Class packs and session tracking for Pilates studios and gyms

Pack or membership?

Studios sell two kinds of product, and mixing them breaks tracking:

• Pack: a set number of sessions. "8-class pack", "10 reformer sessions". Each attendance uses one. There is usually an expiry date.
• Membership (subscription): access for a period. "Monthly unlimited", "annual membership". Sessions aren't counted, time is; it renews each period.

Some studios combine the two: "monthly membership, up to 8 classes a month". Then both time and sessions count. Defining clearly what you sell is the first condition for giving clients and staff the same answer.

Write the pack rules

Answer these questions for every pack before you sell it:

The numbers are examples; set your own. What matters is that these rules are shown at the moment of sale and applied by the system automatically. A rule applied by hand always invites exceptions.

When is a session used?

There are two ways:

1. 01
   On booking: the session is used when the client reserves a place, and returned if they cancel within the rule.
2. 02
   On attendance: attendees are marked at the end of class, and only then is the session used.

The second looks fairer but needs the instructor to take attendance after every class. The first is more automatic. Whichever you choose, what happens on a no-show must be part of the rule.

When clients can see their remaining sessions, most disputes end. "5 of 8 used, 3 left, expires 30 November" should be visible in the client's account or on every booking confirmation.

Group class timetable and capacity

In group classes, pack tracking goes together with the timetable:

• Weekly timetable: which day, which time, which instructor, which class.
• Capacity: as many places as reformers or room space.
• Waiting list: if someone cancels in a full class, the next person gets the place.
• One-off cancellation: when an instructor is ill, only that week's class is cancelled, the series continues, booked clients are told and their sessions returned.

"Let's squeeze one more in" doesn't work in reformer classes with a fixed number of machines. The system shouldn't allow it.

Private sessions and instructor calendars

Private sessions work like appointments: the client chooses one of the instructor's free slots. Booking rules apply: working hours, breaks, time off, which instructor teaches what. The setup is covered step by step in our salon booking guide; the same steps apply to studios.

Reminders and no-shows

In group classes a no-show costs not only the studio but the person on the waiting list. A short reminder the day before, with a one-tap cancel link, lets the place go to someone else. Details are in our guide to reducing no-shows.

Send a reminder near the end of a pack too: "You have 1 class left in your pack, would you like to renew?" It's a service to the client and the most natural moment for a renewal.

Sales and payment

Packs may be paid upfront, in instalments or by card. In every case:

• The pack sale should be linked to the client's record,
• Payment should be recorded on the same day,
• Instalment sales should have a written plan,
• A receipt or invoice should be issued.

If you sell packs online, letting clients buy on your website and book straight away is the smoothest path.

Reports

Once a month, look at:

1. 01
   Packs sold, by type.
2. 02
   Usage rate: what share of sold sessions were used?
3. 03
   Expired sessions: sessions that expired unused.
4. 04
   Renewal rate: what share of clients whose pack ended bought a new one?
5. 05
   Class occupancy: which times are full, which empty?

Dropping or changing low-occupancy times directly affects instructor costs.

Example: a month in a reformer studio

Picture a studio with six reformers and three instructors: 40 group classes a week, at most six people per class. Products: 4, 8 and 12-class packs and a private-session pack.

At the start of the month the studio rewrites its pack rules: 8-class pack valid for 45 days, sessions returned for cancellations up to 12 hours before, sessions used on no-shows, one freeze of up to 14 days with a medical note.

Booking: clients reserve places online. Full classes have a waiting list; when someone cancels, the next person is notified. When an instructor is ill, only that day's class is cancelled, booked clients are notified and their sessions returned.

Attendance: the instructor takes attendance after class. No-shows are marked.

At month end three numbers are checked: session usage, expired sessions and class occupancy. The 19:00 classes are always full with long waiting lists; the 13:00 classes are half empty. The studio cuts the lunchtime class to two days a week and adds an evening class.

Common mistakes

1. 01
   Telling the rules after the sale. Expiry and cancellation rules must be shown when the pack is sold.
2. 02
   Counting sessions by hand. A hand count is eventually wrong.
3. 03
   Freezing without rules. Every exception becomes a precedent for the next argument.
4. 04
   Exceeding capacity. As many places as reformers; more is a safety issue.
5. 05
   Forgetting clients whose pack has ended. Without a renewal reminder, clients often drift away quietly.

Packs and classes in Era

Era's Packages module holds monthly packages that bundle services and classes, with sessions counted: a package is created, its coverage set and taken off sale when needed; each use counts a session, and a session can be given back. Clients can use sessions from their own package too.

Group classes holds the weekly timetable with places, instructors, bookings and attendance: a weekly time is added, a series ended, a single session cancelled; clients book places online and attendance is recorded. Private sessions open in Appointments according to the instructor's availability.

Pack sales and payments are in Finance; monthly memberships are in Subscriptions, renewed each period, paused, resumed or cancelled. All of it sits on one Customers record.

You can ask in chat: "List students with one class left in their pack" or "Which three class times were emptiest last month?" The Pilates studio page shows the ready-made setup.

Checklist

1. 01
   Packs and memberships are defined as separate products.
2. 02
   Each pack's sessions, coverage, expiry, freeze and cancellation rules are written.
3. 03
   It's clear whether sessions are used on booking or attendance.
4. 04
   Group classes have capacity and a waiting list.
5. 05
   Clients can see their remaining sessions.
6. 06
   A renewal reminder goes out before a pack ends.
7. 07
   Monthly usage, renewal and occupancy reports are reviewed.