When Bruno Perron was developing the business plan for his gym, he knew from the start that it had to include a gym lounge.
His father thought he was crazy, devoting a quarter of his space to an area that wouldn’t produce any revenue — with just a couple of tables, TVs, chairs, board games, puzzles and a free coffee bar.
“I wanted a place for members to meet,” he says now, eight years after Still Got It Fitness opened in Los Angeles. “For a lot of people, coming here and seeing each other is a highlight of their day. And it definitely helps with retention. My average retention is five years.”
Even Bruno’s father understood, as soon as the gym opened and he saw how much the members enjoyed the space.
Gym owners who are looking at ways to increase retention should consider devoting space to a gym lounge, like Bruno did.
Read “Getting Creative: 5 Unique Ways to Engage Gym Members”
Allowing your members to congregate in your gym spurs conversations and bonds that help retain clients over long periods of time.
It also keeps them in your business longer, giving you opportunities to sell supplements, smoothies, healthy snacks, branded merchandise, and more.
And in the post-Covid era, with more people working “from home,” the more you can turn your gym into a “second space” rather than a third space, the more you’re baking your business into your members’ daily lives.
More and more, gyms are building a sense of community, and a gym lounge is a great step toward doing that.
Members who feel committed to your gym community are more likely to stay in the long term. A gym lounge is the perfect setting to build that community, letting people get to know each other outside of classes and workout sessions.
This friendly environment can be especially helpful for newcomers, who might be easily intimidated.
And that gym lounge also becomes a community event space for things like member appreciation days and other parties.
Retention and Revenue
Retention is one of the biggest challenges for gym owners. Yours will improve if you give people more reasons to continue coming to your gym, even on days when they don’t particularly feel like exercising!
A gym that also serves as a social hub can significantly improve member retention.
A gym lounge improves the overall user experience, adding a homey sense that otherwise might get lost.
And members support and encourage each other in a gym lounge, which inevitably improves their results and makes them happier with their membership.
A well-designed lounge area with offerings like coffee, smoothies, and healthy snacks gives members a reason to spend more time at your gym and, in turn, spend more money.
You don’t have to do this, and it can lead to setup expenses, ongoing costs, and even local government regulation.
That’s why Bruno kept his simple, with the free coffee bar.
But by offering high-quality beverages and nutritious snacks, you can cater to members’ needs and enhance their post-workout recovery. High-protein smoothies are great after workouts. Excellent coffee is ideal for morning exercisers. A few grab-and-go snacks or prepared boxed meals can round out your offerings without too much hassle for you.
The key is to focus on health-conscious options that align with your members’ fitness goals. Offering the right products can increase the perceived value of the gym lounge and make it an essential part of your members’ experience with you.
Building a Supportive Environment
Gym culture is so important and can be a differentiating factor for fitness consumers.
A gym lounge can be inviting, compared to a sterile space where people just exercise and leave without interacting.
If your gym caters to a wide variety of members, this can give them all encouragement to mingle, share experiences and support each other.
It’s also a nice spot for their friends and family to wait. Who knows how many new members you could passively pick up like this?
The sense of community built in the gym lounge permeates throughout the entire facility, creating an environment that people want to be a part of.
And a cute area, with smart branding, can be a magnet for members and visitors to share social media posts.
A Few Things to Consider
Before you rush to renovating an area for your gym lounge, consider a few things.
First, is it right for your business model. Bruno was certain it was right for the customers he wanted to attract, knowing many of them needed a place to find a social connection.
Maybe yours just want to get in, use the equipment without talking to anyone, and get out. You’re the expert there.
A gym lounge also will require some capital to start, of course. So, consider budget along with costs, like equipment, appliances, remodeling and any necessary permits.
It could have ongoing expenses, depending on how complicated you want to make your offerings. You could sell a few prepared protein drinks and healthy snacks, or have a bar staffed to make smoothies to order and maybe even sandwiches… It’s up to you.
Just make sure this all fits into your overall business model, culture and values, and that it’s appealing to the right people for the right reasons. No one will want to hang out if they feel like it’s just a money grab.
You also want to be careful about creating something that will take up too much staff time or dilute your gym’s brand.
In Conclusion: It Could Be a Great Idea for You
To review, let’s remember to consider your business model first. What kind of gym do you want to be? Who are your ideal members? How do you want to help them reach their goals?
If a gym lounge can serve all of that, then you’ll need to think about how elaborate or how simple you want to keep it.
There’s not a right or wrong answer, although it never hurts to start simple and add expense and complexity after you’ve proven the value of the concept.
If you have an area big enough for a small table, chairs, healthy drinks and snacks, and a comfortable environment, then try it. See how people like the idea. We’ve heard of gym owners who were surprised and delighted when their gym lounge took on a life of its own.
Serve your members and you can’t go wrong. A gym lounge could be a great way to build community and drive up your retention rates.
Learn more ways to improve retention, grow your business, and hire the right people — all with our free Fitness Business Boost Bundle.