Lucia has been coming to your studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three months. One Monday she texts: "Hi! How many classes do I have left on my package? I think I had one, but I'm not sure. Also, can I use it next week? My package expires Saturday." You look in your notebook, cannot find the page, and answer "I think so." That phrase, "I think so," is where almost every argument about Pilates class packages on WhatsApp begins. Not because you or the client act badly, but because the rules are not written anywhere.
What a package should say before you sell it
Before you send the price, think about four things and say them the same way every time:
- How many classes it includes.
- How many days it lasts, counted from the first class.
- Whether it works at any time or only some times.
- What happens with classes that are not used.
A message like this is understood in one read:
The 8-class package is $160 and lasts 45 days from your first class. It works for any mat time. Unused classes expire with the package, but you can make up two with 6 hours' notice.
Pilates class packages on WhatsApp: a count the client can see
What clients ask most is "how many do I have left?" If you have to search every time, you lose time and it feels disorganized. A good habit is to send the count after each class:
Thanks for coming today, Lucia. You have 3 classes left and your package expires October 28.
With that message, the client always knows where she stands. And you get fewer questions, because the answer is already in the chat.
Make-ups: where to set a limit
Make-ups are part of life. Someone gets sick, someone travels. But if every make-up is unlimited, the Thursday group fills with people "making up" and there is no spot for those who came at their usual time.
A simple rule:
- One make-up for every four classes in the package.
- At least six hours of notice.
- Made up in a class with an open spot, never a full one.
Say it the same to everyone. If you make exceptions, the others find out and the rule loses strength.
Carolina, who sold packages "with no expiry"
Carolina opened a Pilates studio in Denver. To sound generous she sold packages with no expiry date. It worked well at first. A year later she had clients with four, five, even nine saved classes, who showed up suddenly and filled a whole session without warning.
She put an expiry date on new packages and sent a message to clients with pending classes: "You have two months to use yours." Many came back that same week. Nobody complained, because the rule came with time and a friendly message.
When to say the package is running out
There are two moments to write:
- When two classes are left.
- One week before the expiry date.
The message does not have to be a sales pitch, only informative:
Lucia, you have 2 classes left and your package expires on the 28th. If you want to renew, I'll hold the new one at your usual Tuesday time.
Someone who wants to keep going says yes. Someone who does not feels no pressure.
A starter package for first-timers
For a new client, eight classes may be too much. Offer a smaller one:
To start we have a 3-class package, good for 3 weeks. If you like it, the next step is the 8-class package and we take off what you already paid.
A starter package removes the fear of buying too much, and the credit encourages her to continue.
What to do with shared packages
Some clients ask to share a package with a friend. If you allow it, decide ahead:
- Each person must be registered by name.
- The package counts down from one place.
- There is one expiry date, the one for whoever paid.
That avoids the classic "she said she still had some."
A weekly summary for you
Every Monday, spend five minutes checking:
- Packages that expire this week.
- Clients with one or two classes left.
- Payments not yet confirmed.
With those three lists you decide who to text and avoid surprises on class day.
Want this for your Pilates studio?
If the class count lives in a notebook today, see how Wawnia works for yoga and Pilates studios: your assistant counts the classes in each package, remembers the expiry date, and confirms payments.