Booking Software for Yoga Studios - Classes, Packs, and Memberships

Class timetable management

A yoga studio runs the same classes every week. Monday 7am Vinyasa, Tuesday 6pm Yin, Wednesday 12pm Lunchtime Flow. Your booking software should let you define these recurring classes once and generate weekly instances automatically. Each class needs an instructor assignment, a start time, a duration, and a capacity limit (how many students can attend). Once set up, the timetable runs itself. Students browse your online timetable, see which classes are coming up, check how many spots are remaining, and book in one click. You do not recreate classes manually each week. You do not send WhatsApp messages asking who is coming. The system handles capacity tracking, confirmations, and reminders for every class automatically. In Better Bookings, the class schedule feature lets you define recurring weekly classes with all these parameters. The system generates instances for the coming weeks, students book online, and you see attendance numbers in real time.

Capacity and waitlists

Every class has a maximum capacity for safety, space, and experience quality. A hot yoga class might cap at 20 because the room gets too crowded. A reformer pilates class caps at the number of machines (usually 8-12). When a class hits capacity, the next student who tries to book should not see a dead end. They should see a 'Join waitlist' option. When someone inevitably cancels (they always do), the next waitlisted person gets an automatic notification. They click one button to confirm the spot. Your class stays full. The waitlisted student is happy. No manual phone calls or message threads required. This matters financially. If your average class brings in £15 per student and you have 3 cancellations per week that go unfilled, that is £45 per week or over £2,000 per year in lost revenue. A waitlist that fills even half of those gaps pays for your booking software many times over.

Memberships and recurring billing

Most yoga studios generate the majority of their revenue through memberships and class packs rather than single drop-in payments. Unlimited monthly memberships give students access to all classes for a fixed monthly fee, billed automatically through Stripe. Class packs (buy 10 classes, use them over 3 months) offer flexibility for students who cannot commit to monthly but want a discount over the drop-in rate. Your booking system needs to handle all of this: set up membership tiers with different access levels, process recurring Stripe payments automatically, track how many classes each member has attended or how many pack credits remain, and restrict booking to students with valid memberships or credits. When a member books a class, the system checks their membership status or pack balance before confirming. If their pack is empty or membership has lapsed, they are prompted to purchase. In Better Bookings, memberships support both unlimited and credit-based models with automatic Stripe billing. Pack credits decrement automatically with each booking and show the remaining balance to the student.

Session packs

Session packs serve the students who cannot commit to a monthly membership but want better value than the drop-in rate. A typical structure: drop-in is £15 per class, a 10-class pack is £120 (saving £30), a 20-class pack is £200 (saving £100). Students buy the pack once (online or in studio), and each time they book a class, one credit is deducted. They can see their remaining balance in their profile. When they are running low (2-3 credits left), an automated notification reminds them to top up. This model works well for students with irregular schedules, travellers who visit multiple studios, and newcomers who want to commit gradually before going monthly. Your booking system should track pack balances per student, deduct automatically on booking (not on attendance), and notify students when credits are running low.

Instructor management

Students develop preferences for specific instructors. They want to take Maya's Vinyasa on Tuesday, not just any Vinyasa class. Your timetable should show which instructor is teaching each class, and ideally let students filter by instructor to see only classes taught by their favourite teacher. Each instructor also needs their own availability management. Maya teaches Tuesday and Thursday. James teaches Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If Maya is away one week, you need to either cancel her classes, assign a substitute, or mark them as a different instructor without affecting the recurring schedule. This is fundamentally different from a salon where each stylist has their own calendar. In a studio, the calendar is shared (it is a timetable of classes) but each class slot has an assigned instructor. The system needs to handle this distinction cleanly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular booking software for a yoga studio?

Generic scheduling tools handle 1-to-1 appointments but don't support class timetables, capacity limits, memberships, or session packs. You need software built for studios.

How do I switch from Mindbody?

Export your member list, set up your class timetable in the new system, and share your new booking link. Most switches take less than a day. Your members will appreciate the simpler interface.