How many reformers do you actually need?
Six? Eight? Twelve? The honest answer comes out of arithmetic you can do in ten minutes, and almost nobody does it before signing for the machines.
Reformer count is the one decision that is expensive in both directions and nearly impossible to reverse. Too few and you cap your best hours forever. Too many and you pay rent, finance and floor space on machines that sit still at eleven on a Tuesday. It also sets your class size, which sets your price, which sets your whole positioning.
Start from the hour, not from the room
The instinct is to measure the space and fit in as many as it holds. Do the opposite. Work out what one hour has to earn, then see how many machines that needs.
- 01Your fixed monthly costs. Rent, machine finance or depreciation, insurance, utilities, software, your own drawings. Call it C.
- 02The classes you will genuinely teach in a week. Not the timetable you would like. The one you can staff and stand up in every week of the year, including February. Call it N.
- 03Your realistic average fill. Across the whole week, not your best class. A first-year studio that is honest usually lands between 50% and 70%.
- 04Your average revenue per attendance. Take your pack price divided by classes in the pack, not your drop-in rate, because most attendances will be pack attendances.
Then: machines needed = C / (N × 4.3 × fill × revenue per attendance). The 4.3 is weeks in a month. That gives you the machine count at which you break even, and you want real headroom above it.
What each size actually feels like
| Machines | Works when | Breaks when |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | You teach nearly everything yourself, prices are premium, and the room is small and cheap | You want a second instructor, or your rent assumes volume |
| 6 | The common starting point. One room, one teacher, a full class feels full | Your two best classes have permanent waitlists and you cannot add hours |
| 8 | You have real demand and can staff evenings and mornings | Off-peak fill is under 50%, in which case two machines are furniture |
| 10 or more | Multiple instructors, a proper timetable, a queue | You are still filling it yourself; the room reads empty at half capacity |
Three things people get wrong
Sizing for the peak class
The 6pm Wednesday will fill whatever you buy. It is not the class that pays your rent; the mid-morning one is. Size for your average hour and let the peak run a waitlist, which is a much better problem than an empty machine.
Forgetting the room around the machines
A reformer needs working space on both sides, not just its own footprint. Add circulation, a props corner, somewhere to leave shoes and bags, and the instructor's path around the room. Studios that fit in one extra machine usually regret it within a month, because the class stops feeling boutique and starts feeling like a bus.
Buying the whole set at once
Reformers are the single largest line in your budget. Starting with six and adding two once your fill rate justifies it costs a little more per machine and a great deal less in risk. The exception is if a matched set matters to how the room looks, which for a premium position it genuinely might.
The number to watch afterwards
Once you are open, machine count stops being the question and fill rate takes over. Spots taken divided by spots offered, across the whole week. If that sits above 75% you sized well or you are ready to grow. If it sits under 50%, adding machines would make it worse, and the work is in the schedule instead.
See your fill rate per class from your first week, and pay nothing until your studio takes €1,000 in a month.
Start for freeCommon questions
- How many reformers do you need to open a studio?
- Six to eight is the usual starting point for a single room. The right number comes from dividing your fixed monthly costs by what one machine earns in a month at your realistic class count, fill rate and revenue per attendance, then leaving headroom above break-even.
- How much space does a reformer need in a studio?
- More than its own footprint. Each machine needs working room on both sides plus circulation for the instructor, and a studio also needs somewhere for props, shoes and bags. Fitting in one extra machine is the most common regret, because it changes how the room feels more than it changes what it earns.
- Is it better to start with fewer reformers and add more?
- Usually yes. Starting at six and adding two once your fill rate justifies it costs slightly more per machine and far less in risk. The exception is a premium position where a matched, complete-looking room is part of what people are paying for.