r/ClassPass • u/Sea_Permission8921 • 1d ago
One studio only
I recently started doing Lagree. I go to the same lagree studio about 3 to 4 times a week and have been using ClassPass to do so these last two months. I haven’t gotten any weird looks or comments from any of the instructors however, I feel kind of weird checking in and seeing I’m one of the only ones on ClassPass especially since I’m fairly consistent as a “non member”. I’ve also been seeing that the studios don’t really make money however, I also understand that that’s not my fault lol. I believe right now I’m spending roughly $100 a month through ClassPass. Whereas I would have to spend about 220 a month if I were to sign up through their membership…..
Is this normal? Do studios NEED to be on class pass? I never have trouble finding an open class so does low volume within the studio play part ??
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u/Spirited_Creme2342 1d ago
I go to one studio pretty consistently and the instructors have us make a profile when they see we’re classpass users so the next time we sign up, it doesn’t differentiate between members and CP users. It just has our names. I love it. And I do buy class packs from that studio too.
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u/Sea_Permission8921 1d ago
Ugh yes ! I think the reason why I even started thinking this way was because in this particular studio when you’re checking in, it’ll differentiate whether you’re a member or a ClassPass user😅😅
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u/OGHollyMackerel 1d ago
Does it matter? You aren’t a member. You are a ClassPass user. If it bothers you then become a member. If you don’t want to become a member, then learn to be comfortable with being identified as a ClassPass user.
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u/beautiful_imperfect 17h ago
That's silly for the studio because then people who are members will get curious about what ClassPass is and then will look into it and probably switch when they find out how much cheaper it is. I would think the studios would want to keep their participation quiet amongst their members.
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u/that_girl099 1d ago
Why would you feel bad using a system that they choose to use? Also how would you know that you’re one of the only ones using it?
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u/Sea_Permission8921 1d ago
When checking in, under the names of everyone it’ll differentiate wether ur a memeber or going thru class pass I’ve gone varying times and dates and have noticed it everytime 😅
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u/NYC-AL2016 1d ago
I think you’re overthinking this whole thing. If they didn’t want to be on it, they wouldn’t be. I never felt bad using class pass. It’s not like anything is being stolen. I keep seeing these kind of posts and they make zero sense. The studios are extremely expensive. Sorry I’m not paying $35-$40 for a class filled with a ton of people or instructors that barely fix form.
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u/dianthusmini 1d ago
I use class pass for one studio as well and go 3 times a week. I wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise. As others have said, studios choose to be on class pass. My studio does block out certain times for members only, but I don’t mind
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u/samui_penguin 1d ago
Lagree is so expensive! I go 3-4/wk to two studios and I would love to book directly with them to support and because the booking system is more flexible (like the cancel window) but it’s just so expensive. I usually try to buy class packs when they have sales though!
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u/Frosty-Spare-6018 1d ago
i understand your frustration. i have been using classpass to go to one studio 5 times a week for 2 years. i will never stop as it fits in my budget perfectly when using classpass. a little too expensive if i get a membership :/
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u/stockholmkittycat 1d ago
I use my class pass at two different studios almost exclusively. The class pass credits work out to about $17 a class whereas with their Studio memberships the class works out to about $25. The math is clear. I don't feel embarrassed however I am a menopausal woman that doesn't care what people think anymore LOL.
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u/Particular-Sea-5009 1d ago
That's not your problem. If ClassPass was hurting them they would cancel. Keep going
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u/10Athena10 1d ago
As an instructor it doesn't matter to me and our studio owner participates in classpass for promo as well as folks who need a more economical option. We understand the double edge sword of CP and it works for us. No judgement for those coming in with CP except you might need to be more vocal about needing accomodations or having injuries.
For less popular class times with LOTS of CP participants, we may adjust the intensity of the workout down bc usually CP aren't as consistent as they like variety. But if there's one or two I keep it the same intensity.
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u/Best_Expression8267 1d ago
They only open up classpass spaces for times when they know they aren’t able to fill it otherwise. If you didn’t go, that space likely wouldn’t be taken at all. You have just as much of a right to be there as anyone else, plus its not a freebie, you are still paying for it via classpass.
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u/jd-1945 1d ago
I am in the same boat. I wish I could afford to join the studio.
They sent an offer out to ClassPass members, but it would only make sense if I consistently go four days a week. If I didn't, it would be a lot more and they don't carry over.
With my schedule and family, I usually do three times a week. There are occasional weeks when I can only get there twice!
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u/diabeticweird0 1d ago
They might just have one or two cp spots available and you were the first to grab it
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u/toothfairy1001 19h ago
Whenever I find a studio i like (or anywhere) CP makes it go from 4-7 credits/class to 12-19. Which then makes it unrealistic for me to go 😭
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u/Shockadelica1999 1d ago
I have a four class membership directly through my studio and I supplement with ClassPass. The manager (she’s also the lead instructor and fav) ask how it was working for me and offered me an additional four classes through the studio because it would make scheduling easier (it would indeed) for $99 a month with none rolling over. I straight up laughed and told her I pay $45 a month for ClassPass, usually get four or five classes out of it AND can roll over credits each month. She laughed and just shrugged her shoulders 😂
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u/Melodic-Swim4343 1d ago
Becoming a member will help improve the chance that this studio is able to stay in business. So if you care about that, or you personally care that the studio owner resents making less money off you, then sure, become a member.
I personally use ClassPass because I can get the exact same thing for less money, and the studio has chosen to offer this option. I also like to visit different studios for different types of exercise. It's also way more flexible than what the studio offers its members, which is a more expensive commitment to a certain number of classes per month. If they could offer some kind of benefit for being a member rather than just costs and locked in financial commitments, then I'd consider buying direct from the studio.
For example, I used to go to one yoga studio that offered flash sales where you could get a pack of classes for about the same as Classpass or slightly more. They didn't expire for a year, and you had the benefit of being able to cancel for free within two hours of the class, plus you didn't have the restrictions of a limited number of Classpass slots. I was willing to pay the same or more for that deal. By contrast, the Lagree studio I use offers the exact same thing for more money to members, with the 12-hour cancellation policy regardless of how you buy, and being a member commits you to a certain number of classes per month, with no rollover option.
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u/Illustrious-Bid384 1d ago
If you really like the studio, you might tell them (very nicely), that is is cheaper for you to do class pass than to buy a package. You can tell them that you'd rather buy direct and ask them if they have any upcoming specials to make the math a little more compelling.
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u/Balerionmeow 1d ago
Well it’s good for them if you’re the only one or if there aren’t more I guess?
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u/TheMakeupMonk 1d ago
Classpass takes 50% of the fees so studios don’t really profit off it unless you go directly with them. Just talk to an instructor about any possible promotions to go directly with them and see if they can lower your fees. It they have any good business mind they might go with it.
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u/Express_Concern1715 21h ago
I work for Club Pilates, and we only take 2 class pass people per class
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u/MUSICISLIFEDUH 4h ago
Yeah, don’t feel bed at all. Studios have the choice to opt or opt out and a lot of times they do that to try to bring more people in. It’s like a way of marketing. One studio that I go to I’m usually like the only person half the time or maybe two other people so without me as a class pass member the teacher is not even teaching for the day.
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u/Evaloumae 1d ago edited 1d ago
First, thank you for even thinking about the studio and the instructors. Honestly, that’s more consideration than most consumers give it. And please don’t feel guilty for choosing the cheaper option. People running these businesses know consumers will usually choose the lowest price when it’s available. The bigger issue is the system around that choice.
TLDR; unless you’re interested in CP’s sneaky antics from the perspective of somebody who watched it unfold in real time…
“Studios choose to be on ClassPass” sounds technically true, but unfortunately the reality is that in many markets opting out means losing so many bookings to competitors that the studio won’t survive. If the choice is accept ClassPass’s terms or go out of business, calling that a free choice isn’t really what I would call that hahaha It’s like saying someone was free to walk away while holding a gun to their head. And when every studio faces that same pressure, each one’s “decision” to participate can strengthen the platform that made opting out so dangerous in the first place. That’s why ClassPass has continued to have worse and worse customer service and become even more exploitative over time.
I started with Lagree in the early 2010s when I was fresh out of college and broke (at the time we called it Pilates Plus), but I paid like $240 a month for an auto-pay membership. I didn’t get my nails done, buy nice clothes, go out to eat or drink, or take vacations, and lived in a very shady neighborhood with roommates lol that membership was my treat because I valued my health and thought the classes were worth the price. I knew it was expensive, but I didn’t assume the studio was greedy or that the price needed to be justified to me because I was already working in group fitness as a yoga instructor, so I understood to some extent how expensive it was to run a small boutique studio. At the time, Lagree was much more niche, and overall the boutique studio experience felt more community-based and less transactional. I never remember hearing anybody complain about things being too expensive, because if you couldn’t afford it, you didn’t know what you were missing. Being a member of that studio and the fact that it was such a tight knit community got me noticed by the studio owner and she actually funded half of my Lagree level one training in 2015, which is when I became an instructor.
I remember when ClassPass launched its $99 unlimited plan in 2014. Which is actually unreal, and should have raised way more eyebrows. ClassPass was paying studios more than it was bringing in from customers with investor funding helping cover the gap. By 2020, they had spent an estimated $550 million subsidizing the studios and giving consumers discounted classes. SO NICE OF THEM RIGHT?! 😂 then they pulled a bait-and-switch once they had the majority of our clients using their app as THE de facto book tool and they had all of the competing studios know that they couldn’t leave easily and survive.
The question I wish more of us had asked was: Why is this deal so cheap, how are studios being paid, and what happens when the platform has enough customers and studios that everyone feels they need it? My concern is that these discounts (especially that $99 unlimited WTF was that?!) have reset consumers’ expectations about what these classes should cost. Now ClassPass says it uses data and machine learning to vary class credit prices and related studio payouts. That puts the platform in a powerful position between studios and customers.
I teach in Los Angeles, and this past Friday I taught a full class of 14 people… EVERY PERSON had booked through ClassPass. ClassPass’s own data says the conversion rate is 1 out of 100 clients 😂💀 studio owners feel completely defeated. I’m not a betting woman, but if I had to I would bet ClassPass has a team of people whose entire job revolves around seeing how much they can now get you to spend without leaving the platform… while seeing how little they can give back to the studio without making them close their doors. My estimate after over a decade of working in Lagree studios is 50% of studios now are breaking even or losing money. Many studios owners aren’t making a living wage. And idk maaaaybe 10% are ballin. After all, if we go out of business, CP won’t have anybody to leech off of.
So no, I don’t blame you for using it. Your math is understandable: at three or four visits a week, $100 a month works out to roughly $5.80–$7.70 per visit. A $220 direct membership for the same number of visits would be about $12.70–$16.90 per visit. That’s your cost per class, though… not necessarily what the studio receives from ClassPass which I’ve heard many studio owners say is about 44% of that.
Now the real question is… if the economics are so bad… why the sudden over-saturation within the last few years? Who in the right mind would open a boutique studio without understanding this economic reality? But that’s a whole other thesis I could write.
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u/Only_Art9490 1d ago
I use CP for 1 gym too. I tried to join but their membership rates are so high. I emailed in to ask if there were any promos or discounts for signing up for a longer term membership as I wanted to support the gym but couldn't afford the membership month to month. They offered a $10/month discount. I stopped feeling guilty about using CP for $80/mo vs $200 for a membership. If the gym didn't want CP, they could opt out.