Running a Classical Pilates Studio in the Large-Group Reformer Boom
What franchise reformer studios do well, what a classical studio can offer instead, and the pricing, retention and operating options for small owners.
8 min readClassical and Independent Studio Life
A new reformer franchise opens two blocks away. Twenty machines, a bright sign, an intro offer you couldn't match if you tried. A client mentions she took a class there "just to see," and you spend the evening wondering what that means for you.
You're not alone in asking. In April 2026, Pilates Intel ran a piece asking whether large-group reformer is the end of Pilates as we know it, or a new beginning. Its author, Matthew Ryan Carney, wrote that "this next decade will frame the future of the reformer in popular fitness culture." That future isn't settled, and a small classical studio has more choices than it might feel like on a bad day.
What the franchise market looks like right now
Some numbers help put it in proportion. An investment analysis from MMCG Invest (May 2026) reports that Club Pilates ended 2025 with about 1,414 studios worldwide and $1.14 billion in system-wide sales. It projects US reformer studios growing from about 1,800 to about 2,600 by 2030.
Growth isn't the whole story. The same report says Xponential's system-wide same-store sales "turned negative at -4.3%" in the fourth quarter of 2025, with Club Pilates down 3%, and that promotional activity is rising in crowded coastal markets "as operators prioritize occupancy over price discipline." That comes from a firm that writes for investors, so it reads the market through unit economics. Still, it suggests the big players are competing hard with each other on price and fill rate.
What franchises are good at
It's worth being fair. Large-group studios do several things very well:
- Visibility. Bright locations, national marketing and app listings.
- Schedule breadth. Classes from early morning to late evening, seven days a week.
- A low price per visit. Memberships and intro offers that make trying Pilates easy.
- Consistency. The same format in every location.
- Introducing people to Pilates. Many people who now love the work found it through a group reformer class.
Some classical owners see that last point as a gift. Every new reformer studio creates people who've heard of Pilates and may one day want more depth.
What a classical private studio can offer instead
A small classical studio isn't trying to win on schedule breadth or price per visit. What it can do differently:
- The full system. Classical teaching follows an order and uses the original apparatus. In a group of twenty, that's hard to deliver.
- Individual attention. A teacher who knows your history, your injuries and your progress.
- Continuity. The same teacher, week after week.
- Adaptation without dilution. Working around a hip replacement while still teaching the method.
- A quieter room. Some clients simply don't want loud music and a crowded floor.
Carney's piece quotes critics who feel that, at some point, "it's not even Pilates anymore." Whether or not you agree, that feeling exists among clients too, and some of them are looking for exactly what you offer.
Pricing for depth, not discounts
When a franchise runs a heavy intro offer, it's tempting to answer with one of your own. Lesley Logan's tip in a Pilates Anytime roundup (2018) pushes the other way: "Just because all the other studios are offering discounted group classes that doesn't mean you need to."
Studios take different approaches:
| Approach | What it looks like | Who it tends to suit |
|---|---|---|
| Hold your rate, explain the value | Clear copy on what a private includes | Established studios with a waitlist or steady referrals |
| An intro private, not a discount | One first session at your normal rate, with an assessment | Studios that want a clear entry point without devaluing the work |
| A bridge offer | A short pack for people coming from group reformer | Studios near a franchise that want to catch curious group clients |
| Duets or small groups | Lower price per person, still personal | Studios with price-sensitive clients who still want attention |
It depends on your market and your waitlist. Discounting deeply against a company built for volume is rarely a fight a small studio wins, but a well-designed entry point can still make sense.
Retention as your advantage
The franchise model depends on filling classes. A private studio depends on keeping clients. That's where small studios often have the edge.
FitGrid data reported by Athletech News in March 2026 showed first-time return rates of about 40% at average studios and 75% at the top tenth. FitGrid's CEO said "the instructor makes all the difference in the world," and described the best studios as ones where every client feels "seen, acknowledged and supported." A one-on-one studio is built to do exactly that.
Ways classical studios lean into retention:
- A recommended frequency discussed at the first session.
- Booking the next session before the client leaves.
- Visible progress. Telling clients when they've added a new exercise or moved up a level.
- Personal notes after a missed week.
- Telling your story. Seran Glanfield, writing for Gratz in June 2026, argues that "Most Classical studios are under-marketing, not under-modernizing," and adds: "Standing out doesn't require compromising the work. It requires communicating the work better."
Lean operations
A franchise spreads its admin across front-desk staff, regional managers and a head office. A solo classical owner does all of it between sessions. Lesley Logan describes, in Pilates Journal, teachers who "feel more like a secretary, accountant, cleaning person and babysitter than they do a Pilates teacher."
Keeping overhead low is part of competing. Options studios consider:
- Space. A smaller room, a home studio, or renting by the hour while you grow.
- Equipment. A few well-chosen pieces rather than a full room of reformers.
- Admin. Batching texts and invoices, or using a tool that cuts down the back and forth.
- Teachers. Staying solo, or adding one teacher you trust before thinking about a second location.
Which of these matters most depends on where your time goes. Some owners find rent is the problem. Others find it's the evenings spent answering messages.
Where Wundaful fits
This is the problem we built Wundaful for. It was developed inside a working classical studio in Santa Barbara that runs mostly on privates, where clients book by text and the owner runs the studio without a front desk. It's one way to keep operations lean. A paper book and good habits are another.
Questions to help you decide
- Who are your best clients, and what drew them to you instead of a group reformer class?
- Would an intro offer bring in the clients you want, or the ones a franchise already serves?
- What does your studio do that would be hard to copy in a room of twenty?
- How do you show clients their progress through the system?
- Where does your week actually go, and which piece of overhead would be easiest to trim?
- Is a nearby franchise a threat, a source of curious future clients, or a bit of both?
Sources
- U.S. Reformer Pilates Market Outlook 2026: MMCG Invest, Michal Mohelsky, May 4, 2026.
- Large-Group Reformer: The End of Pilates as We Know It, or a New Beginning?: Pilates Intel, Matthew Ryan Carney, April 15, 2026.
- Classical Pilates in a Boutique Fitness World: How to Stand Out Without Selling Out: Gratz Pilates, Seran Glanfield, June 11, 2026.
- Top Pilates Studios Shine While Average Studios Slip, Data Shows: Athletech News, Lauren Parker, March 24, 2026.
- 19 Expert Tips for Growing Your Pilates Business: Pilates Anytime, Amanda Altman, December 13, 2018.
- The Hidden Burnout Behind a Busy Pilates Schedule: Pilates Journal, Lesley Logan, undated.