Strong Pilates franchise unit economics
Strong Pilates franchisees run fitness studios that sell Pilates-based cardio workouts on Rowformer and Bikeformer machines, Pilates beds with a built-in rower or bike, plus related services and products.
Strong Pilates in the news
- Strong Pilates Signs Saudi Arabia Expansion Deal, Eyes More Global Growth · Athletech News ·
- STRONG Pilates Accelerates Global Momentum With Expansion Into Central and Eastern Europe; Announces Master Franchise Partnership With Xtreme Brands · Fitt Insider ·
Each Strong Pilates headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked these Strong Pilates links on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 88 brands, including Strong Pilates. Strong Pilates is in the Fitness franchise guide.
Strong Pilates franchise at a glance
Strong Pilates’ Item 19 reports average monthly revenue for the year to 31 March 2026 for five of its eight open US studios, leaving out three that traded under six months or lacked a studio manager.
Five Strong Pilates studios averaged $78,678 a month in the year to 31 March 2026, or $944,136 a year, according to Item 19 of Strong Pilates’ 2026 FDD, issued 24 April 2026. Fees paid to Strong Pilates come to about 10.64%* of sales. A Strong Pilates franchise costs $399,995 to $1,007,300 to open.
- Opening a Strong Pilates studio costs $399,995 to $1,007,300, including a $59,000 initial franchise fee.
- Strong Pilates charges an 8% royalty with a $2,000 monthly minimum from month 13, 2% to a marketing fund and $500 a month for technology.
- Seven Strong Pilates studios were open in the United States at the end of 2025, with 24 agreements signed and not yet open.
These figures come from Strong Pilates's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors. The annual figure is an Averan calculation.
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Talk to Averan → Averan Strong Pilates Conversion Package →$196,875 of the $399,995 cheapest opening is paid to the brand or its affiliates, 49.2% *. The machines alone are $113,850 to $163,800. Five studios report, averaging $78,678 a month.
- 49.2% of the lowest-cost opening goes to the brand.$196,875 of $399,995, or 49.2% *, rising to $260,965 of $1,007,300 at the top of the range.
- The machines are 28.5% of the cheapest build on their own.$113,850 to $163,800 of Rowformer and Bikeformer beds bought from the franchisor or its affiliates *.
- Five of the eight open studios are in the figures.Two were left out for trading under six months and one because it lacked a studio manager for six months of the year.
- The five average $78,678 a month, or $944,136 a year.From $596,627 to $1,165,857 annualised *, with four of the five at or above the average.
- 24 signed agreements sit behind seven open studios.3.4 times the operating base *, with 21 projected for 2026 in a system that went 0 to 1 to 7 in two years.
Studio revenue, year to March 2026
Eight studios were open in the United States at 31 March 2026. Five of them report average monthly revenue for the year to that date, each over a different number of full calendar months. Three were left out: two had traded under six months, and one lacked a studio manager for six months of the period.
| Studio | Full months included | Average monthly revenue | Annualised * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio A | 8 | $97,154.78 | $1,165,857 |
| Studio B | 7 | $84,180.09 | $1,010,161 |
| Studio C | 12 | $82,788.68 | $993,464 |
| Studio D | 9 | $79,550.36 | $954,604 |
| Studio E | 9 | $49,718.93 | $596,627 |
| Average of the five | – | $78,678 | $944,136 |
The $78,678 is the plain average of the five studio figures, so a studio counted over seven months weighs the same as one counted over twelve; weighting by months gives $78,297 *.
Four of the five sit within $17,604 of each other. $79,550 to $97,155 a month *. Then Studio E at $49,719 sits 37.5% below the next one up *.
Annualised, the median studio bills $993,464. Studio C, the only one counted over a full twelve months, averaged $82,788.68, which is $993,464 a year *. Studio A’s eight months annualise to $1,165,857. For a Pilates studio those are large numbers, and they have to be: the opening costs $399,995 at the low end.
Studio A ran eight months and bills more than the twelve-month studio. $97,154.78 against $82,788.68 *, a studio counted from its seventh month is already 17.4% ahead of one counted across a full year. The brand runs a twelve to sixteen week pre-sale before opening.
Five of eight studios appear, or 62.5% *, and the exclusions were applied for stated reasons. They were not chosen after the fact. Still, a studio removed for having gone six months without a manager is a studio whose numbers exist and sit outside the average. The $78,678 is the average of the five that met the criteria.
Studios open, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Exits | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
Zero terminations, zero non-renewals, zero reacquisitions, zero closures and zero transfers across all three years, on a base that started at zero.
Six studios opened in 2025 and 24 signed agreements have no open studio. Texas holds 8 of those, New York 5, California 4, and New Jersey and Illinois 2 each. Projected openings for 2026 total 21, three and a half times what opened in 2025 *.
Sixteen franchise agreements were signed in 2025 alone, all at the standard $59,000 fee. A system with seven trading studios and 24 signed agreements is selling faster than it is opening, and every operating figure on this page comes from five of those seven.
Strong Pilates also franchises outside the United States. Affiliates have franchised Strong Pilates in Australia since January 2020, New Zealand since 2022, Canada since 2022, Singapore and master franchises in Japan, South Korea and Malaysia since 2023, and the United Kingdom and parts of Europe since December 2024. The US entity was formed in February 2023 and began offering franchises in April 2024. The operating history behind the brand is longer than the US figures suggest, and it sits outside this document.
Zero exits in three years, on a small base. The oldest US studio opened in 2024, so no studio in the system has reached its third year.
Latest
Operator revenue grew 10.7% and the median EBITDA margin reached 22.1%
The Health & Fitness Association’s 2026 Global Report, released 14 September 2026, covered 244 operators running nearly 27,000 facilities across 33 countries and found median revenue up 10.7% in 2025, median net membership up 6.1% and a median EBITDA margin of 22.1%. At a $944,136 average studio, 22.1% would be $208,654 *, against an opening cost of $399,995 to $1,007,300.
The average boutique class now costs $21.32
Boutique pricing data published 4 April 2026 and updated 28 June 2026 put the average class at $21.32, up 6% year on year, with unlimited monthly memberships running $110 to $360, and found 66% of boutique members also hold memberships at two or more other studios. A studio billing $78,678 a month needs roughly 3,690 paid places at that average price *, about 123 a day.
A record 81 million Americans hold a fitness membership
The same association’s US consumer report, released 9 April 2026, put membership at 81 million people, or 26.1% of the US population aged six and over. With seven studios trading and 24 agreements signed, the operating figures rest on five studios.
Sources: HFA 2026 Global Report, 14 September 2026 · Boutique studio pricing and membership data, 4 April 2026 · HFA 2026 US Health & Fitness Consumer Report, 9 April 2026
Top performers
What separates the top Strong Pilates performers
Five Strong Pilates studios reported average monthly revenue of $49,718.93 to $97,154.78 for the year to March 2026. Annualised, that is $596,627 to $1,165,857 *.
- Months counted.Each Strong Pilates studio is counted over a different number of full months, from 7 to 12. Studio A, counted over eight months, averaged $97,154.78 a month, and Studio C, counted over twelve, averaged $82,788.68.
- The lowest studio.Strong Pilates Studio E averaged $49,718.93 a month, 37.5% below the next studio up *.
- Studios left out.Strong Pilates left three of its eight United States studios out: two had traded under six months, and one lacked a studio manager for six months of the period.
Top performers
How far apart the locations are
Four of the five Strong Pilates studios sit within $17,604 a month of each other, at $79,550 to $97,155 *. The highest studio averaged 1.95 times the lowest *. The studio figures are in the table on the Model tab.
Brand charges
| Charge | Amount | When it starts |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 8% of revenue, or $2,000 a month if greater | Month 4; the floor from month 13 |
| Marketing fund | 2% of revenue | Month 4 |
| Local marketing spend | 1.5% of revenue, spent in your own market | Monthly |
| Technology | $500 a month, capped at $1,500 | Opening |
| Pre-sales management, optional | $2,500 a month | Pre-opening |
Royalty and the marketing fund are both waived for the first three months after opening, which is worth $23,603 at the average studio *.
The $2,000 monthly royalty floor equals 8% at $300,000 a year *, and it starts only in month 13. Every reporting studio bills two to four times that, so none of these five pays the floor.
| Studio | Annualised revenue * | 10% of revenue | Plus technology | Share * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio A, highest | $1,165,857 | $116,586 | $122,586 | 10.51% |
| Average of the five | $944,136 | $94,414 | $100,414 | 10.64% |
| Studio C, twelve months | $993,464 | $99,346 | $105,346 | 10.60% |
| Studio E, lowest | $596,627 | $59,663 | $65,663 | 11.01% |
The 1.5% local marketing minimum is spent in your own market and is not paid to the brand, so it is left out *.
The range is half a point across the whole set *, because every studio clears the royalty floor comfortably and the technology fee is small against seven-figure revenue.
Cash to the brand is 10% of revenue. $94,414 at the average studio, plus $6,000 of technology *. The technology fee can triple to $1,500 a month on 60 days’ notice, which would add $12,000 a year, and the required customer platform sits outside it as a separate cost.
The three-month royalty holiday. At the average studio’s $78,678 a month, waiving royalty and the marketing fund for three months is worth $23,603 *. Against the $399,995 opening that is six weeks of the build cost handed back in the first quarter.
Cost to open
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Leasehold improvements | $75,000 | $350,000 |
| Rowformer and Bikeformer machines | $113,850 | $163,800 |
| Initial franchise fee | $59,000 | $59,000 |
| Furniture, fixtures and equipment | $25,000 | $100,000 |
| Real property and site lease | $25,000 | $150,000 |
| Business licences and health club bonds | $20,000 | $53,000 |
| Grand opening advertising | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Additional funds, three months | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Strong Academy training fee | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Signage, equipment and merchandise | $9,000 | $14,000 |
| Initial training and opening assistance | $7,500 | $12,500 |
| Design and planning | $5,000 | $18,000 |
| Real estate fee | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Soft costs | $2,625 | $5,250 |
| Insurance | $2,520 | $5,250 |
| Security and utility deposits | $1,000 | $4,500 |
| Computer system and software | $500 | $3,000 |
| Total | $399,995 | $1,007,300 |
Both columns add exactly once the optional $2,500 monthly pre-sales fee is excluded, as the total states, and agency fees of 15% to 25% on the grand opening spend sit outside it *.
$196,875 to $260,965 is paid to the franchisor or an affiliate, 49.2% of the lowest-cost build and 25.9% of the highest *. The machines are the largest part of it.
The Rowformer and Bikeformer beds are $113,850 to $163,800, bought from the franchisor or its affiliates. At the low end they are 28.5% of the whole investment *, more than the leasehold improvements. The equipment is the format: a Pilates bed with a rower or bike built into it, which is what the brand sells and what it alone supplies.
Grand opening advertising is $25,000 plus an agency fee of 15% to 25%, so the real figure is $28,750 to $31,250 *, and it sits outside the printed total. Spending starts 90 days before opening and runs 30 days past it.
Three months of additional funds is $15,000 to $30,000. Against an average studio at $78,678 a month, that is under two weeks of revenue *. The royalty holiday covers the first three months of brand charges, which helps, but a studio that opens slowly has very little cushion in the printed estimate.
The fee schedule cuts $24,000 a studio at ten units. One studio costs $59,000, two cost $55,000 each, three $50,000, four $45,000, five to nine $40,000 and ten or more $35,000, a 40.7% reduction *. All sixteen agreements signed in 2025 went at the standard $59,000, so the ladder is on offer but no one has used it.
A development agreement adds a $25,000 development fee and takes the single-studio total to $425,995 to $1,034,300.
Questions
How much does a Strong Pilates franchise make?
Five Strong Pilates studios averaged $78,678 a month in the year to 31 March 2026, or $944,136 a year, according to Item 19 of Strong Pilates’ 2026 FDD, issued 24 April 2026. Fees paid to Strong Pilates come to about 10.64%* of sales. A Strong Pilates franchise costs $399,995 to $1,007,300 to open.
What should a studio budget for revenue?
The five reporting studios average $78,678 a month, which is $944,136 a year, and the twelve-month studio averaged $82,788.68, or $993,464 *. The lowest-selling of the five annualises to $596,627. Build the model around $79,000 a month and treat $50,000 as the downside that exists inside a five-studio sample.
How much does the brand cost me?
8% royalty, 2% marketing fund and $500 a month of technology paid to the brand, 10% plus $6,000, and a 1.5% local marketing spend. At the average studio the brand fees are $100,414 a year, or 10.64% of revenue; the whole reported range spans 10.51% to 11.01% *. Royalty and the fund are waived for the first three months, worth $23,603 at the average studio *.
Why is the opening cost so high?
The machines. Rowformer and Bikeformer beds run $113,850 to $163,800 from the franchisor or its affiliates, which is 28.5% of the cheapest build *, and they sit alongside $75,000 to $350,000 of leasehold work and $20,000 to $53,000 of licences and health club bonds. In total 49.2% of the low-end opening is paid to the brand or an affiliate *.
How complete is the performance sample?
Five of the eight studios open at 31 March 2026, or 62.5% *. Two were excluded for trading under six months and one for going six months without a studio manager. The criteria are stated up front, and the third exclusion still means a real studio’s figures sit outside the average.
Is the three-month royalty holiday worth much?
At the average studio it is $23,603 of royalty and marketing fund *, arriving in the quarter a new studio has the least cash. Set it against three months of additional funds at $15,000 to $30,000 in the opening budget and the holiday is worth roughly as much as the working capital line itself.
What happens after the first year?
The royalty floor of $2,000 a month starts in month 13, which equals 8% at $300,000 of annual revenue *. Every reporting studio bills two to four times that, so the floor binds only below $300,000 of revenue. The technology fee can rise to $1,500 a month on 60 days’ notice, adding $12,000 a year *.
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Every figure here comes from Strong Pilates US, Inc.’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document and is unaudited by us, we are unaffiliated with the brand, calculations of our own are marked with an asterisk where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours, and this page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise or financial, legal or tax advice. STRONG PILATES® is a registered trademark of its owner.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Strong Pilates US, Inc., 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 24 April 2026.