Studio business
Reformer studio return on investment
The short answer
A studio reformer running six classes a week at 70% fill and $28 a head generates roughly $600 a month in revenue per station. Against a $4,500 fully equipped station, gross payback is around eight months — though after rent and staffing the realistic figure is 18–30 months.
Gross payback versus real payback
Equipment payback calculations that ignore rent and staffing produce impressively short numbers and are useless for decisions. The machine is rarely the constraint; the room and the teacher are.
Calculate both. Gross payback tells you whether adding a machine to an existing room is worthwhile. Real payback tells you whether opening the room was.
The marginal machine is the good investment
Adding a seventh reformer to a six-machine room costs one machine and no additional rent, and if your classes are turning people away it fills immediately. That marginal station pays back in months.
Adding a seventh machine to a room averaging 50% fill adds cost and no revenue. The question is never "does a reformer pay for itself" — it is "is this room capacity-constrained".
| Fill rate | Spaces sold/month | Revenue at $28 |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 12 | $336 |
| 65% | 15.6 | $437 |
| 80% | 19.2 | $538 |
| 95% | 22.8 | $638 |
Longevity changes the maths entirely
A studio machine that lasts twelve years costs $375 a year at $4,500. One that needs replacing at year four costs $1,125 a year, plus the disruption of replacing it.
This is the strongest financial argument for buying serviceable, studio-rated equipment: over a decade, the cheaper machine is usually the more expensive one.
What to measure monthly
Revenue per station and fill rate by time slot. Together they tell you whether to add machines, add classes, or change the timetable — three different problems that look identical from the top-line revenue figure.
Frequently asked questions
- How much revenue does a reformer generate?
- Roughly $440–$640 a month per station at 65–95% fill, six classes a week at $28 a head. Subtract rent and staffing for the real contribution.
- How long does a studio reformer take to pay for itself?
- Gross payback is often under a year. After rent and staffing, 18–30 months is realistic for a new room; a marginal machine in a full room pays back much faster.
- Is it worth adding another reformer?
- Only if you are turning people away at peak times. In a room averaging 50% fill, an extra machine adds cost without revenue.
- What is a good revenue per station figure?
- Above $500 a month per station indicates a healthy timetable. Below $350 suggests either the fill rate or the pricing needs attention.