Loyalty Programs for Yoga and Pilates Studios
By Alva Chew · Updated
In short A yoga studio loyalty program works best as points earned in proportion to what students spend at your desk, such as drop-ins, class packs, workshops, private sessions, tea and retail. Unlimited memberships bill on a schedule, so points add value on the purchases students choose each time. Keep the rule to spend, earn and redeem, and no student needs it explained before class.
What should a yoga studio loyalty program reward?
Reward what students spend at your desk. A studio has some predictable charges, such as unlimited memberships, and a set of purchases that students choose each time: drop-in classes, class packs, workshops, private sessions, mat rental, tea and retail. The chosen purchases show who is engaged with your studio. Points earned in proportion to spend give the student who books a workshop on top of a weekly class more credit than the student who only pays for one class, with no extra rules.
A points-based loyalty program also gives each student a running balance in one place. That is a reason to buy the next class pack from you instead of trying the studio around the corner on an introductory offer.
How many people practise yoga, and who are they?
The US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) asked adults whether they had practised yoga in the past 12 months, “as part of a class or on your own”. The 2022 results show a large and uneven audience.
| Group (US adults, 2022) | Practised yoga in past 12 months |
|---|---|
| All adults, age-adjusted | 16.9% |
| Women | 23.3% |
| Men | 10.3% |
| Aged 18 to 44 | 21.3% |
| Aged 45 to 64 | 14.1% |
| Aged 65 and over | 8.0% |
| Family income below 200% of the federal poverty level | 10.4% |
| Family income 400% of the poverty level or more | 23.0% |
Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 501, Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022, National Health Interview Survey, published June 2024, accessed 4 November 2026.
The same brief reports what practitioners say they practise for: 80.0% to restore overall health, 57.4% to include meditation and 28.8% to treat or manage pain. The survey covers yoga only and does not report Pilates. Two things follow for a studio owner. About one adult in six practises yoga, so your students have other places to go. And practice is highest among adults aged 18 to 44, so many of your students are used to opening things from a QR code on a phone.
Why do points suit a studio better than a class punch card?
Many studios sell a 10-class card and stamp it at each visit. A stamp counts the visit and ignores what was bought. A US$22 drop-in and a US$200 pack of ten classes would earn the same single stamp, and the studio then needs rules to fix it: which classes count, whether a workshop counts, what a private session is worth. Our comparison of stamp card vs points goes through those rules.
Points need only the amount. At 1 point per US$1, the drop-in earns 22 points, the pack earns 200 and a US$65 workshop earns 65. Nobody needs a list of exceptions, because the price already says how much each purchase is worth.
There is also the question of whether students use what they earn. A study of one retailer’s points programme by Stourm, Bradlow and Fader in the Journal of Marketing Research (2015) found that 60% of customers never redeemed over 43 months, and that 3% of purchases had a redemption even though redeeming could cut the basket by nearly 30% on average. That is one international home and hardware retailer earning 1% of spend, so it does not describe your studio. It does show that a reward students rarely use does little. Make the first reward reachable.
| Figure | Scope |
|---|---|
| 60% of customers never redeemed in 43 months | One international retailer, 1% of spend earned |
| 3% of purchases had a redemption | Same retailer |
Source: Stourm, Bradlow and Fader, Journal of Marketing Research, 2015, accessed 4 November 2026.
How many points should a class earn?
Set the rate so that a regular student reaches a reward within two or three purchases. Our guide to setting your points earn rate shows the arithmetic. As an example in US$:
| Purchase | Price (example) | Points at 1 per US$1 |
|---|---|---|
| Drop-in class | US$22 | 22 |
| Class pack of 10 | US$200 | 200 |
| Workshop | US$65 | 65 |
| Private session | US$90 | 90 |
| Tea or mat rental | US$3 | 3 |
If 100 points redeem for US$8 off, the studio returns 8% of spend. A student who buys one class pack has earned two rewards. Change the prices to match your own and keep the percentage in your head, not the point counts.
Should unlimited memberships earn points?
Think about the desk before you decide. Gimify adds points when staff enter an amount, so a program built around purchases made in front of staff runs with no extra work. Most unlimited memberships bill by card each month, and nobody is standing there when the charge goes through.
- Desk purchases first. Drop-ins, packs, workshops, privates, retail and tea all happen in front of staff.
- If memberships count, pick one process. Someone enters the amount each month at the same rate as everything else, or students will notice a balance that looks wrong.
- Say what does not earn. Tell teachers whether gift cards, tips and teacher training fees count, and apply the answer to everyone.
What happens at the desk before class?
The rush at a studio comes in the ten minutes before a class starts, so keep the step to one scan:
- The student shows the QR code on their phone.
- Staff scan it with a phone or tablet at the desk.
- They type the amount and the balance updates.
Redeeming works the same way. The student shows the card, staff enter the points to use, and the discount comes off the bill. If your studio runs a front desk only for some classes, the teacher can do the same on their own phone.
How do you get students to join?
Ask once, when the student has a spare minute. The queue before class is short on time, but the moment after class, when students stand at the shelf choosing tea or a mat towel, is not. A QR code at the retail shelf and a line at the end of class, such as “scan to start earning on today’s class”, is enough. Our guides on getting customers to join and launching at the counter cover where to put the code and what to say.
What if teachers are independent or rent the room?
Many studios work with self-employed teachers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 15% of fitness trainers and instructors are self-employed, and that many work variable or part-time schedules, including nights, weekends and holidays. Its figures cover the whole occupation, not yoga or Pilates alone. A teacher who feels the regulars are theirs may not want a studio-wide program, while an owner wants one balance per student.
| Measure (US fitness trainers and instructors) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Jobs, 2025 | 388,400 |
| Median pay, May 2025 | US$47,160 a year (US$22.67 an hour) |
| Self-employed | 15% |
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Fitness Trainers and Instructors, accessed 4 November 2026.
- Fund the reward from the studio. A shared balance is easy to run when the studio pays, and no teacher loses out.
- Put it in writing. Say who pays when a student’s last class was with a different teacher.
- Keep one balance per student. A student who follows two teachers should not hold two balances.
If you also run a wellness space with treatments, the spa guide covers that side, and a studio that shares a building with weights can read the gym guide. If you run several studios, loyalty programs across multiple outlets explains how one balance works.
Yoga studio loyalty checklist
- Give points in proportion to spend, so a class pack earns more than a cup of tea.
- Set the earn rate so a regular reaches a reward in two or three purchases.
- Decide whether memberships earn points and who enters them.
- Fund rewards from the studio, not from individual teachers.
- Invite students to join once, when they have a minute to scan.
- Keep one balance across every location.
Gimify is free for one studio with unlimited members and no time limit. Students join from a QR code with their email, the card sits in Google Wallet, and staff add or redeem points on any phone at the desk. If you run several studios, one balance covers all of them for a flat US$99 a month.
Questions owners ask
What is the best loyalty program for a yoga studio?
A points program in which students earn points in proportion to what they spend at your desk and redeem them against a later purchase. Drop-ins, class packs, workshops, privates and retail all follow one rule, so teachers and students learn it once.
Should I use a 10-class punch card instead?
A punch card gives a US$22 drop-in and a US$200 pack the same credit and needs extra rules to correct that. Points give each purchase credit in proportion to its price, so there is nothing to correct.
How many points should a studio give per dollar?
Pick a rate that returns about 5% to 10% of spend. For example, 1 point per US$1 with 100 points for US$8 off returns 8%. A student who buys a US$200 class pack reaches two rewards with that single purchase.
Should unlimited memberships earn points?
It is your choice, but plan the desk work first. Points are added when staff enter an amount, so a program built on purchases made at the desk is easiest to run. If memberships count, decide who enters them each month and keep the same rate as everything else.
Do students need to download an app?
No. A card that opens from a QR code and sits in Google Wallet is enough. Students already have a phone with them when they check in, even if it goes in a cubby before class.
Can one program cover a studio with several locations?
Yes. One balance across every location lets a student earn at one studio and redeem at another, which suits people who practise near both home and work.
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