An honest breakdown of the real pilates studio insurance options, including the one we built. Studio-grade coverage, quoted in about five minutes.
Most pilates studios we insure pay about $129 a month, and coverage starts at $24 a month. The cheap "$11 a month" policies you see advertised cover the instructor, not the studio: not your employees, not your lease, and not the business around you.
Quick disclosure before you read on: one of the options compared here is us. We've kept it as honest as we know how, and you can decide for yourself.
We're Gym Insurance by PushPress, built by the team behind PushPress, with 20+ years in fitness. Our policies are backed by A-rated carriers with reinsurance behind them. We built pilates studio coverage around how a studio actually runs: classes, employees, members on the floor, and the formats studios keep adding, all on one policy you can quote in about five minutes.
| Provider | Best for | Typical annual cost* | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gym Insurance by PushPress Best overall | Most pilates studios, best overall value | $1,000 to $2,300 | Not built for a solo instructor with no studio. If you teach on your own with no employees or lease, an instructor policy is cheaper. |
| The Hartford | Studios that want higher limits or umbrella coverage and will pay more for it | $2,500 to $4,000 | More expensive than fitness-specific options, and typically purchased through a broker. |
| Next Insurance | Solo pilates instructors who want a fast, cheap policy and a quick certificate | From $11/mo (instructor) | The $11 headline is individual instructor coverage. A studio with staff and a lease moves into higher, unpublished tiers. |
| Philadelphia Insurance (PHLY) | Established studios that want high limits and strong abuse coverage, placed through a broker | $1,200 to $2,500 | Needs a signed application and three years of loss runs to quote. A newer studio can't produce that. |
| Mindbody Insurance | Studios already committed to Mindbody's software | $2,000 to $6,000+ | Requires a paid Mindbody software subscription, which starts around $159/mo, on top of the coverage. |
| Insure Fitness Group | Solo pilates teachers who want apparatus covered, scoped to the instructor | $189/yr (instructor) | Instructor-only. It doesn't scale to a studio with employees, a lease, and full operations. |
*Prices accurate as of June 2026. Coverage and pricing can change. Verify directly with the provider before making a decision.
What it covers: General liability, professional liability, business personal property (reformers, towers, contents), and workers' compensation, all on one studio policy. Aerial, silks, and pole classes are written in, and adding a sauna or cold plunge stays on the same policy. Online and livestream classes are covered as normal operations.
Why it's cheaper: No broker in the middle. We went direct to the underwriter with years of gym data, so there's no 20 to 30 percent broker commission in your premium.
What it costs: Most pilates studios pay about $129 a month, with coverage starting at $24 a month. You can get a quote in about five minutes, with your certificate of insurance available instantly.
Watch out for: If you're a solo instructor with no studio, employees, or lease, an instructor-only policy will be cheaper. We're built for the studio.
The Hartford is a well-known generic carrier that will write a pilates studio, and it offers higher limits and umbrella coverage, which can suit a larger studio that needs them.
What to know: The trade-off is cost. Hartford policies typically run higher, around $2,500 to $4,000 a year, and are usually purchased through a broker rather than direct. Equipment values are entered manually. A solid choice if higher limits matter most; it isn't built around how a studio operates day to day.
Next Insurance has a strong digital experience and is the source of the "$11 a month" headline you see for pilates. That rate is for an individual instructor.
What to know: A studio with employees, a lease, and a floor of reformers moves into higher tiers without published rates. Next is a good fit for a solo instructor who needs a quick quote and an instant certificate; it's less suited to a full studio operation.
PHLY is a respected A++ rated specialty carrier with a real studio program, not just instructor coverage. Its yoga and pilates studio products carry high limits ($2M per occurrence / $4M aggregate), strong sexual abuse liability, child care coverage, and business income.
What to know: It's a heavier, underwritten product, placed through a broker and requiring a signed application plus three years of loss runs before a quote. Pricing tends to land a bit below The Hartford, roughly $1,200 to $2,500 a year. That structure suits an established studio that wants high limits; a newer studio often can't produce the loss history. A strong option if those are your priorities.
Mindbody, the studio software company, offers insurance to its customers.
What to know: The catch is eligibility. You have to be a paying Mindbody software subscriber to be insured through them, and their software starts around $159 a month, more than many studios pay for the insurance itself. Your coverage is tied to a software decision, so if you don't use Mindbody, or you switch software later, the coverage isn't available to you. For a studio already committed to Mindbody it can be convenient; for everyone else it's a non-starter.
Insure Fitness Group offers an instructor-focused program at $189 a year ($65 for students) that does cover apparatus, scoped to the instructor. Studios can add themselves as additional insureds.
What to know: This is the right answer for a solo teacher who wants affordable, portable coverage. It is not a full studio operations policy, so a studio with staff, a lease, and members on the floor needs a studio policy instead.
Covers you if a client, guest, or visitor is injured in your space and sues. The everyday trip, slip, or fall. $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate is the standard floor.
Learn more →Covers you if a member claims your instruction or programming caused an injury. For a pilates studio this matters daily, instructors cue form and correct alignment hands-on.
Learn more →Essential for close, hands-on instruction and kids classes. Included, not a fine-print add-on.
Your reformers, towers, and studio contents at replacement value. Fire, a burst pipe, or theft gets paid to replace them.
Learn more →Required in most states once you have employees on payroll. If your instructors are 1099 contractors, state rules vary. Confirm with your accountant.
Learn more →The cards above are the summary. This is how each option stacks up on the things that actually decide it for a studio.
| Attribute | Gym Insurance by PushPress | The Hartford | Next Insurance | Philadelphia Insurance (PHLY) | Mindbody Insurance | Insure Fitness Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for a studio, not just the instructor | ✓ | ✓ generic carrier | ✗ instructor-first | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ instructor only |
| Instant online quote | ✓ under 5 min | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | Subscribers only | ✓ |
| Quote without loss runs | ✓ | Varies | ✓ | ✗ 3 years required | ✓ | ✓ |
| No software subscription required | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ Mindbody plan required | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Flat rate, from $24/mo | Quote-based | From $11/mo (instructor) | Quote-based | Requires Mindbody plan (from ~$159/mo) | Flat $189/yr (instructor) |
| Instant certificate of insurance | ✓ | ✗ 1 to 3 days | ✓ | Varies | ✓ | ✓ |
Most pilates studios we insure pay about $129 a month, with coverage starting at $24 a month. Your exact rate depends on your studio size, location, the formats you run, and your coverage limits.
Instructor insurance covers the teacher's liability and follows the person. Studio insurance covers the business: general liability, professional liability, your employees, and your studio's operations. A solo teacher can use an instructor policy; a studio with staff and a lease needs a studio policy.
Yes. Reformers, towers, chairs, and barrels are covered as business personal property at replacement value. Check the equipment limit on any policy, since some instructor and generic business policies cover the person but not the studio-owned apparatus.
Yes. Livestream and on-demand classes are covered as part of your studio's normal operations, so teaching members online doesn't need a separate policy or a special add-on.
Yes, when you select the aerial fitness business type at quote. If your studio runs aerial, silks, or pole classes, choosing that business type writes those classes into your studio policy, so you don't need a separate carrier for them.
Yes. General liability covers a trip or fall in your space; professional liability covers a claim that your instruction or programming caused an injury. A studio policy bundles both.
In part, and here's the honest line. The training sessions themselves are covered like any class: if a trainee is hurt during a certification session, that falls under your general liability. What the policy does not cover is the professional side of the instruction itself, the claim that what you taught was deficient or led to harm later, such as a graduate injuring a client using a technique from your program. So your sessions and studio operations are covered; the curriculum's downstream exposure is not. If certification is a meaningful part of your business, tell us at quote time so you know exactly where that line sits.
Quotes take about five minutes and your certificate of insurance is available instantly, which matters when a landlord needs proof before you sign or open.
Most pilates studios get a quote in about five minutes, and your certificate of insurance is available immediately after purchase.
Questions? We actually answer them. Contact us here.
Pricing reflects typical 2026 annual premiums across the studios we insure. Your actual rate depends on studio size, location, formats, and coverage selections.
Don't let high costs or inadequate coverage hold your gym back. Protect your business and your students with insurance built for you.