Why b.Pilates & Fitness Doesn’t Offer Memberships

I’ve been asked before why b.Pilates & Fitness doesn’t offer memberships. I’ve worked in the fitness industry my whole adult life and have attended a variety of gyms and studios, all of which had their own way of serving their clients. The great thing about this is there are a lot of options to suit your workout preferences and that suit the gym’s structure, too. Here’s a breakdown of why certain gyms offer memberships, while others may not. 

The Big Gym With Everything

The first gym that I attended and worked at offered it all. There were weight rooms, cardio rooms, racquetball, squash, and a schedule of classes that were all included in my monthly membership. They had (and still have) long hours and can accommodate many people in the space at one time. Much of the gym is self serve. 

Membership Details & Staff to Member Ratio: Gyms like these can sell a lot of memberships at a lower rate, as they can accommodate more people at once without having to teach them individually. Still, to run a facility this size, you need a fair amount of staff. There are front desk people, administration, sales, a few wandering weight room staff, class instructors, child minders, and cleaners. These people are mostly there to help the business run, though there are group classes and options to purchase time with a personal trainer. 

Pros & Cons: I liked this gym because I could go in at almost any time, get my workout done on my terms, and even had care for my young kids. On the downside, you need to be self-motivated, as you have the freedom to come and go as you please, other than the few classes you had to sign up for in advance. I would see some people there regularly, while others barely went at all. 

The Bare Bones Gym

Then there are gyms with all the equipment but without classes or childcare. 

Membership Details & Staff to Member Ratio: These gyms have even lower monthly fees as they often only have a few staff on hand at a time, since there aren’t classes to run. 

Pros & Cons: The low fee to these gyms can be an incentive for many, again, if you can be very self-motivated. Without any accountability of booking classes or meeting with a trainer, many people keep paying the small fee and don’t worry about not going for months at a time. 

Gyms With a Group Training Program

In the past I attended a gym where I got 4:1 coaching, a custom monthly program, plus access to their gym and could sign up for group classes. I had to book my classes and gym time, as they had a smaller space.

Membership Details & Staff to Member Ratio: This gym had a higher price point because I got personalized attention in the small group program. There was less staff in the smaller facility, but I always found it easy to book a time that worked for me. 

Pros & Cons: If you took a vacation or were sick and didn’t get in your monthly number of workouts (ie. 1 coaching session plus 3 scheduled workouts), it was too bad for you. Nothing rolled over to the next month. Still, thanks to the accountability of the higher cost, personal training, and having to book my time, I was very consistent in going and got great results. 

Class-Based Gyms

The gym I go to now is class-based, and they usually have two running at a time. 

Membership Details & Staff to Member Ratio: This gym has prices based on how many classes you want to attend each week (ie. 2, 3, or 4). The more classes you pay for, the cheaper each class is. Each class has about 20 people in it with one instructor. 

Pros & Cons: Again, in this monthly-payment model, if you don’t use your classes, you lose them. By having to book your classes ahead of time, there is a good amount of accountability (if you actually go, that is!). And, if you go to the same class regularly, the instructors do get to know you. Still, there isn’t time for them to check in with every person during the class to help with form or modifications. 

Big Pilates Studios

There are larger Pilates studios that run similarly. These generally have a large number of Pilates stations with equipment, so maybe 10 to 12 reformers. 

Membership Details & Staff to Member Ratio: These memberships are similar to my current gym, where you pay based on how many classes you want to attend each week. They also have longer hours and more staff to keep everything running smoothly. 

Pros & Cons: Again, just like the class-based gyms, if you don’t use your classes, you lose them. Since Pilates can be so technical, a big con of these spaces (for me) is the lack of personal attention. You could be missing out on the small nuances of an exercise to make it “work” properly. 

Small Boutique Pilates Studios

Finally, there are smaller boutique studios, like mine. There are many such studios that could have anywhere from one piece of each apparatus, up to 4 or 5 reformers, towers, and wunda chairs.   

Membership Details & Staff to Member Ratio: Most of these studios, including mine, don’t have memberships. This is partially because we have less staff, but also because we need to juggle the needs of our clients as well as our own time, appointments, vacations, etc. 

With just one teacher per small class, we need to be intentional with how things are scheduled. Some studios offer series’ of classes, where you sign up for a certain number of weeks or months. Others are entirely class-based, where you pay by class by purchasing a package of classes in advance. And then some (like b.Pilates & Fitness), do both. 

Pros & Cons: Purchasing a class series or package of classes with an expiry date will both help you to stay consistent with your practice. For the latter, you need to book your classes and use them in a certain amount of time. The con is if you aren’t consistent or don’t show up to your series, you lose those classes; you also won’t be seeing results. And the big pro? Definitely the close attention you receive from your instructor, who can guide you through the workout and help tailor things to your ability and goals. 

The Real Reason b.Pilates & Fitness Doesn’t Offer Memberships

Having worked at and attended a huge variety of gyms and studios, I put a lot of thought into how this studio works. The packages help me keep an eye on how many active clients we have, so I can plan the schedule better. It also makes booking classes flexible for my clients; they can go on vacation or heal from an illness and simply reschedule their usual classes for another time. It’s a win-win!