Pilates studio cancellation policy: templates you can copy

Most new studios write their cancellation policy after the first incident. A client cancels a 7am reformer class with a message sent at 6. The slot stays empty, the instructor still gets paid, and the client asks whether the credit comes back. If the rule was never written down, any answer you give in that moment feels made up.

This article covers what a cancellation policy has to answer, how to choose a fair cancellation window, and three policy templates you can copy and adjust. An Indonesian version is in the Indonesian article, if your studio posts its rules in both languages.

Six things your policy has to answer

A good policy answers a client’s question before they ask it. Make sure these six are written down.

1. The cancellation window. How many hours before class a client can cancel with no consequence.
2. What happens to the credit. Cancel in time and the credit goes back to the class pack. Cancel late and it is forfeited. Not showing up without notice is best treated as a late cancellation.
3. Rescheduling. Allowed or not, until when, and how many times per booking.
4. The reschedule fee. Free, a fixed fee, or a percentage of the class price. Charged on every reschedule, or only after the deadline.
5. Refunds. Cancelling a booking is different from asking for money back. Write down when money is refunded, if ever.
6. Classes the studio cancels. An instructor falls ill, or too few people book. Clients need to know what they get instead.

How long should the cancellation window be

The cancellation window is really the time you need to fill the slot again. The fewer the slots and the higher the price, the longer the window.

• Group reformer classes: 12 to 24 hours. There are only a few slots, so one empty reformer shows.
• Mat or yoga classes: 2 to 6 hours. Capacity is larger, and the class runs even if one person drops out.
• Private, duo and trio sessions: 24 hours. The instructor’s time was booked for that client alone.

Another pattern common in Indonesian studios is “by 4pm the day before”. It is easy to remember, but it treats classes unequally. A client in the 7am class has to decide 15 hours ahead, while a client in the 7pm class gets 27 hours. A window counted in hours before class starts is the same for every slot on the schedule.

If you are unsure, start with a looser window. Tightening a rule once you have the numbers goes down better with clients than loosening one that felt harsh from day one.

Policy templates you can copy

Replace the numbers in brackets with your own. The three templates work side by side if your studio runs all three kinds of class.

1. Group reformer classes

Reformer class cancellation and reschedule policy

• Cancellations made at least [12] hours before class starts are free. The credit goes back to your class pack.
• Cancellations made less than [12] hours before class, or not showing up without notice, forfeit the credit for that class.
• Rescheduling at least [12] hours before class is free, up to [1] time per booking.
• Rescheduling less than [12] hours before class costs [Rp50,000], as long as the new class has a slot available.
• Class packs that have been paid for are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Classes start on time. Arriving more than [10] minutes late may mean you cannot join the class, for your safety.

2. Mat or yoga classes

Mat class cancellation and reschedule policy

• Cancellations made at least [4] hours before class starts are free. The credit goes back to your class pack.
• Cancellations made less than [4] hours before class, or not showing up without notice, forfeit the credit for that class.
• Moving to another class is free if done at least [4] hours before class.
• Please cancel as early as you can if you cannot make it, so another client can take the slot.

3. Private, duo and trio sessions

Private session cancellation and reschedule policy

• Cancelling or rescheduling at least [24] hours before the session is free.
• Cancelling less than [24] hours before the session counts the session as used.
• Rescheduling less than [24] hours before the session costs [50%] of the session price.
• For duo and trio sessions, cancellations count per person. The session goes ahead for the others.

One line every version should have

If the studio cancels a class, your credit comes back in full, or you can move to another class at no cost. We will let you know as soon as we can.

This line is often left out, yet it is the first thing clients ask about the first time a studio cancels a class.

The hard cases to decide up front

Sudden illness. Almost every studio gets this request. There are two options: no exceptions at all, or exceptions at the studio’s discretion. If you choose the second, offer a free reschedule rather than returning the credit. The client is looked after, and the empty slot does not become a double loss.

Rain and traffic. Best left out of the exceptions. The window exists for exactly this kind of thing, which can be planned for. Make an exception once and other clients will ask for one too.

Clients who often cancel late. The rule is already working: the credit is forfeited each time. If the pattern keeps repeating, talk to the client in person. Often the class time simply does not suit them, and moving to a different slot solves it.

Classes the studio cancels. Tell clients as early as you can, return the credit in full, and offer a replacement class. Do not hold clients to a rule you do not keep yourself.

How to announce a new policy

A policy that changes without notice feels like a trap, especially to a client who has just bought a class pack.

• Announce it one to two weeks ahead, by email, on Instagram and at the front desk.
• State the date it applies from. For example: applies to bookings made from 1 December.
• Honour the old terms for bookings made before that date.
• Show the policy where clients see it before they pay: the booking page, the class pack description and the confirmation message.

Running this policy in Vlora

In Vlora, a cancellation policy can be set per class type, per location, or once for the whole studio. Reformer classes can have a 12-hour window while mat classes have 4 hours. The window is counted in hours before class starts, in each branch’s local time.

• The terms are recorded on every booking. If you change the policy, existing bookings keep the terms they were made with.
• A late cancellation forfeits the credit. An on-time cancellation returns it, as you set it up.
• Members move their own classes from the member area, within the deadline, limit and fee you set. The reschedule fee can be fixed or a percentage with a cap, and members pay it online.
• Staff can move a class too and waive the fee, for cases like sudden illness.
• Refunds are recorded separately from cancellations, and appear in the finance report on the day the money goes back.

More on the Class packs, memberships & rules page and the page for pilates studios.