Guides and comparisons for studio owners
Pricing and pay guides with the numbers behind them, how to move from another booking system, and sourced comparisons of studio and gym software.
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Elara vs Glofox
A Glofox alternative for gyms, Pilates and yoga studios: Elara and Glofox software compared on credits, private bookings, waivers and payments.
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Elara vs PushPress
A PushPress alternative for gyms and studios that run classes: Elara and PushPress compared on booking, waivers, payments and locations.
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Elara vs Zen Planner
A Zen Planner alternative for gyms, Pilates and yoga studios: Elara and Zen Planner compared on credits, private bookings, waivers and payments.
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How to start a gym: costs, members needed and timeline
Start a class gym from sourced numbers: eight franchises' startup costs, equipment prices, the members your timetable needs, music licences and AED laws.
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Switch from Mindbody to Elara: what the import reads and what it leaves behind
Leaving Mindbody? What Elara's import reads from your site, what stays behind, what happens to cards and autopays, and a cutover checklist.
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Elara vs Session for sauna studios
Session (bookasession.org) beside Elara for sauna studios: shared and private hire, waivers and check-in, card readers, packs and moving your data.
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Elara vs WellnessLiving
Weighing WellnessLiving software? Elara compared for class and session studios: private bookings, waivers, payments, Canada and what moving involves.
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Elara vs Zettlor for sauna studios
A Zettlor alternative for sauna studios: Elara and Zettlor compared on shared and private sessions, waivers, card readers and moving your data.
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Elara vs Zipper for sauna studios
Zipper's sauna booking software beside Elara: shared and private bookings of one session, waiver changes, card readers, payment accounts and moving in.
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Founding memberships: decide what you are promising before opening
Founding offers real sauna studios advertise, what each promises, and whether a step-up founder price beats a continuing rate once founders leave.
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Why a full sauna waitlist can still leave empty places
Follow a released sauna place from cancellation to attendance, measure attended refills, and explain how a paid or credit waitlist charges.
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How to start a sauna business: prices, costs and a business plan
How to start a sauna business and write its plan: prices at 67 studios, a one-month cost model, electricity per session and the permit questions to ask.
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Sauna cancellation policy: set the window, then write the terms
Choose a sauna cancellation window by whether a released place can still be refilled, then write terms for packs, memberships and waitlists.
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When should a sauna studio send a win-back email?
Pick a win-back threshold from each bather's habit, write messages that give a reason to return, and measure the email against a holdout.
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Sauna studio opening checklist: rehearse the first booking
Before opening a sauna studio, follow one bather from booking and payment through waiver, heat-up and check-in, and rehearse what goes wrong.
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Switch from Kenko to Elara: what to export and what comes across
Leaving Kenko software? Which reports to export, what Elara imports from each, what happens to cards and subscriptions, and a cutover checklist.
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Elara vs Mindbody
A Mindbody alternative for Pilates studios, gyms and sauna studios: Elara and Mindbody compared on waivers, plans, private booking and moving your data.
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Elara vs Vagaro for class and session studios
A Vagaro alternative for class and session studios: Elara and Vagaro compared on shared and private bookings, guest waivers, packs and locations.
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How to open a Pilates studio: costs, reformer count and timeline
Open a Pilates studio from sourced numbers: six franchises' 2026 startup costs, reformer prices, break-even by reformer count and the opening timeline.
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Pilates instructor pay: what studios pay per class and per hour
Posted Pilates instructor pay from 388 job ads in the US and Canada, against BLS and Job Bank figures, with pay structures and minimum wage rules.
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How to price a sauna membership
Price a sauna membership from your costs and your busiest sessions: a worked $149 vs $179 example and the pack comparison bathers make.
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Per-class or per-head instructor pay: find the class size where they cross
Compare flat per-class pay, per-head pay and a base plus per head by class size, from the studio's side and the instructor's, with a calculator.
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Can you move cards on file to new studio software?
Moving your customer list does not move cards on file. Plan each member's card, last old charge and first new charge before you switch studio software.
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How to price private sauna rentals and buyouts alongside shared sessions
Price a private sauna rental or buyout against the shared bookings it replaces and the next session its reset displaces. Worked example and calculator.
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How to price reformer Pilates classes, packs and memberships
Find the price floor for a reformer class from its costs and the clients you expect, then check drop-ins, packs, memberships and intro offers against it.
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Sauna gift cards: how to run a holiday program
What "buy $100, get $20" really costs, gift card expiry rules in 12 states and 7 provinces, and how to keep January bookable. For sauna studio owners.
Get a price for your studio
Tell us how many locations you run and what you use today. We'll email you a quote and, if you're switching, what we can bring across.