CorePower Yoga Instructor Pay: What Teachers Actually Earn

Key Takeaways

• CorePower instructor pay averages $20–$27 per hour for most teachers, significantly below the $30–$75 per class industry standard and well under premium brands like Equinox that start at $60–$80 per class.
• Settlement pattern without structural reform: CorePower has paid nearly $3 million to settle four wage theft lawsuits since 2017, including a $1.5 million settlement in 2019 covering 2,180 instructors, without fundamentally changing its compensation model.
• December 2025 unionization campaign launched with a MoveOn.org petition demanding $30/hour base pay, benefits for part-time instructors, and reforms to unpaid prep work, signaling strikes in New York and Washington, D.C.
• Expanding duties without pay increases: Instructors report being asked to teach, manage front desks, clean studios, and handle opening/closing duties while compensation remains at entry-level rates as low as $14–$21/hour in some markets.
• Benefits gap: Only full-time corporate staff receive 401(k), health insurance, and PTO; the majority of part-time instructors receive only a free membership for teaching two weekly classes, with instructors recently asked to pay $2 per shift to rent towels.
• Private equity ownership context: CorePower generates over $100 million in annual revenue and is backed by L Catterton, the LVMH-affiliated firm whose portfolio includes Equinox, SoulCycle, and ClassPass, reflecting broader boutique fitness consolidation trends.

What CorePower Instructors Actually Earn

CorePower Yoga instructor compensation shows a dramatic range depending on geography, experience, and role type. The median hourly rate for yoga instructors at CorePower sits at $27 per hour in major markets like Los Angeles and New York City, with a range of $22–$33 per hour. However, recent instructor submissions show entry-level rates as low as $14–$21 per hour across various markets, while experienced teachers in higher-cost cities earn $26–$32 per hour.

Specialized formats command higher rates. Yoga Sculpt instructors at CorePower report an estimated average of $50 per hour, with top earners reaching $85 per hour at the 90th percentile. Yet these higher figures represent outliers rather than typical instructor experience, and the published averages often conflate full-time corporate staff salaries with per-class hourly rates paid to the majority of teaching staff.

This compensation structure places CorePower significantly below industry benchmarks. Most US yoga studios pay $30–$75 per group class, with new teachers and gym-based classes at the low end and experienced teachers in major cities earning the higher amounts. Premium brands demonstrate even wider gaps: at Equinox, base class pay starts around $60 to $80 per class.

The Pattern of Settlements Without Structural Change

CorePower's compensation practices have generated repeated legal challenges centered on unpaid work. In April 2019, CorePower agreed to pay $1,492,500 to settle allegations brought by a class of 2,180 yoga instructors who claimed they were not paid for essential job duties including preparing to teach classes, developing sequences, compiling music playlists, communicating with customers, and reading work-related emails.

This 2019 settlement represented the fourth lawsuit around employee underpayment against the company. In 2017, CorePower settled a class action for $1.65 million regarding employee compensation for extra hours of work outside the studio, settling without admitting liability. Across these cases, CorePower has paid nearly $3 million in settlements without fundamentally altering its pay structure or addressing the underlying classification of instructor prep work as unpaid time.

The structural issue remains: instructors describe being paid for only the 60 minutes of class time while spending 30 minutes before and after each class on required duties. One instructor told Labor Wise she was paid $20 to teach a yoga sculpt class, which entailed creating the class sequence, developing the playlist, memorizing the choreography, arriving 30 minutes early, and staying 30 minutes afterward for cleanup and student questions.

December 2025 Unionization Push and Strike Plans

A fresh unionization campaign began in December 2025 with current and former CorePower instructors launching a MoveOn.org petition and signaling organized activity in New York and Washington, D.C. The campaign represents a renewed effort following years of individual complaints and legal settlements that failed to produce lasting change.

Organizers are demanding $30 per hour base compensation for instructors, $20 per hour for cleaners, and studios to be deep cleaned a minimum of four times per year. The petition directed to CorePower CEO Niki Leondakis calls for better representation of racial diversity on staff, reform of the pay structure to include a fair minimum wage with periodic growth bonuses, secure benefits including health insurance and accrued paid time off for all instructors regardless of hours worked, and maternity and paternity leave.

The timing follows a pattern in boutique fitness labor organizing. One month after CorePower's 2019 acquisition by private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners, over 1,500 instructors joined what became the major wage theft lawsuit. The company, which operates more than 220 locations across 23 states and generates over $100 million in annual revenue, represents the largest yoga studio brand in the United States.

Company Response: Recent Raises and Their Limitations

CorePower implemented wage increases in 2025 following organizing pressure. According to union organizers, CorePower's base pay for brand new 200-hour registered yoga teachers was $25, but after organizers talked to hundreds of instructors, the company increased base pay to $30 and $35 depending on experience, with per-head bonuses for larger classes.

Individual instructors saw modest improvements: a New York-area teacher reported her hourly wage increasing from $20 to $25, while an LA-based instructor's rate jumped from $18.30 to $20.58. CorePower stated it introduced a new compensation model in which all teachers received a raise averaging 11 percent, with all instructors earning above minimum wage and a transparent roadmap to wage progression based on lifetime classes taught, weekly class commitment, and performance bonuses.

Yet instructor sentiment suggests these adjustments have not addressed fundamental economic concerns. CorePower Yoga employees working as instructors have given the company a compensation and benefits rating of 1.9 out of 5 stars based on 111 Glassdoor ratings. Instructor reviews describe pay as "offensive," noting that free classes do not compensate for the absence of a living wage.

The Benefits Gap and Expanding Job Duties

CorePower's benefits structure creates a sharp divide between corporate staff and teaching instructors. Only full-time corporate employees access 401(k) plans, health insurance, and paid time off. Part-time instructors, who represent the majority of the workforce, typically receive only a free membership after teaching two weekly classes, with employee discounts of 30 percent off retail merchandise and occasional 40 percent off promotions.

The scope of instructor responsibilities has expanded without corresponding pay increases. A group of current and former CorePower instructors report that across studios, instructors are being asked to teach, run front desks, clean studios and equipment, manage facilities, and handle opening or closing duties alone, often in early morning or late evening shifts. Recent policy changes have asked instructors to pay $2 per shift to rent a towel, a detail that has become symbolic of the gap between company revenue and instructor compensation.

The expanded duties occur within a broader boutique fitness consolidation trend. Boutique fitness now commands nearly half of the U.S. fitness market, and private equity firms completed more than 70 mergers and acquisitions in the sector in 2024 alone. L Catterton, the LVMH-backed firm whose portfolio includes CorePower Yoga, Equinox, SoulCycle, and ClassPass, acquired Solidcore for up to $700 million in 2024, demonstrating the capital flowing into the sector even as instructor wages remain compressed.

What This Means for Studio Operators

Editorial analysis, not reported fact:

CorePower's compensation trajectory presents studio operators with a case study in the risks of sustained wage suppression. The company has absorbed nearly $3 million in legal settlements, weathered multiple organizing campaigns, and continues to face reputational challenges in instructor recruitment markets. Independent and regional studio operators competing for teaching talent should note that CorePower's sub-industry compensation, repeated legal exposure, and active union organizing create opportunities for studios offering better economics and working conditions to attract experienced instructors.

The December 2025 organizing push signals that instructors are increasingly willing to demand structural changes rather than accept incremental raises. Studio operators who proactively address unpaid prep time, offer transparent wage progression tied to experience and performance, and extend benefits to part-time instructors position themselves as employers of choice in a tightening talent market. The private equity consolidation context matters: independent studios can differentiate by demonstrating that mission-driven values extend to instructor compensation, not just marketing language.

For operators considering their own pay structures, the CorePower data provides clear benchmarks to exceed: $30+ per class for experienced teachers, paid prep time or inclusive hourly rates that account for required pre- and post-class work, and a benefits package that includes at minimum health insurance contributions and accrued PTO for instructors teaching a consistent weekly schedule. The gap between CorePower's $20–$27 instructor rates and Equinox's $60–$80 starting rates shows the range of compensation models in the market. Studios that position themselves in the middle to upper portion of that range, combined with better working conditions, gain a meaningful competitive advantage in instructor retention and studio culture.

Sources & Further Reading

• CorePower Yoga instructor hourly pay data on Glassdoor, including geographic variations and role-specific compensation ranges
• Yoga Journal coverage of the 2026 CorePower teacher strike plans, organizer demands, and company response to unionization efforts
• HR Dive report on CorePower's $1.5 million wage and hour settlement, covering the 2019 class action and unpaid work allegations
• Defector's investigative feature on the CorePower unionization campaign, including instructor testimonials and private equity ownership context
• Fast Company analysis of boutique fitness labor dynamics, examining private equity consolidation and instructor compensation trends
• Labor Wise feature on CorePower's labor practices, detailing unpaid prep work and expanding job duties without wage increases

Editorial coverage of publicly reported industry developments. Yoga Studio Insider has no commercial relationship with any companies named. Compensation data compiled from Glassdoor, instructor reports, and court filings as of October 2026.