Terms and conditions for a yoga or pilates studio

A studio sells its classes in ways that each carry their own rules: a rolling membership, a pack of ten, a drop-in, a workshop, a retreat and an online library. Consumer law treats a membership that renews automatically very differently from a single class, and the terms have to handle all of them without a lawyer at the front desk. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Yoga, pilates, barre and movement studios in England and Wales, from a single-room studio to several sites, with employed or self-employed teachers and classes sold in the studio, online and through booking apps. Your clients are consumers, so the terms are written for the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the distance selling rules.

What matters in studio terms

Memberships, minimum terms and renewals

A membership needs a start date, a minimum term if you want one, a notice period, a freezing policy and a mechanism for price changes on notice. Against consumers, a long minimum term that renews automatically with a one-sided right to change the price is exactly what the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats as potentially unfair, so the terms should keep the minimum term modest, make notice the same both ways and make renewal clear. Further rules for subscription contracts are being introduced under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

Class packs, expiry and drop-ins

Packs need a reasonable expiry that is stated at purchase, a position on transfer and sharing, and a fair approach to refunds where the client cannot continue for a medical reason or the studio changes the timetable. A term that forfeits every unused class in every circumstance will not survive a challenge, while a stated expiry with a sensible exception will.

Booking windows, cancellation and waiting lists

The terms should set the window for cancelling a booked class without losing it, say what happens to late cancellations and no-shows, and explain how waiting lists work. Because classes are booked online, each booking is a distance contract under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, and the booking flow needs the client's express request for the class to take place inside the 14-day period for a late-cancellation charge to be enforceable.

Health, injury and disclosure

The terms should require clients to disclose injuries, conditions and pregnancy, to follow the teacher's instructions and to stop if something hurts, and should say that clients may be asked not to take part. They cannot exclude your liability for personal injury caused by your own negligence or a teacher's, because the Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not allow that against a consumer. Health information collected at sign-up is sensitive under UK data protection law and needs a privacy notice.

Teachers, workshops, retreats and online classes

Whether teachers are employees, workers or self-employed turns on the facts, and HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool is the reference; the client terms should say that the studio is responsible for the class either way. Workshops and retreats need deposits, a cancellation scale reflecting your commitments to venues and teachers, and a statement of what happens if a teacher is ill. Online classes and recorded content are digital content, and the client's consent and acknowledgement are needed before they are supplied inside the 14-day cancellation period.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted around your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want to know how much of a problem they are. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of terms drafted around your business, not a template with your name inserted
• A covering note in plain English explaining every commercial choice I made and why, so you can defend the terms in a negotiation without ringing me
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions set at a level that will survive a procurement review
• Consumer-facing wording drafted to be enforceable where you sell to consumers
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly, which is where most businesses actually fail
• One round of amendments after you have read them

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country

Questions I am often asked

Can I have a twelve-month minimum membership?

You can, but the longer the minimum term, the more the terms need to justify it, with a cheaper price, a clear statement at sign-up, a freezing policy and a right to end early for medical reasons or a move. A short minimum term with a monthly rolling membership after it is easier to defend.

A client bought a class pack, moved away, and wants the balance back. Do I have to refund?

If the pack had a stated expiry and the client simply stopped using it, the terms can say the classes are lost after expiry. A move is not a medical reason, but a fair term often allows a refund of the unused part less an administration charge, which avoids the argument.

Who is liable if a client is injured in a class taught by a self-employed teacher?

The client's contract is with the studio, so the studio is responsible to the client, and the studio's agreement with the teacher should require the teacher's own insurance and an indemnity.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Terms and conditions for a personal trainer
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595, for self-employed teachers

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.