A private session request is a student asking for one-on-one (or small private group) time with you. It is different from a regular class booking; the student is requesting custom scheduling and pricing, not booking an existing slot.
How students see it
If you have enabled "Accept private session requests" in your settings, your profile shows a "Request a private session" CTA. Students click it and fill out a form:
- What they are looking for (yoga, pilates, specific focus).
- Their experience level.
- Preferred dates / times.
- Preferred location (or "I will come to you" / "you come to me" / "neutral venue").
- Number of people (if a small group).
- Anything else they want you to know.
You receive an email with the request. The thread continues in your inquiries inbox at /mentor/inquiries.
How you respond
You have three options:
1. Decline
Send a polite "thanks but not currently available" message. Recommended if:
- You are fully booked.
- The request is for a modality you do not teach.
- The scheduling does not work.
You do not need to provide a detailed reason; a brief "thank you, I am not able to take this on" is fine.
2. Accept and turn into a one-off class
Create a private one-off class with the agreed-upon date, time, location, and price. Send the student the class URL; they book it like any other class.
This routes payment through the platform (Stripe or your manual methods) and gives you both a booking record. Recommended for most cases.
3. Accept and handle off-platform
You and the student arrange directly: cash on the day, Venmo, etc. The platform stays out of the money flow.
Some mentors prefer this for established regulars. The tradeoff: no booking record, no platform support if things go wrong.
Pricing private sessions
Generally 1.5-3x your regular per-seat class price for one-on-one. The math:
- A regular class is your time, but you teach 6-10 students simultaneously.
- A private session is your time for ONE student (or a small group).
- The per-hour value is much higher for private.
Common ranges:
- 60-minute private yoga: $80-150.
- 90-minute private yoga: $120-200.
- 60-minute private pilates: $100-180 (equipment-heavy modalities trend higher).
- Sound healing private session: $150-250.
These vary enormously by city, mentor reputation, and modality. Look at peer mentors in your city for calibration.
For small groups (2-4 people, "semi-private"), price between your regular per-seat and your one-on-one rate.
Logistics
Location:
For privates at your venue, use one of your existing locations. For privates at the student's home, you specify in the class detail page that the address is the student's home (do not list a public address; just "at student's home, address shared on confirmation"). For neutral venues (parks, public studios), use the venue address.
Cancellation policy:
Privates typically use a stricter policy than group classes. The student is paying premium for your dedicated time; a last-minute cancel costs you a billable hour.
Common: 48-hour or 72-hour cancellation window. Anything inside the window forfeits the session.
Materials:
If you require equipment the student does not have (mat, props), include a rental fee or specify in the description.
The inquiries dashboard
/mentor/inquiries shows all inquiries (private session requests + general mentor inquiries) in a unified inbox. Filter by status:
- New: not yet responded to.
- In progress: you have replied, awaiting student.
- Booked: converted into a booking.
- Declined: you said no or the conversation died.
- Spam: not legitimate.
Each inquiry has:
- The student's name and email.
- The request body.
- The reply thread.
- Action buttons: reply, decline, mark spam, mark booked.
Replies via the inbox go to the student as email (from support@movementors.com with Reply-To set to the student). The student replies to that email and the reply lands back in your inbox.
Response time
Students judge responsiveness. Industry benchmark for marketplaces like this: response within 24 hours.
The dashboard surfaces a small "response time" metric (median response time over the last 30 days). It is not public, but consistently slow responses correlate with fewer inquiries converted to bookings.
Turning a regular student into a private regular
A few patterns:
- A student attends multiple group classes. Mention privates in passing at the end of class.
- A student asks a specific question (deeper hip-opening, etc) that group classes cannot address. Offer privates as a path.
- A student is recovering from injury and needs modified sequencing. Privates are the right format.
Most private regulars start as group regulars. Group classes are the funnel.
Common questions
Can a private session be a recurring weekly slot? Yes. Set up a regular private class with capacity 1, recurring weekly, attached to a single student via the inquiry conversion. Some mentors do this for long-term private clients.
Can I block off times when I am not available for privates? Not granularly. The inquiry form asks for the student's preferred dates; you reply with what you can offer. If you have no availability, decline.
Can I cap the number of privates per week? Not natively. Self-regulate by accepting / declining inquiries.
Will my Stripe Connect handle private session payments differently? No. A private session is just a class with capacity 1. Same payment flow.
Next steps
- Managing bookings covers what happens after a private session is booked.
- Pricing and add-ons goes into pricing strategy.