LSD°R has opened its second Toronto studio, bringing its reformer Pilates and breathwork method to Summerhill less than a year after launching its flagship location in King West.
The new 3,000-square-foot space at 1073 Yonge Street features 16 LSD°R Reformers, a private reformer room for one-on-one and small-group sessions, and the introduction of professional-grade red light therapy, an offering not available at the original King West location. The studio was designed by Articulate Design Co., architect Jason Fung, contractor Fresco Construction, and brand agency Blok Design, the same team behind the King West build.
In an exclusive interview with 6ixRetail.com, co-founders Tessa Bernier and Jacqueline DiRenzo spoke about the decision to expand, the lessons carried forward from year one, and what the brand is building toward.
Why Summerhill
For Bernier and DiRenzo, the second location was not a reaction to success at King West. It was always part of the plan.
“We’ve always imagined LSD°R living in multiple types of communities across the city,” said Bernier. “Summerhill stood out because it has a strong wellness presence, and the people there prioritize their health, their routines, and their community. It’s walkable, it’s on the subway line, and it genuinely aligns with our core guest.”
A significant portion of the King West membership was already coming from Midtown, making Summerhill a logical next step. The founders had also developed relationships with female-led businesses in the neighbourhood over the past year, which reinforced the decision when the right space became available.
“Midtown moves at a different pace,” said DiRenzo. “It’s neighbourhood-focused and woven into people’s daily routines. We wanted LSD°R to fit naturally into real life, between work, school drop-offs, and dinner plans, without adding another commute for wellness.”
Alex Charlebois of Urban Reform Realty negotiated the lease and is representing LSD°R on their expansion.
What Year One Taught Them
Between them, Bernier and DiRenzo bring more than two decades of experience in boutique fitness, including yoga studios, Pilates studios, retreat centres, and international wellness programming. That foundation shaped how they approached Summerhill, but so did the hard lessons of building something new.
“The idea of expansion was there out of the gate,” said DiRenzo. “It wasn’t as though we saw success at King West and then decided on a whim to grow. The intention was always to bring this concept to multiple parts of Toronto, and perhaps beyond.”
Year one came with its share of adjustments. The founders navigated a point-of-sale software migration mid-operation and worked through construction-related learnings around studio flow and layout. Both were folded directly into how Summerhill was designed and built.
“We never want to feel like we know it all, or like we’re stuck in any way of doing something just because we’ve been doing it as long as we have,” said Bernier. “Every physical space will always bring something new to learn. I think that openness is part of what’s driven our success in year one.”
The Breathwork Difference
In a Toronto market with no shortage of reformer Pilates studios, DiRenzo is clear about what separates LSD°R from the competition.
“People come for the movement. We’re not the only reformer studio in Toronto, and we’re certainly not the only one in Midtown,” said DiRenzo. “But what’s been interesting to watch is that while the movement practice brings people through our doors, the intentionality behind the breathwork is what keeps them. People come for the movement and stay for the breath.”
Breathwork at LSD°R is not offered as a cool-down or an optional add-on. It is structured into each session as a core component, bookending movement sequences and designed to regulate the nervous system alongside the physical work.
“The breathwork isn’t an afterthought. It’s a very structured and intentional dose of breath that bookends each movement,” said DiRenzo. “People can see the intentionality behind it, and they stay for the breath.”
The Summerhill studio is built to reinforce that experience at every level. Wireless headphones deliver layered instruction over music. Engineered lighting adapts throughout the session in response to breath and movement. Scent is diffused through integrated technology to keep guests grounded. The design intention, as DiRenzo describes it, was a space that modulates energy, bright and airy at the entry, more focused and immersive once you step into the work.
“We’ve always wanted our space to be super considerate, so that when you walk through it and experience what it means to come to an LSD°R class, everything has already been thought of for you,” said Bernier.
Red Light and the Recovery Ritual
The Summerhill opening introduces full-body red light therapy to the LSD°R experience for the first time, using professional-grade LED and near-infrared technology from Epistar. Sessions can be booked before or after a class, or as a standalone recovery experience during select windows. The offering is not available through ClassPass.
“We see red light as part of a broader recovery ritual, rather than a quick fix,” said Bernier. “It supports how the body feels after movement and how the nervous system settles afterward. It aligns naturally with our focus on sustainability, consistency, and giving the body space to repair and reset.”
The studio also expands LSD°R’s Restore format, a slow, breath-focused session built around long holds, deep stretching, and nervous system regulation. It is designed for guests returning to movement or those balancing higher-intensity training with intentional recovery. The private reformer room gives new members the option to begin with one-on-one or small-group onboarding before transitioning to group classes.
A Retail Shelf With a Point of View
The retail offering at Summerhill follows the same curatorial approach as King West, with an intentional edit of Canadian and female-founded brands. Aeras Water and Telford Basics sit alongside LSD°R’s own grip socks, which were developed in partnership with a female-founded company, and a rotating series of seasonal drops. Summerhill will also introduce new retail additions that have not been seen at the King West location.
“It’s not just about what people want to consume,” said DiRenzo. “It’s what we want to bring to the world with intentionality, so that people feel it’s not just there to be consumed, but there because it genuinely aligns with everything else we do.”
In a segment where international reformer chains are expanding aggressively into Toronto, the founders see their Canadian and female-founded identity as more than a brand position.
“There’s a lot of saturation in the reformer Pilates space right now, and a lot of those brands aren’t local, aren’t Canadian, and aren’t female-founded,” said DiRenzo. “That’s something we’re genuinely proud of.”
What Comes Next
The founders are not saying much about location three, but they are not hiding that it is coming.
“We are actively looking at additional spaces across the city core,” said DiRenzo. “But expansion for us will always be intentional. It won’t happen just for the sake of growing.”
For Bernier and DiRenzo, the pace of growth is as considered as everything else they build. The brand has publicly stated a goal of at least five Toronto locations, a target DiRenzo first outlined when King West opened in 2025. Summerhill brings them to two.
“Tessa and I enjoy each other’s company. We enjoy the build,” said DiRenzo. “And we know enough to know that when we get to where we want to be, we’ll look back with a lot of fondness, even on the difficult times. So much of this experience isn’t just about owning a Pilates studio. It’s about choosing who we spend our time with and how we spend our days.”
That sentiment, DiRenzo says, extends to every partnership, hire, and decision the brand makes as it grows.
“If you catch me on the right day, I’ll get emotional thinking about how many fantastic people we’ve met and the partnerships we’ve been allowed to enter because of LSD°R,” she said. “I’m just grateful for it beyond words.”
LSD°R’s Summerhill studio is now open at 1073 Yonge Street. The King West location is at 543 Richmond Street West.
Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, The Canadian Opera Company, Starbucks Canada and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024, 2025 and 2026, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.