Opening a pilates studio
How to open a pilates studio with the first week already set up
The reformers have arrived, the room is ready and the first clients are asking. This page covers how to run the opening week: what you sell, your class packs, your cancellation rule, your team's hours and the first booking. Each step comes with a template or calculator that helps.
What to do the week before you open
We do not cover licences, tax registration or employment paperwork here. Those depend on where you are, so check with your local authority and your accountant.
Write down your services and their length
Private reformer, group class, clinical pilates, intro session. Once each service has a length, a group size and an instructor, the schedule falls into place.
Decide on class packs and how long they last
An 8 or 12 class pack, how many days clients have to use it, and the price. Use the class pack price calculator to price it from your own costs.
Class pack price calculatorWrite your cancellation rule before you open
How many hours ahead a client can cancel and get the class back, and what happens on a late cancel or a no-show. Sharing it in writing from day one saves arguments later.
Cancellation policy templateAgree on instructor hours and how they are paid
Which days and hours each instructor works, and whether they are paid per class or a percentage. Compare both models with your own numbers.
Instructor pay calculatorPrepare an intake form and a privacy notice
Before you collect a new client's health history, give them a privacy notice and ask for explicit consent for health data separately. A sample form is in the templates.
Intake form templateShare your booking link
Put your booking link on your Instagram profile, Google Business Profile and website, so clients can see open times and book themselves.
Booking link guideSee your startup costs with your own numbers
What it costs to open a pilates studio depends heavily on the city, the space and how many machines you buy, so we do not give a ready-made figure. Enter the quotes you have into the calculator to see the total for equipment, fit-out, deposit and a buffer for the first months, and the payback time.
How the opening week works in Corenta
- You set up services, class packs and your team during the 14 day trial, before you open. No card is needed.
- A class comes off the pack when it is booked. If the client cancels within your rule, or you cancel the booking, the class goes back on the pack.
- You decide the late cancel and no-show rule, and clients see whether the class will be returned before they cancel.
- Every studio has its own booking page, and you can put the link on Instagram and Google.
A sample opening week
In this example a service and an 8 class pack are set up, the first booking is made, and you see how early and late cancellations affect the pack. The example is fictional and creates no real records.
Synthetic scenario · creates no real record
Opening week: first appointment and the cancellation rule
Step 1 / 6
Define the service
Example: Reformer group class, 50 minutes. No package yet; 0 sessions left.
Package sessions left for Deniz K.: 0
What Corenta does not do today
- Corenta does not take online payments from clients. You record cash, bank transfer or card terminal payments on the client's file by hand.
- No text messages (SMS) are sent. Reminders go out as app notifications.
- Group classes do not let clients pick a specific reformer or machine. Capacity is a single number.
- Session notes are free text. There is no ready-made format such as SOAP notes.
- Corenta does not issue invoices or e-invoices.
Questions people ask
How to open a pilates studio with the first week already set up
What paperwork do I need to open a pilates studio?
This page is not a guide to official procedures. Licences, tax registration and employment rules depend on your country and city, so check with your local authority and an accountant. Here we cover how to run the opening week.
How much does it cost to open a pilates studio?
It depends on the size of the space, the rent and how many machines you buy. Instead of a generic figure, put your own quotes into the startup cost calculator; it shows the total, the breakdown and the payback time.
Can I set up Corenta before the studio opens?
Yes. New studios start with a 14 day free trial and no card. You can set up services, class packs and your team before you open and take the first bookings for opening day.
I have no client history yet. Is that a problem?
No. A new studio has nothing to move. If you already keep a list in a notebook or a spreadsheet, you can import the client list from a CSV file.
When you're ready
Set up your opening week in Corenta.
Download the app, set up your studio and run it with real bookings for two weeks. We won't ask for a card. If you stay, you subscribe through your app store.