Studio Member LTV Calculator: What Your Average Client Is Actually Worth

A studio that knows its member LTV prices differently, pays differently for marketing, and invests differently in retention. The median pilates studio on Zatrovo has a member LTV between $3,800 and $5,200 — meaning a $200 acquisition cost is a rational spend, and a $1,500 referral bonus is not. Most studios have never run this number. Here's the formula, the benchmark table, and what to do with the answer.

What Is LTV and Why Does It Matter?

LTV — lifetime value — is the total revenue a single member generates from first booking to last. It converts your business model into a single number that tells you exactly how much you can afford to spend acquiring a new client, and exactly how much a 1-point churn reduction is worth in dollar terms.

The formula:

LTV = Average Monthly Revenue per Member ÷ Monthly Churn Rate

Or equivalently:

LTV = Average Monthly Revenue per Member × Average Member Lifespan (months)

A studio where the average member pays $185/month and stays for 18 months has a member LTV of $3,330. A competitor in the same market with the same pricing but a 22-month average lifespan has an LTV of $4,070 — 22% higher, without changing a single price.

LTV Benchmark Table by Studio Vertical

Match your studio to the closest row. Calculate your own from actual data when possible.

The spread between top and bottom quartile is 10 months of average lifespan — a $1,850–$2,600 difference in LTV per member at typical price points. Retention is the biggest single lever in the LTV calculation.

What Does a 1-Point Churn Reduction Actually Produce?

This is the number that motivates retention investment.

How Do You Calculate Your Own LTV Accurately?

Three inputs, one calculation.

Step 1: Average monthly revenue per active member. Take your last 12 months of total membership and pack revenue, divide by average active member count across those 12 months. Do not use just the membership price — include pack top-ups, retail, and add-on sessions purchased by members.

Step 2: Monthly churn rate. Members cancelled this month ÷ members at start of this month. Run it for the last six months and average. Single months are too noisy.

Step 3: Divide revenue by churn. That's your LTV.

Example: $185/month average revenue, 5.2% monthly churn → LTV = $185 ÷ 0.052 = $3,558.

What Should You Do With Your LTV Number?

Set your acquisition cost ceiling. The conventional 3:1 LTV-to-CAC ratio means your maximum sustainable CAC is LTV ÷ 3. At $3,558 LTV, that's $1,186 in maximum acquisition cost per new member. If you're spending $200 on ads per new member, you have significant headroom to invest more. If you're spending $800, you're running near the ceiling.

Evaluate referral program value. If a referral bonus of $100 generates a member with $3,558 LTV, the bonus is a 35:1 return. That's one of the highest-ROI acquisition channels most studios can run.

Prioritize retention investment. The LTV calculation shows exactly what a 1-point churn reduction is worth in dollar terms. At $3,558 LTV on 5% churn, dropping to 4% is worth $875 per member. With 300 active members, that's $262,500 in aggregate lifetime value. A $500/month automated retention email sequence that reduces churn by 1 point is one of the highest-ROI investments in your business.

For the acquisition cost side, see the studio CAC calculator. For the full retention strategy that moves the LTV number, see the studio client retention playbook. For the no-show reduction that supports retention, see the no-show cost calculator.