What sixteen mats actually cost
Where your £16 goes, why we will not add a seventeenth mat, and why there is no joining fee. The studio's numbers, published once a year.
Once a year we publish roughly where the money goes. Partly because people ask, partly because being open about price is one of the four rules, and partly because it explains decisions that otherwise look like stubbornness.
Where a £16 drop-in goes
These are averages across the 2025–26 year, rounded to the nearest 10p.
| Line | Per mat, per class |
|---|---|
| Teacher pay (£48 a class plus preparation time) | £4.60 |
| Rent and business rates, 9 Farrow Yard | £4.90 |
| Heating, light, laundry of blankets and eye towels | £1.40 |
| Front desk cover during every class | £1.80 |
| Insurance, booking software, card fees | £1.20 |
| Repairs, new mats, the skylight blind (twice) | £0.70 |
| What is left for the studio | £1.40 |
That last line assumes a class that is about 80% full, which is our average. A class of nine loses money. A class of sixteen pays for one of nine.
Why not seventeen mats?
The room is 7.2 metres by 9.4. Sixteen mats leaves a clear 60 centimetres between each of them and a walkway to the door that nobody has to step over anybody to use. Seventeen fits on paper. In practice it means someone lies with their head a foot from a stranger’s feet, and the teacher can no longer reach every mat in three steps.
We ran the numbers on a seventeenth mat in 2023. It would add about £2,900 a year. We decided the room is worth more than that.
Why the monthly membership is not unlimited
Unlimited memberships are priced on the assumption that most people will not use them. We would rather charge honestly for up to four classes a week — which covers everyone we have ever met — than profit from the members who meant to come and did not.
Prices last rose in April 2025, by £1 on a drop-in. The next review is April 2027, and we will post the numbers here first.