’t want a slow-burn vitamin like “focus training,” they needed a painkiller. They craved an embodied release they could feel the moment they stood up.

We pivoted to breathwork, an intense but accessible practice layered with immersive music. Unlike meditation, it delivered an undeniable physical shift and let clients feel competent from day one.  Two formats emerged: an energizing "HIIT for the mind," and a cathartic emotional release.

The results were immediate: both formats consistently sold out peak slots, boosted memberships, and built community rituals.  Weekly live sound baths reinforced the same insight that people would pay a premium for—and return to—sensory experiences they couldn’t get from an app or at home.

This evolution was a direct response to our persona’s pain points. They didn’t want metrics to track over time—they needed to walk out the door feeling transformed.

Service Blueprint + Journey Mapping

Designing the studio was as much about backstage choreography as frontstage experience. Every client interaction—from booking a class to sipping kombucha at the Brain Bar—had to feel frictionless, premium, and intentional.  To achieve that, I mapped a service blueprint that aligned the guest journey with the operational flow behind it.

Discovery + Consideration

Clients primarily discovered us digitally—through search, press features, social, or ClassPass—where content design established credibility and website flows were crafted to turn curiosity into reservations.  Ongoing efforts here focused on optimizing that funnel.

At street level, I aimed to take full advantage of our prominent Yorkville frontage and double it as a daytime touchpoint: staffed as a self-development bookstore, it gave us the chance to answer questions, offer tours, and convert casual passersby into curious prospects.

Check-in + Pre-Class

Front desk staff managed check-in directly, deliberately avoiding self check-in to encourage warmer, more personal interactions.  A short onboarding script invited clients to make themselves at home in the living spaces, enjoy the amenities, and stow devices in secure keyless lockers with built-in charging.

One of the trickier design tensions surfaced here: late arrivals. For obvious reasons, they couldn’t enter and disrupt the meditation.  On paper, our policy was strict: late arrivals forfeited their credit.  In practice, we erred on the side of grace, re-scheduling occasional offenders into the next available class or returning their credit. This balance protected the integrity of the class experience while maintaining goodwill.

Class + Post-Class

Inside the meditation room, instructors guided sessions using structured frameworks that balanced consistency with variety.  For EEG classes, they also assisted with headset setup and calibration—which could be cumbersome, and one of the few areas that needed post-launch optimization.  Backstage systems managed lighting, scent, and sound cues in sequence, while front desk staff outside quietly reset living spaces and amenities for the next cohort.

After class, clients returned to the living spaces where they were encouraged to linger.  Eventually, I instructed teachers and staff to engage with clients through subtle but structured upsell scripts—explaining the benefits of trials and memberships, and offering to book their next class in-studio to reduce friction.

Optimizing Membership Structure

Problem

Early retention struggles revealed that the boutique fitness model didn’t map cleanly onto meditation.  Drop-in classes weren’t as sticky as hoped and, while a paid 14-day unlimited trial was popular, only 4% converted into an unlimited membership.  For time-poor professionals, attending 10+ times a month was unrealistic.  And without a recurring revenue base of members to foster community, the business was trapped in an unsustainable cycle of acquisition and churn.

Service Response & Impact

Client interviews made it clear that people wanted to commit, but needed a structure that felt sustainable.  The sweet spot was a weekly cadence that let clients feel they were investing in their well-being without setting themselves up to fail.

We introduced the “Mindful Membership” tier: four credits per month, with preferred pricing on additional credits, courses, and retail.  To heighten perceived value and exclusivity, kombucha-on-tap was gated behind membership, and a guest pass benefit let members bring friends for free on their first visit.  Together, these elements reframed membership as the easiest, most rewarding way to commit to mental health and feel part of the community.

The free trial was replaced with the first month of membership including unlimited classes.  By harnessing the natural drive to maximize value, clients leaned in to make the most of their unlimited month—establishing a rhythm of attendance and connection.  Heavy users were targeted with an upsell to unlimited; everyone else automatically renewed into the Mindful tier unless cancelled.

Compounded by our shift to breathwork in drop-in classes, the results were immediate and dramatic: trial conversion rates jumped from 4% to 38%, and recurring revenue grew by over 8x.

Pivoting to Multi-week Courses

Problem

Mindfulness didn’t work in a drop-in format.  For newcomers, the practice felt discouraging, didn’t deliver an immediate shift, and was easy to abandon after one class.  For regulars, the theory became repetitive.  Breathwork quickly outperformed, and the opportunity cost of programming a half-empty meditation class over a full-capacity breath class was too high.  Still, the demand for learning mindfulness was there—just not in the structure I initially envisioned.

Service Response & Impact

We repositioned mindfulness as multi-week, small-group courses hosted nightly in the living spaces.  This format allowed theory to be introduced gradually and sequentially, avoiding repetition that bored regulars.  Each session ended with a guided meditation in the meditation room, allowing participants to immediately put the concepts into practice in a full sensory environment.

By reframing mindfulness as a course instead of a class, we unlocked offerings clients were willing to pay more for with far less price resistance.  The time-gated structure appealed to performance-oriented professionals: rather than signing up for an open-ended “practice,” they were committing to “learn a skill” with defined outcomes.

Courses were bundled with unlimited drop-ins for their duration, embedding participants into the community.  To reinforce credibility, we partnered with licensed social workers to facilitate select programs, making them eligible for insurance and HSA/FSA reimbursement as group therapy.  For professional-development offerings, we registered as a yoga school, unlocking tuition tax credits.

This not only created a premium revenue stream but also a sticky on-ramp into membership.  While courses weren’t recurring revenue in themselves, graduates converted into members at rates comparable to trials—but with far higher upfront value and deeper community integration.

Expanding into B2B2C Services

Problem

To grow awareness, we offered complimentary lunch & learns at nearby offices. HR leaders eagerly booked them, and turnout was among the highest they’d seen for internal programming.  Yet almost none of these employees converted into studio demand.  We were presenting directly to our target persona—stressed, high-performing professionals—but failing to get them through the door.

Service Response & Impact

Looking deeper, two key insights emerged: HR teams were hungry for credible mental health programming, and employees were highly engaged when it was brought directly into the workplace. Rather than abandon the initiative, we reframed it as a corporate services offering.

This pivot turned what seemed like a failed marketing effort into a new service vertical.  By the end of the first year, B2B revenue eclipsed consumer, expanded awareness well beyond our studio radius, and positioned the brand as a trusted corporate wellness partner to high-profile employers.

Brand Voice + Touchpoint Messaging

Content design wasn’t cosmetic or an afterthought—it was as central to the design process as the studio experience itself.  Every word, from website flows to in-studio signage to employee scripts, had to project credibility while stripping away anything mystical or vague.  Messaging was crafted to earn trust quickly, convert curiosity into bookings, and lay the groundwork for lasting connection with the brand.

The brand voice was consistent across every touchpoint: straightforward, approachable, and just cheeky enough to feel human rather than clinical.  Where competitors leaned on softer promises like "live life lighter," we framed mindfulness through the lens of performance with lines like "train your brain" and "recharge your mind."  Our signature tagline, "It's all in your head," flipped a dismissive phrase into something empowering: a reminder that the mind is trainable.

Drop-in Class Positioning

This philosophy shaped how we named and described our classes.  Rather than relying on traditional meditation terms (e.g., Samatha, Metta) or their modernized equivalents (Focused Attention, Loving-Kindness), we led with the tangible benefit or intention of each practice, reframing modalities as functional tools for daily life.

Each class name was paired with short copy that explained what to expect both during and after the session.  Further, by grounding abstract practices in familiar metaphors, we made them more approachable, memorable, and easy to share.  Breathwork became “HIIT meditation,” sound baths became a “massage for your mind.”  To make this positioning stick, we extended it beyond marketing copy into staff training, ensuring teachers and front desk alike reinforced the same language and benefits in every interaction.

Structured Course Content

For our multi-week mindfulness programs, content design extended into curriculum planning.  Theory was introduced gradually, week by week, to keep insights digestible and give participants space to apply them in practice.  Branded workbooks reinforced learning, positioning the courses as structured, credible programs rather than casual classes.

To shape the curriculum, we distilled gold-standard clinical equivalents into formats that were more accessible and directly relevant to high-performing professionals.  Stress Less adapted core practices from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to help manage stress and anxiety, while Mental Edge drew from the mPEAK program developed for pro athletes, reframing mindfulness as a way to enhance performance and cultivate flow states.

B2B Sales Messaging

When we uncovered unexpected demand from employers, I needed to package our services in a way that was both clear and compelling to HR leaders.  These buyers were curious but time-poor; they needed a simple framework that spoke their language.  I organized our offerings into four categories—Educate, Experience, Transform, Sustain—each designed to feel like a natural progression.  This wasn’t just a menu of services, but a narrative: start with a talk, move into immersive team experiences, deepen with multi-week courses, and sustain with ongoing practice.

Our B2B positioning flowed directly from the brand we had built for professionals on the consumer side.  The same performance-oriented, evidence-based language that resonated with our target persona mapped cleanly to the priorities of HR leaders, who valued credibility, measurability, and productivity gains.  This gave us a significant advantage over rival studios leaning on softer wellness cues that failed to translate into the corporate context.  Framed through content design, our B2B services became not only easier to understand but harder to dismiss, elevating us from “wellness perk” to a credible tool for performance and resilience at work.

Results

Awareness

Arguably our biggest success: we achieved prominent earned press inclusions in Canadian national media, with an estimated reach of 15M+. Social was also a successful channel, accruing a following of thousands on Instagram.

Adoption

Initial adoption was robust due to press features, and throughout the studio's lifespan we had a steady supply of newcomers eager to try a class due to strong SEO and an effective guest pass initiative.

Retention

Initially, this was our biggest failing with less than 6% of early cohorts attending ≥3 classes and 4% of trials converting to unlimited members. After experience and service design optimizations, these increased to 24% and 38% respectively.

Member Engagement

Initially strong (8+ classes/mo), but with very few members and unsustainable churn (35%).  With the introduction of a lighter membership tier, average classes per member declined but were far more in number and more likely to renew, with churn decreasing to 8%.

Studio Occupancy

Occupancy rates were 42% for peak timeslots once post-launch buzz had subsided.  After shift to breathwork-centric drop-in schedule, average rates edged up to 95%+ for peak timeslots during non-summer months.

Experience Quality

We consistently garnered high ratings (4.5-4.8/5★).  Early NPS scores were positive (10-20) with virtually no detractors, but improved dramatically (60-70) after a breathwork pivot led to far more promoters than passives.

Operational Flow

Customer flows were efficient, even in the initial weeks.  The reduction of EEG classes in the drop-in schedule further streamlined backstage operations.