Price above your break-even at a realistic occupancy, then split the week into bands. Work out fixed costs per available hour, divide by the share of hours you expect to sell, and set the base price above that. Charge more on weekday evenings and weekends, less in quiet weekday hours, set special prices for holidays, and use discount codes and multi-slot discounts to fill hours that would otherwise stay empty.
Check what local gyms charge
Search “private gym hire” or “rent a gym by the hour” with your city and note for each listing the hourly price, whether the customer gets the whole room, and what is included (equipment, shower, parking). Your price should sit where your space sits on that list. If you find no listings, you are early, and the cost-based method below is your guide.
Start from your cost per available hour
Add up the monthly costs that don’t change with bookings: rent, energy, insurance, booking software, cleaning, a maintenance reserve and the monthly share of your equipment. Divide by your available hours: opening hours minus blocked time.
Example (amounts in GBP): fixed costs of 2,400 a month, open 16 hours a day for 30 days, 20 hours blocked for cleaning. That is 460 available hours, so 5.22 per available hour. Nobody sells every hour, so divide by expected occupancy: at 40 % the break-even price is about 13 an hour, at 25 % about 21. Leave room for card fees and the SMS for each booking. The slot and revenue calculator runs this for your own numbers.
That gives you the floor. Demand gives you the bands.
Peak, off-peak and weekend bands
Demand in private gyms concentrates on weekday evenings and weekends. Two or three bands read as fair, not complicated.
An example grid for a gym open 6:00–22:00:
| Band | When | Price per 60-minute slot (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| Off-peak | Mon–Fri 6:00–16:00 | 15 |
| Peak | Mon–Fri 16:00–22:00 | 25 |
| Weekend | Sat–Sun all day | 22 |
Peak hours sell at the higher price anyway, so charging less there gives money away. Off-peak hours would otherwise stay empty, so a lower price is a gain, as long as it doesn’t pull evening customers into the morning. Weekends sit in between because demand spreads across the day.
In Sparekey you set a default price per location and different prices for weekdays and weekends by time of day, so the grid is a setting, not a daily task. If unsure, start with two bands and add the weekend band once your statistics show the pattern.
Special dates
Public holidays behave like weekends, the week between Christmas and New Year is quiet in some places and busy in others, and January brings new customers. A price for a specific date overrides the band for that day only. Use date prices sparingly and write them down.
Discount codes and multi-slot discounts
Discount codes need a purpose and an end date: a launch offer, a code for a local running club, a code a trainer passes to their clients. A code given to one group also tells you where those bookings came from. A code everyone knows is just a lower price. In Sparekey a code is a percentage or a fixed amount, with a validity window and a usage limit.
Multi-slot discounts answer “should two hours cost less than twice one hour?” Usually yes, a little: a trainer booking three slots in a row costs you one changeover instead of three. Keep this discount smaller than your peak/off-peak difference.
Trainers who bring clients
A trainer who rents your gym books like anyone else and charges their client whatever they charge. To favour trainers, give them a discount code or let the multi-slot discount do it. If you train your own clients in the room, block those hours instead of booking them (see slot length, buffer and cleaning time).
Adjust after the first month
A price grid is a hypothesis. After a month, read each location’s statistics: occupancy, peak hours, revenue per available hour, new versus returning customers. Change one thing at a time:
- Peak hours full a week ahead: raise the peak price.
- Off-peak hours empty at the lower price: try a discount code for a specific group before cutting the price for everyone.
- Weekend mornings full, evenings empty: split the weekend band by time of day.
- Revenue per available hour flat while occupancy rises: you are filling hours with discounts, not earning more.
Revenue per available hour is revenue divided by every hour you were open, sold or not. It equals occupancy times average price, so it catches a gym that is busy but cheap. More next to the calculator. UK costs and typical hourly prices are in what it costs to open a private gym in the UK.
FAQ
How much should I charge per hour for a private gym?
Divide fixed costs per available hour by a realistic occupancy to get break-even, set the base price above it, then compare with local “private gym hire” listings.
Should weekends cost more?
Usually more than weekday off-peak and less than weekday peak, because weekend demand spreads across the day.
Should off-peak hours be cheaper?
Yes, if the lower price fills hours that would stay empty without pulling peak customers into off-peak. Revenue per available hour should rise, not just occupancy.
Do discount codes work for a small gym?
Yes, for a defined purpose and period. They stop working when they become permanent.
Can I charge less for a longer booking?
Yes. A multi-slot discount is built in, and slots in a row get one door code.