members

Member Lifetime Value (LTV)

Also called: LTV, customer lifetime value, CLV, member LTV

Member lifetime value is the total dollar revenue a member generates from join date to cancel date — for boutique fitness, the typical LTV sits between $1,200 and $4,800 depending on format and retention.

The core formula: LTV = average monthly revenue per member × average member lifespan in months. A member paying $189/month who stays 14 months has an LTV of $2,646. Multiply that by the cost to acquire (intro offer, ads, front-desk time) and you get unit economics for the whole business.

Boutique fitness LTV benchmarks: barre and pilates studios typically land between $2,400 and $4,200 (longer retention, higher monthly price). Spin and HIIT studios run $1,500–$3,000 (shorter retention, more churn). Yoga is wide — community-driven studios hit $3,500+, gym-attached yoga programs sit closer to $900.

The two levers that move LTV are price and retention, but retention moves it more. Raising prices by 10% adds 10% to LTV. Adding 3 months to average lifespan on a 12-month baseline adds 25%. Most studios should chase the retention math first — freeze policies, intro-to-membership funnel, instructor consistency.

LTV also sets a ceiling on customer acquisition cost (CAC). A rough rule: spend no more than 25–33% of LTV to acquire a member. So if your LTV is $2,400, your blended CAC across paid ads, intro discounts, and front-desk conversion time should stay under $600–800.

Example

A barre studio's average member pays $179/month and stays 16 months. LTV = $179 × 16 = $2,864. The studio runs a $39 / 14-day intro offer and spends $40 in ads per intro sign-up. Total CAC ≈ $80 (intro discount + ad cost minus intro revenue). LTV/CAC = 35.8x — healthy.

Related

More terms in members

Membership Freeze
A membership freeze is a temporary pause on a recurring membership — usually 1-3 months, sometimes for a small monthly fee — that keeps the member's account open without billing them full price.
Studio Achievements
Studio achievements are unlockable badges members earn for hitting milestones — first class, 10 classes, 50 classes, 8-week streak, first morning class, etc. — surfaced in the client portal to nudge habit formation.