Running the studio
What policies should a yoga studio publish?
Publish the terms of each pass you sell, your booking and cancellation rules, membership freeze and cancellation terms, refund terms, and house rules for late arrivals, phones, photos, mats, props, and cleanup. Keep the liability waiver separate, and have your lawyer approve its wording, when students sign it, and how students accept the purchase and renewal terms.
Put them in one document a student can read before they buy, and show the part that matters when they book and when they cancel. Fill in the template's brackets, then have a lawyer review the policies for your state before you publish them.
The policies a studio needs
Use the template below to draft purchase terms, booking and cancellation rules, membership freeze and cancellation terms, refund terms, and house rules. Keep the liability waiver separate; use its guide to prepare that document for legal review.
| Policy or document | What to specify |
|---|---|
| Purchase terms for each pass | State what the pass includes, its total price, and when it expires or renews. Use How do memberships, class packs, and drop-in fit together? when deciding which passes to offer. |
| Booking, late cancels, and no-shows | State the cancellation window, each pass's charges or class deductions, and who can waive them. Use What does a cancellation policy say? when drafting these rules. |
| Freezes and membership cancellation | State how to request a freeze or cancellation, which charges apply, and the relevant dates. Use How should membership freezes, pauses, and cancellations work? when drafting these terms. |
| Refunds | State the refund terms counsel approves, including what happens if the studio closes or stops offering the covered classes. |
| House rules | State the rules for late arrivals, phones, photos, minors, mats, props, cleanup, and lost items. |
| Separate liability waiver | Have counsel approve the wording and signing process. Use What goes in a yoga liability waiver? when preparing the separate document. |
A yoga studio policies template
Copy the template or download the Word version below, then fill in every bracket and delete any line that does not apply. Bracketed numbers are examples, not recommendations or statements of legal requirements. Have a lawyer review the completed policies before you use them; this template is not legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. The liability waiver is not part of it: it is a separate document each student signs.
[Studio name] studio policies. Effective [date]. This policy applies to every class you book at [studio name], [in the studio and online]. [Workshops, courses, and teacher training have their own terms, shown when you buy them.]
Class packs. A [10]-class pack costs $[total price, including any applicable tax and required fees] and includes [10] classes [of any type on the schedule, or: except workshops and special events]. It expires [6] months after [the date you buy it, or the date of your first class]. Classes left on the pack when it expires are [lost, or: extended once by [30] days if you ask before the expiration date]. Class packs do not renew automatically. [Unused classes are not refundable, except as described under "Your rights to cancel and get a refund" below, or: A pack with no classes used is refunded in full within [14] days of purchase.] [A class pack is for the person who bought it, or: can be shared with [who].]
Memberships. The [Unlimited monthly] membership includes [unlimited classes, or: [8] classes a month][, except workshops and special events]. It renews automatically every [month] on [billing date, including what happens in a month without that date], at $[total renewal price, including any applicable tax and required fees], charged to the [card or bank account] on file, until you cancel. To avoid the next charge, cancel [before your billing date, or: at least [30] days before it] (see "Canceling a membership"). [Classes you do not use in a month do not carry over.] [There is no minimum term, or: The minimum term is [3] months.] If the price changes, [studio name] tells you [by email] [notice period approved by your lawyer] before the new price takes effect, and tells you how to cancel. You can cancel before the new price applies. [If you cancel within [refund-request period approved by your lawyer] after the first charge at the new price, [studio name] refunds the unused part of that charge.] [The price does not change during a minimum term.] After you join, [studio name] [emails] you a confirmation of these terms and how to cancel. [Once a year, [studio name] reminds you of your membership terms and how to cancel.] [Renewal reminder: [studio name] reminds you [notice period approved by your lawyer] before the deadline to stop renewal.]
Intro offers. The [intro offer] costs $[total intro-offer price, including any applicable tax and required fees] for [2 weeks] of [unlimited classes], starting [the day you buy it, or: the day of your first class]. [It ends on its own and does not renew, or: Unless you cancel before [the end of the intro period], it becomes the [Unlimited monthly] membership at $[total renewal price, including any applicable tax and required fees] a [month], first charged on [the date shown at checkout], and renews as described under Memberships. [Studio name] reminds you [3 to 7] days before the intro period ends. To cancel before then, use any method under "Canceling a membership."]
Booking and canceling a class. Book through [the app, the website, or the front desk]. You can cancel a booking with no charge until [12] hours before class starts. A cancellation after that is a late cancel. By booking, you authorize [studio name] to charge the [card or bank account] on file for any late-cancel or no-show charge that applies under this policy. [Studio name] [emails you a receipt] for each charge.
Late cancels. On a class pack, a late cancel [uses the class]. On a membership, [the first [4] late cancels in any [12] months cost nothing; after that,] a late cancel costs $[10], charged to the card on file [after the class starts].
No-shows. A booking is a no-show if you have not checked in by [5] minutes after class starts. On a class pack, a no-show [uses the class]. On a membership, a no-show costs $[15], charged to the card on file [after the class ends].
When the studio cancels or changes a class. If [studio name] cancels a class, booked students are told by [email and text] and the class goes back on their pack or membership. [If the class moves by more than [30] minutes, you can cancel with no charge.]
Questions and exceptions. Staff can waive a late-cancel or no-show charge [for an emergency, or: in these cases: [list]], and a waived charge is noted on your account. [To request an accommodation related to a disability or medical condition, contact [person or channel]. Your request is reviewed under [accommodation process approved by your lawyer].] To question a charge, contact [email or the front desk][, ideally within [7] days of the class, while the records are fresh]. This does not limit any other right you have.
Freezing a membership. You can freeze a membership for [1 to 3] months, [up to [2] times] in any [12] months, [at no charge, or: for $[10] a month]. [A freeze for a medical reason is at no charge.] Ask [in the app, or at the front desk] at least [7] days before your next billing date. During the freeze, [state which membership charges stop and whether a freeze fee is charged]. Regular membership billing resumes on [resume date shown when the freeze is confirmed]. Classes you have booked during the freeze are canceled with no charge. [Class-pack freezes: state whether they are available and how to request one.]
Canceling a membership. You can cancel [in your account (Cancel membership)], [by email to [address]], [by phone at [number]], or at the front desk. [If you joined online, you can always cancel online.] [Your cancellation stops the next charge if [studio name] receives it before your billing date, or: Your membership ends [30] days after [studio name] receives your cancellation, and a billing date in those [30] days is [charged in full, or: charged only for the days up to the end date].] [If you have a minimum term, your membership ends at the end of it.] [Studio name] confirms your cancellation [by email] within [3] business days, with the date your membership ends. You keep access until [the end of the period you have paid for]. [What happens to classes or credit left, and whether any amount is refunded.] [See "Your rights to cancel and get a refund" below.]
Your rights to cancel and get a refund. [Insert your lawyer-approved terms for refunds when [studio name] closes or stops offering the classes a pass covers, including how any refund is calculated and requested.] [Insert the cancellation and refund notice your lawyer approves, including any required wording, type size, and placement.]
House rules. [Doors close [5] minutes after class starts. If you arrive after that, you cannot join the class, and the no-show rule applies.] [Phones are off or silent in the studio.] [Take photos or video in class only with the teacher's permission, and never of other students without theirs.] [Students under [16] need a parent's or guardian's signed consent[, and a parent or guardian in the studio].] [Bring your own mat, or use a studio mat [at no charge, or: for $[total mat-use charge]]. Clean studio mats and wipeable props after class using the cleaning method posted for each item. Put blankets and straps in [return location].] [Lost items are kept for [30] days.] [Before your first class, you sign [studio name]'s liability waiver.]
Your agreement. You see these policies, and accept them, before you pay for a pass[, and you agree to a membership's renewal terms separately before you are first charged]. You can read them again at any time at [link, or the front desk]. [Studio name] tells you [notice period approved by your lawyer] before it changes these policies, and explains how to cancel a membership. A change does not shorten the expiration of a pack you have already bought. A change to a membership's price works as described under Memberships.
Show the policy at three moments
Show the relevant policy terms at purchase, booking, and cancellation. Show the part that matters at the moment it applies: the purchase terms before they pay, the cancellation window when they book, and the cost of canceling now when they start to cancel. Where a term appears more than once, use the same wording, window, and charge.
| Moment | What the student sees | Question answered |
|---|---|---|
| Before they buy | What the pass includes, when it expires or renews, the price, how to cancel, and the date to cancel by to avoid the next charge | What am I agreeing to? |
| When they book | The late-cancel window and the no-show rule for this pass | When do I have to decide? |
| When they cancel | Whether this cancellation is late and what it costs on their pass | What happens if I cancel now? |
After a student buys a membership, send them a confirmation they can keep, with the renewal terms and how to cancel.
When a student buys a pass online, Yoga Sync shows your purchase terms before they pay. When they book or cancel a class online, it shows your late-cancel and no-show rule, and what canceling would cost, before they confirm.
Set clear expectations with transparent purchase, cancellation, and no-show terms.
Set late-cancel and no-show terms for each pass
State the late-cancel and no-show charge or class deduction for each pass. Offer released spots to waitlisted students before the entry cutoff, with time to arrive. Use What does a cancellation policy say? when drafting the cancellation window and charge rules.
Explain freezes without delaying cancellation
For a freeze, state which charges pause, whether a freeze fee applies, and when regular billing resumes. For a cancellation, state the final charge and membership end date. Use How should membership freezes, pauses, and cancellations work? when drafting these terms. If you offer a freeze when a student asks to cancel, explain the option without delaying the cancellation.
State the house rules plainly
Give students the entry cutoff and explain what happens if they arrive after it. State any class deduction or charge, and make it agree with the no-show rule. Post the house rules where students book and in the studio.
Example house rule
AvoidPlease be respectful and arrive on time.
BetterDoors close [5] minutes after class starts. If you arrive after that, you cannot join the class, and the no-show rule applies.
For a question about a disputed card charge, see How does a studio handle a chargeback on a class pack or membership?.
Settled before you publish
- Every bracket is filled in or deleted.
- Each pass says what it includes, and when it expires or renews, at what price.
- The late-cancel window is stated in hours, the same way at purchase, booking, and cancellation.
- What a late cancel and a no-show cost is stated for each kind of pass.
- The policy says who can waive a charge, and how a student questions one.
- A lawyer has reviewed the renewal, freeze, cancellation, and refund terms for your state.
- Students see the policies, and accept them, before they pay.
- The house rules give a time, a number, or a place wherever they can, and the late-arrival rule matches the late-cancel and no-show rules.
- The lawyer has approved how students accept renewal terms and how the studio records that agreement.
- Each student buying a membership gets a confirmation they can keep, with the renewal terms and how to cancel.
- Students who joined online can cancel online, and every student can cancel in each way the policy lists.
- The lawyer has identified any required cancellation notice, registration, or bond, and the studio has completed those requirements.
Are house rules part of the policies a student accepts?
Include house rules that carry a charge or class deduction in the policies shown before payment, and post the house rules in the studio. Have your lawyer approve how students accept those terms.
Can a studio keep charging a membership after a student asks to cancel?
Have your lawyer determine whether charges may continue during a notice period and approve the cancellation terms. State the final charge and membership end date clearly, and process the request through the cancellation methods your policy lists.
Does a student have to agree to the policy?
Show the policy before payment, ask the student to accept it through a clear action, and keep a record of that acceptance. Have your lawyer approve the acceptance process, including any separate renewal consent and record-retention requirements.