Studios That Keep Their Best Clients Keep Nearly All of Them - Filling the Room Is the Hard Part

ClassPass's 2026 industry report claims studios keep 96% of clients spending over $50 a month, while the average studio only fills about a third of its classes - and if you run a studio, gym, or training space, that second number will feel more familiar than the first.

Studios and training centres are apparently brilliant at keeping people once they're spending properly, and rather less brilliant at getting bodies through the door in the first place.

Original ResearchA set of figures from ClassPass about how loyal its higher-spending studio clients are, and how empty most classes tend to be
Sourcehttps://classpass.com/partners/2026-industry-impact-report
OverviewA self-published promotional report from ClassPass, the fitness booking platform, drawing on activity within its own partner network.
Year2026
PublisherBrand, ClassPass
Relevance to WellbeingDirectionally useful for studios and training spaces thinking about retention and capacity, though it's platform-specific data with a US skew, not an independently verified industry picture.
Our VerdictToo early to tell No survey, sample size, or methodology is named anywhere, so this reads as a marketing claim dressed up as a statistic.
Our Summary
  • The retention idea, that committed higher-spending clients stick around, matches what most studio owners already suspect.
  • The 96% figure has no named source, sample, or method behind it anywhere on the page.
  • It's ClassPass's own network being described, which is not the same as the industry.
  • The capacity point, average studios filling only 37%, will ring true even without the paperwork to prove it.
Our Geo ViewApplies broadly to all countries, though the underlying network is weighted toward the US, so the exact figures may not translate elsewhere.
Abstract of wellbeing niches and revenue flow
Recognise how this might impact your practice

Why this might matter to you

  • Coaching: this matters because if committed clients stay loyal wherever they're based, the job is getting people to commit, not chasing them once they have.
  • Therapy: this matters because a fuller waiting room and a loyal one aren't the same problem, and this report only really speaks to one of them.
  • Training: this matters because an empty studio at 37% capacity is a rent bill with your name on it, regardless of who counted the numbers.
  • Alternative Healing: this matters because loyalty at higher spend levels suggests it's worth pricing for commitment rather than chasing one-off bookings.
  • Clinical: this matters because appointment-based practices already run closer to capacity, so the lesson translates only loosely here.
  • Retreat/Centre: this matters because underfilled capacity is the sort of thing a centre feels in the accounts long before anyone puts a number on it.

Where this came from

ClassPass published a report saying its highest-spending studio partners barely lose anyone, while most studios only fill a fraction of their available slots.

ClassPass, 2026, published on its own partner site as promotional material.

Credibility flags: methodology not disclosed, sample size not disclosed, publisher type is Brand, not academic or industry body.

How we scored this

A relevance score out of 100, built from three things: how well it fits the six practice types, how recent it is, and how solid the methodology behind it is.

70%
Practice fit, 100How new, 100How solid, 0

This one was marked down hard on how solid the method is, since there isn't one anywhere on the page, but it scored well on practice fit because studios and training spaces are exactly who the claim is aimed at, and it's fresh enough on recency for now.

Faces of satisfied clients
It's worth considering changes to your marketing practices

What this means for your marketing

  • Put your own retention figures somewhere visible before quoting anyone else's.
  • Say plainly that the 96% figure is ClassPass's own claim if you ever mention it, not an independent finding.
  • Brief your team to talk about filling classes, not just keeping clients, since that's the gap this report itself points to.
  • Use the capacity idea as a prompt, not a stat, when reviewing your own booking numbers.
  • Hold off building a campaign around the 96% figure until someone actually shows their working.

Who this is most useful for

Practice typeRelevanceRecommended action
CoachingLowNote the retention idea, skip the specific figure.
TherapyLowTreat as background context only.
TrainingHighCheck your own capacity numbers against the 37% benchmark, informally.
Alternative HealingLowUse the loyalty angle if pricing for ongoing commitment.
Clinical PracticesMediumConsider the capacity point if running group sessions.
Retreats/CentresHighReview actual booking fill rates rather than relying on this figure.

Best before

Best before: revisit if ClassPass releases a follow-up report with actual methodology attached, or check back at ClassPass next year to see whether they've named their sources.

What next?

Most studio owners already know the room isn't full, they just haven't seen it written down as a percentage before.

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