Can the Small Independent Studio Actually Survive This Pilates Boom?

Female emPOWERed · Episode 338

Can the Small Independent Studio Actually Survive This Pilates Boom?

By Christa Gurka  ·  Pilates Educator & Business Strategist

You open Instagram and another Club Pilates is opening. Another Solidcore. Another franchise with private equity money behind it — maybe just a few miles from you, maybe practically next door. And the question you don’t want to say out loud starts getting louder: is there even room left for the little guy?

I want to give you both perspective and a plan today. Because that’s what I’m always about — not just making you feel better for five minutes, but actually giving you something you can do with this information.

Here’s the truth about the Pilates boom: it is real, it is massive, and it is exactly why private equity and investors are pouring money into the industry. Pilates is the fastest-growing category in boutique fitness right now. Recurring memberships. High client retention. Relatively low overhead. Investors love it. And that is fundamentally good news — because what those investors are betting on isn’t the end of independent studios. They’re betting that the demand for Pilates is going to keep growing for the next five to seven years.

“The businesses that survive this boom probably won’t look the same as they did five years ago — and honestly? That can be a very good thing.”

The middle-of-the-road independent studio — no clear niche, no real systems, owner doing everything herself — that studio is going to be challenged. But the studio that is specialized, financially smart, and deeply connected to its clients? That studio will thrive. Here’s why, and here’s how.

01 — Differentiate or Die. This Is Not Negotiable.

If your strategy right now is to be a smaller, prettier, slightly cheaper version of a franchise — you are going to lose that game. You cannot compete on price, on convenience, or on “we have reformers too.” That is not a strategy. That is a slow fade.

The studios that are going to survive and thrive are the ones that become known for something specific. Not everything. Something.

What does a niche actually look like?

• Women over 40 navigating perimenopause and beyond
• Prenatal and postnatal with a pelvic health specialist on staff
• Active aging — because that population is underserved and deeply loyal
• Injury recovery with physical therapy integrated into the model
• Athletes — golfers, runners, pickleball players who want performance-based work
• Luxury, hands-on, high-touch private and semi-private training

Here’s what happens when you get specific: your clients become significantly less price-sensitive. Because they’re not paying for Pilates anymore. They’re paying for a result. A transformation. They’re paying to be truly seen by someone who understands exactly what they need. They’re paying for expertise — and a franchise cannot manufacture that depth, no matter how big their marketing budget is.

02 — Build the Kind of Community a Franchise Cannot Replicate

Our biggest competitive advantage as independent studios has nothing to do with our equipment, our logo, or even our programming. It is our relationships. Full stop.

We know our clients’ names. We know when their daughter is getting married, when they’ve had knee surgery, when they’ve been MIA for three weeks because something personal is happening at home. We know when they get a new job, when they’re going through a divorce, when they’re training for their first trip abroad at 68. That knowledge — that connection — is something no amount of venture capital can buy.

I really believe that in the next five to six years, clients are going to split into two very clear groups:

Group One wants cheap, convenient, and transactional. Price is the deciding factor. They’re trend-driven and they won’t miss you when they go.

Group Two wants personalized, meaningful, and relationship-driven. They value expertise deeply. They will pay for the right experience. And they will refer everyone they know.

You need to intentionally choose which group you’re building for — because you cannot serve both. You will never out-cheap a franchise. But you can absolutely build a place where people feel known, supported, and genuinely connected. That is your lane. Stay in it.

03 — Stop Running Your Business Emotionally. Start Running It Like a CEO.

I know this is the part no one wants to hear. So I’m going to say it anyway.

Most independent studios are still being run on emotion instead of strategy. And I get it — I really do. Most of us got into this industry because we love helping people, we love teaching, we love the movement. Business school was never part of the plan. But if you want to survive long-term, you cannot just be the best instructor in the room. You have to become the CEO of that room.

Private equity-backed businesses know their numbers inside and out. You don’t need a giant company to do the same. You just need to start paying attention. Right now.

The numbers every studio owner needs to know:

• Payroll should not exceed 45% of revenue
• Schedule utilization should be at or above 80%
• Your time — 80% of it should go to the 20% of tasks that actually move the needle

If your payroll is creeping above 45%, if your schedule utilization is sitting at 60%, if you’re allowing too many package exceptions and discount-creeping, if clients are disappearing without any retention or follow-up system — those are the hidden leaks that could be costing you tens of thousands of dollars every single year.

This isn’t about being corporate. It’s about being intentional. Every decision you make should be moving your business forward — and you should be able to articulate exactly why.

04 — Stop Relying on One Revenue Stream. Full Stop.

The smartest thing an independent studio can do right now is stop being just a place to take Pilates classes. Franchises are built around volume — they thrive on throughput. We thrive on quality, expertise, and depth. Which means we can build something much more diversified and intentional.

Revenue streams worth building:

• Memberships and group class packages
• Private and semi-private pods
• Specialty workshops (pelvic floor, active aging, prenatal)
• Annual retreats
• Teacher training programs
• Wellness service partnerships — PTs, massage therapists, nutritionists
• Online education and digital programs
• Continuing education for instructors

Your clients might come to you for Pilates. But they’ll stay because you have the active aging workshop they’ve been looking for. The prenatal program that finally feels safe. The teacher training that actually prepares people to work with real bodies. These aren’t random add-ons — they’re intentional layers in your offer stack that deepen the relationship and protect your revenue.

05 — The New Instructor Boom Is an Opportunity Nobody’s Talking About

Here is the piece of this conversation that I think almost no one is discussing — and I think it might be the biggest long-game opportunity for independent studios right now.

The Pilates industry is growing so fast that there are thousands of new instructors entering the field every month. And franchises? The biggest thing they need is teachers. Just bodies in the room. What that means in practice is that a lot of new instructors are going through abbreviated trainings — learning just enough to get into a classroom, not enough to truly serve their clients.

Those instructors are going to realize pretty quickly that they want more. More confidence. More clinical knowledge. More support learning how to work with injuries, pregnancy, aging bodies, athletes. They’re going to want mentorship from people who actually know what they’re doing.

“Franchises may create more Pilates instructors. Independent studios? We can create better ones.”

Think about what that can look like for your studio: workshops for new instructors, mentorship programs, advanced specialty certifications, anatomy courses, apprenticeships, business coaching for teachers just starting out. Especially for those of you with backgrounds in physical therapy, biomechanics, women’s health, or injury recovery — that knowledge is incredibly valuable. And it is something a big franchise simply cannot replicate.

When you become the studio that instructors go to in order to become truly excellent, you create another revenue stream, build a stronger reputation, develop a hiring pipeline, retain better teachers on your own team, and become significantly harder to compete with. That’s not a side project. That’s a strategic moat.

06 — Build a Business Someone Would Want to Buy

I tell this to everyone. Build to sell — even if you never actually want to sell.

I used to think this too: who would buy my studio? Why wouldn’t they just take that money and open their own? Here’s what I’ve learned: it is far easier — and in many cases far less expensive — to buy a business that already has clients, systems, and proven revenue than to start from scratch. People buy houses to renovate, not lots to build on. Your studio is a house.

What a sellable — and unshakeable — studio looks like:

• Documented systems and processes that anyone on your team can follow
• Recurring revenue that doesn’t depend entirely on you teaching every class
• Strong margins and clean financial reporting
• Leaders on your team who run things when you’re gone
• A business that does not fall apart if you take a week — or a month — off

The more your business depends entirely on you, the more vulnerable it is — and the less it’s actually worth. The more it can stand on its own, the more powerful you both become.

Not the biggest studio. Not the one with the most reformers or the flashiest branding. The one that is specific, strategic, and deeply connected to the people it exists to serve.

There is still so much room in this industry for the independent studio. For the four-reformer studio. For the PT who built something integrative and clinical. The ones that survive and thrive are the ones who stop competing on price and start competing on value, expertise, relationships, and systems.

And honestly? That is exactly where most of you already shine — you just don’t realize it yet.

Ready to hear the full strategy? Listen to Episode 338 of Female emPOWERED.

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Christa Gurka is a physical therapist, Pilates educator, and business strategist for boutique fitness studio owners. She is the host of the Female emPOWERED Podcast.