Some gym memberships come at a cost. Are they worth it?
It’s 2023, and the average monthly gym membership ranges from $20-$220. Reside somewhere like Los Angeles; that price could triple.
With 1/3 of Americans paying a monthly gym fee, you would assume most would use it.
But 67% of gym membership owners never walk back through the doors.
And 43.3% of those people pay less than $30 monthly.
That’s a lot of non-exercised cash.
So how do you know when going the cheap route isn’t worth it?
Learn how “cheap” gyms work.
Low-cost gyms have brilliant business models.
They all have one thing in common. Get as many members as you can to NOT WORKOUT.
You’re talking about LA Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Planet Fitness- any big box cheap AF type of place.
Their clubs thrive off the average person looking for a place to exercise. Slogans cater to the non-gym type, and facilities are inviting and approachable.
And then, WHAM- you’re paying $20-$40 a month and never going. Places like Planet Fitness bet on your unlikeliness to attend. They over-allow THOUSANDS of members, knowing their clubs’ max capacities are 300 people.
The low-cost gym’s strategies alone illustrate how they intend to waste hundreds of thousands of your precious dollars.
So if you don’t use the cheap gym, why go to an expensive one?
The Luxury gym experience began with places like Equinox but has morphed into boutique studios offering five-star workouts.
But to get the five-star experience, it’ll cost you.
The surprising part is the amount of success more expensive gyms have had despite their hefty dues.
Instead of targeting an average person (like the cheap ones do), they went after the “go-getters.”
High-end brands understood that if people got results, they would keep showing up. And pay any price.
Results, and an elevated experience, put high-cost brands at the top.
Amenities, options, and professionalism
Gyms also noticed it wasn’t just about the workout. People wanted a space to elevate their day.
Higher-cost gyms started advertising more than what you just need to work out.
They up-leveled the standards by adding pools, child care, shake bars, tennis courts, state-of-the-art equipment, and massage beds.
I once worked in a gym with a rock climbing wall. No one ever used it. But it looked cool.
They also started offering classes like spinning and yoga and access to fitness professionals like personal trainers.
Up the options so you can also- up the price.
So why are people paying $200 a month?
There are several reasons.
Number one is results.
Expensive gyms can’t afford for you not to go, so they rely on your success: the exact opposite of the budget-friendly type.
What happens when you start an effective exercise routine?
Hmm… I wonder.
(This is your shameless plug to stop complaining about late fees or policies.)
To get results, they need you to show up even when you don’t want to, hence the rules.
Something a little more taboo is one’s ability to invest in themselves.
People who pay a high price tag have skin in the game. Spend more, and you’re more likely to go. Cheap gyms hope your $20 gets lost with your keys.
Another is their specialization.
Small studios offer specific products and cater to an individual’s interest.
The first boutique-style studios included things like yoga and barre and then grew with places like SoulCycle offering nothing but spinning.
Studios provide the opportunity for the average person to become an expert. Enjoy boxing and get good at it- you’re less likely to quit.
Another is community.
The number one strategy for member retention is cultivating a family-type feel. CrossFit does a great job at this. Small spaces allow employees and gym owners to know and recognize all of their members- benefiting you and them.
Not only is it easy for staff to know members -other members know members.
Being social and friendly is possible because of the smaller spaces.
Studios like Orangetheory Fitness have specific square footage in their buildings to optimize this family-type experience.
Make friends, and they’ll help you commit and have you coming back for more.
Experts are another biggy. Fitness professionals and certified instructors work in expensive studios.
Experts provide beginner and advanced guidance and motivation. People value that one-on-one attention, and they’ll pay for it.
Boutique studios also provide more flexibility, optional no contracts, multi-club usage, and technology, and are attractive to younger generations.
My favorite perk is the class-type setting.
If you have ever experienced a banging, hard-hitting group workout, you know.
And if you haven’t, I’m sorry.
Energy in studio settings is unmatched.
And not coming up with your own quality and diverse workouts is even better.
You will never work harder than when surrounded by others, being led by people who walk the walk.
And the list goes on.
So yes, your more expensive membership might be more valuable than the cheap stuff.
It’s a shame so many gym memberships go unused, expensive or not.
And what’s expensive to you isn’t to someone else.
Cheap gyms are cheap thanks to the people that don’t go: that’s effed up.
Expensive gyms make people’s already tight budgets even tighter.
Whatever price you pay, your membership will never go to waste if you use it, enjoy it, or benefit from it.