operations

Prerequisite Class

Also called: intro class, foundations class, fundamentals class, on-ramp

A prerequisite class is a required intro or foundations session — common in CrossFit, reformer pilates, and aerial — that a new member must complete before booking regular group classes.

Prerequisites exist for two reasons: safety and pacing. In formats where bad form can injure (CrossFit Olympic lifts, reformer pilates spring loading, aerial silks), letting a stranger jump into a group class slows the class down at best and lands someone in the ER at worst. A 60-minute one-on-one or small-group Foundations class fixes the floor.

The second reason is pacing for the existing community. A regular member at a CrossFit box doing a complex barbell complex doesn't want a brand-new lifter learning the lift in the same window. Prerequisites preserve the experience for everyone above the entry tier.

Pricing patterns vary. Some studios bundle the prereq into the intro offer at no extra cost (e.g., 'Foundations + 30 days unlimited for $99'). Some sell it as a separate one-off ($60–120). The bundled approach converts better; the standalone approach captures more revenue from casual shoppers.

Booking software needs to enforce the prereq. The right pattern: members with the 'completed-foundations' tag can book group classes; members without it see those classes as unavailable and get routed to the next Foundations slot instead. Without enforcement, the policy gets quietly bypassed and the safety argument falls apart.

Example

A reformer pilates studio sells an intro at $89 for a 1-hour private Foundations + 5 group classes within 30 days. The Foundations session covers spring loading, footbar safety, and basic carriage work. Members who skip Foundations physically can't book a reformer group class — the booking system requires the tag. 88% of intros convert to members after the bundled structure (up from 62% before Foundations was a hard requirement).

Related

More terms in operations

No-Show Fee
A no-show fee is a charge a studio applies to a member who books a class but doesn't attend without canceling — typically $10-25 or the forfeit of a class credit.
Late-Cancel Window
A late-cancel window is the cutoff time before class — usually 12 or 24 hours — after which a member who cancels still loses the credit or pays a fee.
Client Booking Portal
A client booking portal is a branded, member-facing website or app where clients book classes, manage packages, see their attendance history, and update payment details — all without calling the front desk.
Tenant (Multi-Tenant SaaS)
In multi-tenant SaaS, a tenant is one customer's isolated workspace — for studio software, each studio is a tenant with its own subdomain, branding, members, and data.
Attendance Rate
Attendance rate is the percentage of bookings that result in an actual check-in — a healthy boutique studio sits at 80–90%, with the rest split between late cancels and no-shows.