Opening a Pilates studio is an exciting step, but there can be a lot to pay for before your first class takes place.
Alongside your reformers, you may need flooring, mirrors, lighting, furniture, technology, and other equipment to get the space ready.
Paying for everything upfront can put pressure on your cash flow before the business has had a chance to build a regular client base.
Pilates studio finance allows you to spread eligible equipment and fit-out costs over an agreed term, helping you create the studio you want while keeping more cash available for the day-to-day running of the business.
Johnson Reed helps new and established Pilates businesses explore finance for reformers, studio equipment and wider expansion projects.
What does it cost to open a Pilates studio?
The cost of opening a Pilates studio varies considerably.
A small mat-based studio will have very different requirements from a larger reformer studio with ten or more machines.
Your overall budget may include:
- Pilates reformers
- Chairs, barrels, towers and other apparatus
- Flooring and mirrors
- Lighting and electrical work
- Reception furniture
- Changing facilities
- Storage
- Booking and payment systems
- Signage and branding
- Delivery and installation
- Rent deposits and professional fees
- Initial marketing and staff costs
Some of these costs may be suitable for asset finance, while others may need to be funded separately.
Creating a full budget at the beginning will help you understand how much cash you need, what may be financed and what you will need to contribute yourself.
Can Pilates reformers be financed?
Yes. Commercial Pilates reformers can be funded through equipment finance.
Rather than paying the full cost to the supplier upfront, a lender purchases the equipment, and your business makes regular payments over an agreed term.
This can help whether you are:
- Opening your first Pilates studio
- Adding reformer classes to an existing gym
- Increasing the capacity of a successful studio
- Opening a second location
- Replacing or upgrading older equipment
- Creating a Pilates space within a hotel or wellness venue
Finance may be available for equipment from a range of recognised manufacturers and specialist Pilates suppliers.
New and used equipment can both be considered, although the age, condition and expected working life of used equipment will be taken into account.
What can Pilates studio finance cover?
Finance is not necessarily limited to the reformers themselves.
Depending on the lender and the structure of the project, it may be possible to fund a combination of:
- Pilates reformers and accessories
- Commercial studio equipment
- Mirrors and specialist flooring
- Furniture and storage
- Reception equipment
- Audio and lighting systems
- Computers and payment technology
- Delivery and installation
- Eligible elements of a studio fit-out
This can be useful when several suppliers are involved in the project.
Johnson Reed can review your quotations and explain which costs may be included within the finance agreement.
What finance options are available?
The most suitable option will depend on your business, the equipment, and whether you want to own it eventually.
Finance Lease
A Finance Lease allows your business to use the reformers and equipment over an agreed term while making regular rental payments.
The finance company remains the legal owner of the equipment.
At the end of the primary term, you may have the option to make one final payment to own the equipment, upgrade the equipment, return the equipment to the lender, or continue leasing the equipment. The exact end-of-term options will be set out in the agreement.
This option may suit a studio that wants to spread the cost without making a large upfront purchase.
Hire Purchase
With Hire Purchase, your business will usually pay an initial deposit followed by regular monthly payments over an agreed term.
Once all the required payments and any applicable purchase fee have been made, legal ownership of the equipment passes to your business.
This can be a straightforward way to spread the cost of reformers and other equipment while working towards owning them outright.
Equipment refinancing
Equipment refinancing allows an established studio to release some of the money tied up in equipment it already owns.
A lender will assess the equipment and may provide finance based on its current value. The studio can continue using the equipment while making payments under the new agreement.
The money released could be used to support a refurbishment, purchase more equipment, open another location or provide additional working capital.
The amount available will depend on factors such as the equipment’s age, condition, value and whether any existing finance is secured against it.
Why finance your Pilates equipment?
Keep more cash in the business
A studio has plenty of costs beyond its equipment.
Spreading the cost of your reformers can leave more cash available for rent, wages, marketing, software and the other expenses involved in launching and growing the studio.
Open with the right number of reformers
Your class capacity affects how much revenue each session can generate.
Choosing fewer reformers simply to reduce the upfront cost may limit the number of clients you can accommodate.
Finance may help you open with the number of reformers that suits your space and business plan.
Make costs easier to plan
Regular payments can be included within your monthly cash-flow forecast, making it easier to understand the studio’s ongoing costs.
Invest in premium and commercial equipment
Commercial reformers are built to withstand frequent use.
Spreading the cost may allow you to select equipment that is better suited to a busy studio rather than choosing solely on the lowest upfront price.
Support future expansion
Finance is not only for new studios.
It can also help an established Pilates business increase capacity, refresh its equipment or open another location without using all its available cash.
Planning your Pilates studio
Finance is only one part of creating a successful studio.
Before committing to a property or ordering equipment, consider the following.
Your location
Think about who lives and works nearby, how easily clients can reach you and what other fitness or Pilates businesses already operate in the area.
Parking, public transport and visibility can all affect how convenient the studio is for clients.
A busy city-centre studio may operate differently from one based in a residential suburb or village.
Your class capacity
Work out how many reformers can fit comfortably within the space.
You will need enough room for clients and instructors to move safely around the equipment. The exact space required will depend on the reformer model and the manufacturer’s guidance.
Do not base your layout solely on fitting in the highest possible number of machines.
The studio still needs to feel comfortable, professional and easy to use.
Your timetable
Consider how many classes you can realistically run each day and which times are likely to be busiest.
Early mornings, evenings and weekends may attract higher demand, but your projections should also account for quieter periods.
Be realistic about how quickly classes will fill when the studio first opens.
Your pricing
Your prices need to cover more than the cost of the instructor.
Your forecast should include:
- Rent and business rates
- Wages
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Booking software
- Cleaning
- Marketing
- Equipment finance payments
- Repairs and maintenance
- Professional fees
- Tax and other business costs
You may offer individual classes, class packs, memberships or introductory deals.
The right approach will depend on your local market and the type of customer you want to attract.
Your equipment supplier
Choose equipment that is designed for commercial use and supported by a reliable supplier.
Ask about:
- Warranty cover
- Delivery times
- Installation
- Instructor training
- Replacement parts
- Servicing and maintenance
- Equipment lifespan
- Support after purchase
Your lender will also need a clear supplier quotation before finance can be approved.
Can a new Pilates studio get finance?
New Pilates studios may be considered for equipment finance, although the application will be assessed differently from that of an established business.
As the company will not have previous accounts or trading figures, lenders may look more closely at:
- Your experience within Pilates, fitness or business management
- Your personal credit history
- The amount you are investing yourself
- The deposit available
- Your business plan
- Cash-flow forecasts
- The location of the studio
- Your equipment quotations
- Any personal guarantee or supporting security
Relevant industry experience can be particularly important.
For example, a qualified instructor with an existing client following may be able to demonstrate demand more clearly than someone entering the industry for the first time.
New-start finance is not guaranteed. A deposit and personal guarantee may be required, and the options available may be more limited than they are for an established studio.
What information will you need?
Having the right information ready can make the application process much easier.
You may be asked for:
- A detailed business plan
- A monthly cash-flow forecast
- A breakdown of the full project cost
- Supplier quotations
- Details of your premises
- Your expected opening date
- Evidence of your qualifications and experience
- Personal identification
- Business and personal bank statements
- Details of the deposit available
- Information about any existing financial commitments
Established studios may also need to provide filed accounts or up-to-date management figures.
Johnson Reed will explain what is required based on your individual application.
Can studio fit-out costs be financed?
Some fit-out costs may be included alongside the Pilates equipment.
This will depend on what is being purchased and whether the lender considers it a suitable financeable asset.
Items such as mirrors, specialist flooring, furniture, lighting and technology may sometimes be considered as part of a wider package.
Costs such as rent, legal fees, planning applications and general working capital will not usually be treated in the same way as physical equipment.
Share the full project breakdown with us as early as possible. We can then identify which elements may be suitable for finance and which may need to be covered separately.
Finance for established Pilates studios
An established studio may want funding to:
- Add more reformers
- Introduce new types of classes
- Upgrade existing equipment
- Refurbish the premises
- Open a second location
- Add a Pilates studio to an existing gym
- Release money from equipment it already owns
Existing trading figures can help lenders understand how the business is performing and whether the proposed repayments are affordable.
Where the expansion will create additional capacity, it can also help to show how many extra classes or memberships the new equipment is expected to support.
Why work with Johnson Reed?
Johnson Reed has more than 25 years of experience helping UK businesses finance equipment and growth projects.
We understand that a Pilates studio is not simply a room full of reformers.
The equipment, studio layout, fit-out, class capacity and opening costs all need to work together.
Our team can:
- Review your supplier quotations
- Explain the available finance options
- Help structure equipment and eligible fit-out costs
- Approach lenders suited to your business
- Support new and established studios
- Keep you updated throughout the application
We work with a wide panel of UK lenders alongside our own funding facilities.
This allows us to look at the whole project rather than trying to force every Pilates business into the same finance product.
Start planning your Pilates studio
Whether you are opening your first studio or preparing for your next location, speak to Johnson Reed about your plans.
Send us:
- Your equipment quotations
- A breakdown of the project costs
- The deposit you have available
- Your expected opening date
- Details of your experience
- The amount you would like to finance
Our team will review the project and explain which options may be available.
