Leisure Media HCM March 2010 - TourismInsights

pilates
Peak Pilates recommends limiting
group equipment classes to a
maximum of eight participants,
to ensure quality of instruction
missed some opportunities to recruit
clients. However, after a slow start,
we’ve had a good uptake at Tower Bridge,
with 15 to 20 one-to-one sessions a
week. At Olympia we have more stability,
because there are small group reformer
sessions fi xed in the schedule.”
Interestingly, the Tower Bridge
location is also in the process of adding
pilates circuit training for groups of
up to fi ve clients – a trend already
emerging in the US market.
Following a slightly different
business model, the David Lloyd club
in Kensington rents out space to
instructor Amanda Kitchen, who pays
a monthly fee and a share of profi ts
after a set target is met. She has
personally invested in the equipment
– fi ve reformers, cadillac, chair, ladder
barrel, spine corrector and arc barrels
– and runs sessions exclusively for
members who are charged per session
or for a block of sessions. Open since
October 2008, the Boomerang Pilates
Studio – which used to be a stretching
and relaxation area – provides group
classes for up to fi ve people, divided by
experience level, and personal training.
Kitchen has identifi ed that her clients
particularly enjoy the atmosphere of
group training, because everyone can
work on the same movement – while
limiting class numbers means she can
still take individual body circumstances
into account. “As an instructor, your
job is to progress people through
precision and control, so I would
recommend teaching a maximum of
between six and eight participants per
class,” she comments.
Refl ecting on the benefi ts for David
Lloyd, Kitchen says: “Matwork – only
a small portion of what Joseph Pilates
intended – restricts what people can
achieve. By investing in equipment,
operators can attract new members
and retain those who are tired of the
gym or matwork classes. Our uptake
has been rising steadily as clients notice
the difference that equipment training
makes to their bodies.”
number crunching
Looking to the future, it seems that
operators could risk losing clients to
independent shopfront studios unless
they look into equipment training
options. What are the alternatives, and
how far can clubs go with this model?
Peak Pilates recommends that a
55sq m (600sq ft) studio with six Peak
PilateSystem units, two Split Pedal Low
Chairs and one High Ladder Barrel –
requiring an equipment and education
investment of US$36,862 – can generate
a return on investment of 327 per cent
in the fi rst year if a mix of 25 personal
training (US$70 each), fi ve semi-private
(two clients to one instructor, US$45),
10 group equipment (US$25) and 15
mat sessions (US$15) are achieved each
week. Peak Pilates also recommends
a maximum of eight participants in a
group equipment class to ensure quality
of instruction is maintained.
Leigh Robinson, MD of Body Control
Pilates, UK distributor for Peak
Pilates, outlines other requirements.
“Operators must be prepared to get
members to pay for such classes as a
way of earning their investment back.
“Just as important, they need to think
about how they’re going to prepare
clients for reformer classes, for example,
because newcomers cannot safely jump
Operators must get members
to pay for classes as a way of
earning their investment back
on to large equipment. Ideally, a course
of matwork classes should be offered to
bring clients up to speed and feed them
into equipment training.”
While Robinson is confi dent that
operators can earn their investment
back within a year, he says clubs do need
to ensure they have adequate space and
access to suitably qualifi ed instructors.
“All instructors should hold a REPs Level
3 Pilates Matwork Teacher qualifi cation,”
he adds. “Unfortunately, only a small
percentage have gone on to achieve
a reformer qualifi cation, so these
instructors are in demand.”
As a less ambitious alternative, Peak
Pilates suggests installing fl exible
equipment such as Pilatesstick into
a group fi tness space, which means a
separate studio does not have to be
installed; sessions for between six and
15 participants can be charged at a more
affordable price than private training.
“This keeps people interested in pilates
within your facility and, once you recoup
this investment, you can move on to
a small group training room,” adds
Sharon McCauley, international business
development, Peak Pilates.
Pilates-Mad managing director David
Elliott thinks there’s a good opportunity
for clubs to introduce small pieces of
equipment, such as arc barrels, through
group matwork classes. A compact
studio aimed at active gym members and
those interested in rehabilitation can
then be installed, with premium prices
refl ecting the level of specialist tuition.
He explains: “Equipped with three or
four reformers, a cadillac, ladder barrel,
four combo chairs and a selection of
accessories, a studio could offer group
equipment training for up to six clients
simultaneously, under the supervision
of one instructor. However, more
studios need to be launched in gyms to
increase awareness.”
46
Read Health Club Management online
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
march 2010 © cybertrek 2010