Buying Back the Day:
RTR Pilates Makes Subbing “Practically Invisible” Across 8+ Studios
RTR Pilates, a 19-year leader in reformer Pilates across the DC metro, outgrew a manual SurveyMonkey subbing workflow that demanded constant tending and still produced errors. With NetGym, the team flipped to automated, instructor-friendly subbing, centralized comms, and actionable visibility… protecting “giver” instructors from burnout and giving leadership the time and headspace to scale with confidence.
Studio Overview
- Business Type: Growing Multi-Location
- Modalities: Reformer Pilates
- Locations: 8 Across Washington, DC Metro Area (3 more in development)
- Years in Business: 19
- Instructors/Staff: 85+
- Scheduling System: Mariana Tek
More about RTR Pilates:
Founded by Raina Offutt, RTR Pilates has grown from a one-woman studio to eight locations (with three more underway), offering ~500 classes per week and running its own instructor training program. The brand focuses on high-touch member experiences and building long-term instructor careers.
The Challenge Before NetGym
As RTR scaled, the old subbing setup created friction, fatigue, and a “scale tax.”
Survey Spiral:
Weekly SurveyMonkey lists needed constant creation, pruning, and monitoring so ten people didn’t grab the same class, “kind of a full-time job between a couple of people” and still error-prone.
Potential of Human Error:
Too many human touches led to mix-ups (wrong studio, wrong class, “that’s not what I picked”), creating unnecessary back-and-forth and schedule volatility.
Unpersonalized Outreach:
Instructors saw every sub for every location, including studios 45 minutes away, making it harder to engage with the requests that actually fit their lives.
Burnout of the Best:
Without visibility, “givers” carried the load while “takers” slipped under the radar. Morale suffered, and top instructors considered scaling back.
High Scaling Costs:
Opening more studios would have meant adding more admin bodies, without actually solving consistency.
Managing subs felt like a full-time job for multiple people. The inefficiencies were unsustainable.
We implemented NetGym in about a week and a half. After the switch, subbing became practically invisible to me… it just works.
Reina Offutt
President/Owner, RTR Pilates
Why RTR Pilates Chose NetGym
RTR needed a system that matched its professional brand, protected instructors, and scaled as they migrated from Mindbody to Mariana Tek, without piling on training overhead. NetGym’s simple rollout, seamless MT sync, and fairness-driven visibility made the decision easy.
01 Centralized, Personalized Subbing
Instructors see only relevant opportunities (location, timing, preferences) and submit/accept subs in a few taps; approvals auto-update.
02 Automated Reminders & Confirmations
Smart notifications reduce forgotten assignments and last-minute scrambles.
03 Communication Hub
One branded place for announcements and updates—no more chasing threads across Slack/WhatsApp.
04 Fairness & Insight (“Sub-Karma”)
RTR can spot imbalance (e.g., requested 26 hours off vs. only 3 hours subbed) to protect givers and coach takers.
05 Seamless Integration with Mariana Tek
Class changes and sub updates sync cleanly.
Results That Matter
Admin Hours Reclaimed
What took multiple people weekly is now minutes. Leadership “bought back” time to focus on growth.
Consistent, Happier Classes
The right instructor, the right studio, the right time, coverage stabilized and weekend dread disappeared.
Balanced, Healthier Culture
Visibility into sub-karma curbed burnout and rewarded the behavior that sustains community.
Scaling Without Headcount
Opening new locations no longer means hiring more back-office staff.
Owner Peace of Mind
After 17 years of being deep in sub ops, Raina now has confidence without micromanaging.
The Bigger Impact
With NetGym in place, RTR Pilates runs with clarity and confidence. What once required constant oversight now happens seamlessly, freeing leadership to focus on people, not paperwork. Instructors feel supported, schedules run smoothly, and the business can expand without adding administrative strain. For Raina, the shift isn’t just operational, it’s cultural. “If you’re going to add studios, you don’t add man hours, which is nice,” she said. “Now we can invest that energy back into our instructors and the experience that keeps members coming back.”
