Every studio needs a liability waiver, and almost every new studio owner puts it off, because writing one feels like it requires a lawyer and calling a lawyer feels like it requires knowing what to ask for.
So here's a starting point. Below is a complete, generic studio waiver you can copy, edit, and take to your attorney. It's free, it's on this page, and there's no form to fill out to get it.
Read this part first
This template has not been reviewed by an attorney, and we are not lawyers. It is a structural starting point -- the standard clauses a movement-studio waiver typically contains -- not legal advice, and not a document you should put in front of a client as-is.
Waiver enforceability varies significantly by state. Some states will not enforce a release of liability for gross negligence at all. Some require specific formatting -- conspicuous type, a separate signature line for the release clause, particular statutory language. Some have their own rules for minors that a general template cannot anticipate. An hour with a local attorney who handles small-business or fitness-industry work is genuinely inexpensive relative to the risk, and that hour is the point of this template: you walk in with a draft to mark up instead of a blank page.
Use this to save the lawyer's time, not to skip the lawyer.
What each clause is doing
Before the template, a quick tour, because you'll edit it better if you know what you're editing.
Assumption of risk states that the participant understands Pilates and yoga involve physical exertion and carry an inherent risk of injury, and that they're choosing to participate anyway. This is often the clause that does the most work, because it establishes informed consent rather than trying to erase your responsibility.
Release of liability is the participant agreeing not to sue you for injuries arising from ordinary participation. This is the clause most constrained by state law -- it's where the local review matters most.
Indemnification means that if a third party sues you because of something the participant did, the participant covers your costs. Less dramatic than it sounds; mostly relevant for guests and property damage.
Medical treatment authorization lets you call for emergency care and get someone treated without hunting for permission first.
Photo and media release covers using class photos and video in your marketing. Make this one optional with its own checkbox -- plenty of people are happy to take class and not happy to be on Instagram, and forcing the bundle costs you goodwill for no benefit.
Severability means that if a court strikes one clause, the rest survives. Cheap insurance in a document with clauses that vary by jurisdiction.
Signature blocks for the participant and, when the participant is under 18, a parent or guardian. Minors are a real complication -- some states limit what a parent can waive on a child's behalf -- so flag any under-18 policy specifically when you talk to your attorney.
The template
[STUDIO NAME] -- ASSUMPTION OF RISK, RELEASE OF LIABILITY, AND INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
Participant name: ______________________________ Date of birth: ______________ Date: ______________ Phone: ______________________ Email: ______________________ Emergency contact name and phone: ______________________________
1. Description of activities. I understand that I am voluntarily participating in Pilates, yoga, mat classes, reformer and apparatus classes, personal training, and/or other movement or fitness activities (the "Activities") offered by [STUDIO NAME] ("the Studio"), at the Studio's premises or at any other location where the Studio conducts Activities.
2. Assumption of risk. I understand that the Activities involve physical exertion and the use of exercise equipment, and that participation carries inherent risks, including but not limited to muscle strains, sprains, tears, fractures, joint injuries, back and neck injuries, cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke, injury from equipment failure or misuse, injury caused by other participants, and in rare circumstances permanent disability or death. I understand these risks cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken by the Studio and its instructors. I knowingly and voluntarily assume all such risks, both known and unknown, and accept full responsibility for my participation.
3. Representation of physical condition. I represent that I am in good physical health and have no medical condition, injury, disability, or physical limitation that would prevent my safe participation in the Activities, except as I have disclosed in writing to the Studio. I agree to inform the Studio promptly of any change in my health, of any injury or condition arising during or after participation, and of any pregnancy. I understand that the Studio's instructors are not physicians and that nothing they provide constitutes medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and I have been advised to consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.
4. Release of liability. In consideration of being permitted to participate in the Activities, I hereby release, waive, and discharge the Studio, its owners, officers, employees, independent contractors, instructors, agents, landlords, and affiliates (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, damages, losses, costs, and expenses of any kind, including attorneys' fees, arising out of or in any way related to my participation in the Activities or my presence on the Studio's premises, including claims arising from the ordinary negligence of the Released Parties, to the fullest extent permitted by the law of [STATE]. I understand that this release does not apply to gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct, or to any liability that cannot lawfully be released.
5. Indemnification. I agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Released Parties from any claim, liability, damage, or expense, including reasonable attorneys' fees, brought by me or by any third party arising out of my participation in the Activities, my presence on the premises, my violation of Studio policies, or any damage I cause to the Studio's property or equipment.
6. Authorization for medical treatment. In the event of injury or medical emergency, I authorize the Studio and its representatives to summon emergency medical services and to arrange for and consent to medical treatment on my behalf if I am unable to consent myself. I accept financial responsibility for the cost of any such treatment and transport, and I acknowledge that the Studio is not responsible for those costs.
7. Photo and media release (optional). ☐ I consent / ☐ I do not consent to the Studio photographing or recording me during Activities and using such images, video, or audio in the Studio's marketing, website, social media, and promotional materials, without compensation. I understand this consent is entirely optional, is not a condition of participation, and may be withdrawn at any time by written notice to the Studio.
8. Studio policies. I agree to follow the Studio's posted policies, including its scheduling, cancellation, late-arrival, guest, hygiene, and equipment-use policies, and to follow instructor direction regarding safe use of equipment. I understand that policies may be updated and that current policies will be made available to me.
9. Governing law and venue. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising under this Agreement shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in [COUNTY], [STATE].
10. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or if it cannot be, severed, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
11. Entire agreement and acknowledgement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between me and the Studio regarding these matters and supersedes any prior representations. I have read this Agreement in full, I understand that I am giving up substantial legal rights including the right to sue, and I sign it freely and voluntarily.
Participant signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________ Printed name: ______________________________
FOR PARTICIPANTS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE
I am the parent or legal guardian of the minor participant named above. I have read and understood this Agreement, I consent to the minor's participation, and I agree to all of its terms on my own behalf and on behalf of the minor, including the assumption of risk, release, and indemnification provisions, to the fullest extent permitted by the law of [STATE].
Parent/guardian signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________ Printed name: ______________________________ Relationship: ____________
After the waiver: the health information you actually use
A signed waiver protects you legally. It does not tell your instructor that the woman on reformer three had a C-section eleven weeks ago.
Those are two different jobs, and studios routinely conflate them -- burying "any injuries?" in the waiver, where it gets answered once, filed in a binder, and never seen again by the person who needs it.
BookYourMat handles the second job separately, and conversationally. When a new client comes in, Becky -- the AI receptionist who works over your studio's text number -- asks the health-intake question in the welcome message. Whatever the client texts back gets recorded on their record: an injury, a mobility limitation, a pregnancy, or an explicit "no injuries," which is worth capturing too. She'll also record experience level when the client mentions it, mapping "I've never done it" or "I did it years ago" onto a level your instructors can read at a glance.
What comes out of that is a set of condition chips on the client's own record, at Clients → open the client → Edit details → Health & safety. The same chips surface for whoever is teaching, on the Home today-schedule, right before class. So the disclosure reaches the person standing next to the reformer, which is the only place it does any good.
To be clear about what this is and isn't: this is health-intake capture, not waiver signing. BookYourMat does not currently collect a countersigned waiver document -- you'll want your own e-signature tool or a paper file for that. What it does is make sure the medical detail a client mentions in a text doesn't die in a text.
Take the draft, then get it reviewed
Copy the template above, put your studio's name and state in the brackets, cut what doesn't apply to you, and take it to an attorney in your state. You'll spend less on that review than on one month of most studio software, and you'll stop putting it off.
Then, once the legal side is handled, the operational side is worth a look -- who knew about the shoulder, and did the instructor see it before class started.
Book a 30-minute demo and we'll show you how health intake actually reaches your instructors.
