FS8 franchise cost is $349,300-$840,700 per the 2026 FDD with a $60K fee and 7% royalty. What FS8 owners make: Item 19 median revenue of $388,541 explained.
Quick answerAn FS8 franchise costs $349,300 to $840,700 per the 2026 FDD Item 7, including a $60,000 franchise fee, with a 7% royalty plus a marketing fund of up to 2%. Item 19 reports median studio revenue of $388,541 across the 7 franchised studios open for the full year, a small sample in a young, fast-growing system.
An FS8 studio costs $349,300 to $840,700 to open, per Item 7 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document parsed in VetMyFranchise’s database of 2,000+ FDDs, and the initial franchise fee is $60,000. Ongoing fees run 7% of gross sales in royalty plus a marketing fund of up to 2%.
| Item | 2026 FDD Figure |
|---|---|
| Total initial investment (Item 7) | $349,300-$840,700 |
| Initial franchise fee | $60,000 |
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales |
| Brand/marketing fund | Up to 2% of gross sales, or $200/month, whichever is higher |
| Agreement term | 10 years from opening date |
| Studios in the system | 29 franchised + 1 company-owned |
FS8 is the Pilates, tone, and yoga concept from the F45 Training family, and it sits squarely in the mid-tier of boutique fitness capital requirements. The low end undercuts Club Pilates by about $54,000; the full range is nearly identical to F45 itself. For where FS8 lands against the whole category, from budget gyms to premium studios, see our fitness franchise cost comparison.
Most people researching FS8 are really asking a different question, though: what do owners actually make? So that answer comes first.
FS8’s Item 19 reports median gross revenue of $388,541 for franchised studios over the period March 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026. The footnote that matters: only 7 franchised studios had enough operating history to be included. The 2026 FDD lists 29 franchised studios, and 24 of them opened during the latest year, so the reporting cohort is a thin slice of a very young system.
Here is how that median stacks up against the two obvious alternatives, all from 2026 FDDs:
| Brand | Item 19 Median Revenue | Reporting Studios |
|---|---|---|
| FS8 | $388,541 | 7 |
| F45 Training | $429,222 | 676 |
| Club Pilates | $978,300 | 1,005 |
Club Pilates reports on calendar-year 2025 results for its “Qualified Studios”; FS8 and F45 use March-to-February fiscal years, so the comparison is directional rather than exact.
Two readings of the FS8 number are defensible. The bearish one: the median sits below F45’s, even though F45’s figure includes hundreds of studios in a system that has been contracting since 2022. The generous one: FS8’s 7 reporting studios are early-vintage locations still ramping, and boutique studios typically build revenue over their first two to three years as membership bases compound. Both things can be true at once, which is exactly why Item 19 disclosures need to be read for sample construction as much as for the headline number.
What does $388,541 leave the owner? Franchisor fees take roughly $35,000 of it: about $27,200 in royalty and $7,770 to the marketing fund. Applying the 12-18% operating margins typical of boutique fitness (the same benchmark we apply to F45), a studio at the median produces an estimated $47,000 to $70,000 in pre-tax cash flow before debt service. That’s a modest return on $349,300+ of invested capital at today’s median. The investment case rests on studios outgrowing that figure as they mature, and on securing territory before the system fills in.
Considering FS8? The full FS8 FDD analysis covers the Item 19 tables, fee footnotes, litigation disclosures, and unit growth data in one place. Start with the free brand breakdown before you talk to the franchisor.
The 2026 Item 7 range is wide because real estate drives it. FS8 studios are compact group-fitness spaces built around low-impact circuit stations. There are no pools or full locker-room suites to build, and no cardio floor lined with treadmills, which is why the low end of the range starts under $350,000 rather than the $1 million-plus a full-service club requires.
Beyond the $60,000 franchise fee, the major Item 7 categories are leasehold improvements, equipment and studio fit-out, signage, pre-opening labor and marketing, and working capital for the ramp-up months. A studio in a secondary market with a generous tenant-improvement allowance lands near the bottom of the range. A high-rent coastal metro with a cold-shell build-out pushes toward $840,700. Before signing anything, work through the FTC’s consumer guide to buying a franchise so you know what each FDD item is legally required to disclose.
| Fee Type | Rate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 7% | Gross sales |
| Marketing fund | Up to 2%, or $200/month minimum | Gross sales |
The 7% royalty matches F45 and sits one point below Club Pilates’ 8%. Note the marketing fund’s $200 monthly floor: in the early months before membership revenue builds, you pay the flat minimum even when 2% of sales would be less. Combined ongoing fees settle around 9% of gross revenue once a studio is running at normal volume. Our guide to franchise royalty fees covers how these percentages compound against thin margins.
| Factor | FS8 | F45 Training | Club Pilates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise fee | $60,000 | $60,000 | $65,000 |
| Total investment | $349K-$841K | $362K-$858K | $403K-$1.03M |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 8% |
| Marketing fund | Up to 2% (or $200/mo) | Up to 2% | 2% |
| Item 19 median revenue | $388,541 (7 studios) | $429,222 (676 studios) | $978,300 (1,005 studios) |
| Franchised units (2026 FDD) | 29 | 708 | 1,179 |
The table frames the real decision. Club Pilates costs somewhat more and its royalty is a point higher, but its median revenue is roughly 2.5 times FS8’s on a sample of over 1,000 studios. FS8’s counterargument is territory: Club Pilates has 1,179 franchised locations and its best markets are taken, while FS8 has 29. Buying FS8 in 2026 is a bet that the concept follows the trajectory of successful boutique brands, made at a point when prime territories remain open and before the Item 19 proves it. If the whole capital band feels heavy, our roundup of fitness franchises under $200K covers lower-cost entries into the category.
FS8 was launched by F45 Training as the low-impact counterweight to F45’s high-intensity interval format. Classes run 50 minutes and rotate through circuit stations mixing Pilates, tone, and yoga work, aimed at members who want strength and mobility training without the pounding of a HIIT class. The first studio opened in Australia, the London debut came in 2022, and the U.S. flagship opened in Austin in 2024. By May 2026 the brand had passed 100 studios across 18 countries, with master franchise agreements carrying it into Europe and South Korea.
The parent company now operates as FIT (Functional Inspired Training), the house of brands built around F45 after its 2024 take-private. That lineage cuts both ways. F45 built one of the fastest studio-rollout machines in fitness history, then over-expanded, collapsed as a public company, and has logged more closures than openings in its recent FDD years. FS8 inherits the playbook and the infrastructure; whether it inherits the discipline is the question a buyer should press in validation calls. For the parent brand’s full arc, see F45 vs Orangetheory.
A 7-studio Item 19. The median could move sharply in either direction in next year’s FDD as the 24 recently opened studios accumulate a full reporting year. Underwrite against the possibility that it moves down.
System youth. Zero closures so far sounds clean, but 24 of 29 franchised studios opened in the latest year. Closure data means little until a cohort has operated through year two and three, when boutique studios historically fail or stabilize.
Item 3 litigation. The 2026 FDD discloses 5 lawsuits in Item 3. Read each one with your attorney; disclosure covers a 10-year window and includes affiliate-level matters, but for a system this young the count deserves attention.
Parent-company history. The F45 family’s 2021-2022 over-expansion is the cautionary tale for every fast-growing FIT concept. Ask the franchisor directly how FS8’s development pace is being governed differently.
FS8 fits a buyer who wants boutique fitness economics with open territory and can carry the studio through a slow ramp. It’s a poor fit for anyone who needs proven, mature unit economics on day one; Club Pilates or an established F45 resale serves that buyer better. The full FS8 FDD analysis is the place to pressure-test the numbers before you get on the phone.
The total investment for an FS8 studio ranges from $349,300 to $840,700 according to Item 7 of the 2026 FDD. That includes the $60,000 initial franchise fee plus build-out, equipment, pre-opening expenses, and working capital. Where you land in the range depends mostly on real estate: market rents, studio size, and how much landlord contribution you negotiate.
FS8's 2026 Item 19 reports median gross revenue of $388,541 for the 7 franchised studios that operated through the full measurement year (March 2025 through February 2026). Applying the 12-18% operating margins typical of boutique fitness, a studio at that median would produce roughly $47,000 to $70,000 in pre-tax owner cash flow. Treat the number cautiously: the sample is only 7 studios in a system where most locations opened within the last year.
Yes. FS8 was launched by F45 Training as a low-impact companion concept to F45's high-intensity format, and both brands now sit under the parent company operating as FIT (Functional Inspired Training). FS8 classes are 50-minute circuit sessions that mix Pilates, tone, and yoga.
FS8 charges a 7% royalty on gross sales per the 2026 FDD, plus a marketing fund contribution of up to 2% of gross sales or $200 per month, whichever is higher. Combined ongoing fees run roughly 9% of gross revenue, in line with F45 (7% plus up to 2%) and slightly below Club Pilates (8% plus 2%).
The 2026 FDD reports 30 studios in the franchise system: 29 franchised and 1 company-owned, with 24 franchised studios opened in the latest year and zero closures. Globally, FS8 announced its 100th studio across 18 countries in May 2026, with master franchise agreements covering Europe, South Korea, and other markets.
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