20 Things You Didn’t Know about Planet Fitness

There is no doubt that you have heard of Planet Fitness, even if you’ve never set foot in a gym in your life. These gyms are extremely popular and for the most part, you can usually find several of them that are operating in your particular area. One of the great things about being a member of Planet Fitness is that you can use any of their gyms, no matter where they’re located. That means if you go on vacation, all you have to do is find the nearest Planet Fitness and you can keep up your exercise routine without having it completely unraveled. That in and of itself is enough to make many people decide to purchase a membership. That being said, there might be a few things about this company that you don’t know. If you want to learn more, you can find out by reading through these 20 things about Planet Fitness that are listed below.

1. They are based on the East Coast

The company got its start on the east coast and that’s where it is still headquartered to this day. In fact, it’s based in Hampton, New Hampshire. That being said, many people consider this company more nationwide than anything else and some people even consider it a global company. They definitely have tapped into something that interests people who decide to purchase a membership there, but more will be discussed about that later on.

2. They have more facilities the most gyms

Currently, they have about 1,600 gyms that are operating. That’s far more facilities than most other gym franchises. In fact, most other franchises can’t even come close to this number. That means that in most communities, you are more than likely going to be able to find a Planet Fitness somewhere that’s close to you. Even if you live in a town that isn’t especially large, you might be able to find one. If not there, you can almost certainly find one where you work.

3. There are also gyms in five countries besides the United States

They don’t just have facilities all across the United States. Planet Fitness also has gyms operating in five other countries, namely Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Canada and Puerto Rico. That’s why some people consider this more of a global company than anything else. They definitely have a far larger reach than virtually any other business of their type, and that’s something that is definitely worth talking about.

4. They make it a point to be accepting of people that don’t routinely go to the gym

For several years, the gym has attracted people with a rather unique advertising campaign. It caters to those that don’t routinely go to the gym. In their commercials, they talk about a judgement free zone and in reality, that’s exactly how the gym is when you go there. You see people of all shapes and sizes and for the most part, everyone is able to feel comfortable regardless of whether they’ve been going to the gym their entire lives or if they’re just starting out on their journey to a healthier and more fit body. They do offer personal trainers to those that are interested, but one of the great things about this gym is that people don’t have to worry about some stranger walking up to them and telling them everything that’s wrong with her body or how they are exercising wrong. Some gyms actually do engage in these types of practices which is precisely why many people stopped buying memberships in the first place. That isn’t something that you have to worry about in this particular case.

5. They’re growing faster than any other franchise

They are so popular that they are growing much faster than any other franchise of their type. Other gyms can’t even begin to hold a candle the growth rate of Planet Fitness and that doesn’t look like anything that is going to change in the near future.

6. They’ve been around for almost 30 years

They’ve been doing business for 26 years and since day one, the gym has been catering to people that don’t routinely go to the gym in the first place. Sure, when you go there you’re going to see people that are fit and that likely work out six or even seven days a week. That being said, you also see those individuals that only work out a few times a week or maybe only come to the gym once in a while to blow off some excess stress or burn some energy. The point is, you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the way you want to handle your membership and your fitness journey and you don’t have to worry about someone telling you that you’re doing it wrong.

7. You might say this was the gym that started low-cost membership

There was a day when gym membership was so expensive that very few people could actually afford it. You can almost bet that the only individuals that were going to purchase a membership were those who practically lived there. That isn’t the case with Planet Fitness. You might even say that they started the low cost gym membership movement when the founder opened the first gym and made the prices affordable to almost everyone.

8. It all began when the company’s founder purchased just one gym

Planet Fitness might not even exist today if it hadn’t been for the company’s founder who purchased a gym that was struggling to keep the doors open and completely revamped the way that membership was handled. He started catering to people that didn’t go to the gym very often and he made the prices so affordable that almost anyone could do it with ease. The next thing you know, more gyms were popping up here and there and today, the company has grown to be what is easily the most successful gym franchise of all time.

9. Most of the gyms are independently owned

One of the things that makes this company unique is that they empower people to be successful on their own. Out of the 1,600 gyms that are currently in existence, only 58 of those are owned by the corporation. All of the others are owned by independent individuals who purchased a franchise and they get to decide how to operate their gym, under the guidance of corporate headquarters.

10. They have two membership tiers

When you join Planet Fitness, you can pay a flat fee of $10 a month and have access to all of the weight training and cardio equipment in the gym on a daily basis. If you want to kick things up a notch, you can spend about $21 a month and you get all of that plus access to tanning and massage, and you can use any Planet Fitness facility no matter where you’re at. All you have to do is walk in, show them that you are a member, and enjoy your exercise. It’s worth noting that both membership tiers offer unlimited access to fitness classes as well.

11. There is at least one gym in every state

As previously mentioned, this is one of the most popular gyms that’s ever existed. As such, you can find at least one of these facilities in every single state in the country and in most cases, you can find multiple Planet Fitness locations in one small geographic area. If you live in a major metropolitan area, you can almost bet that there are three or four of them that are close to your house and even if you’re living in a town that doesn’t have quite that population, there is probably still one close enough to you to make it work.

12. The company is heavily into corporate sponsorship

Another reason that the gym is so successful successful is because they know how to market themselves and they do it well. A while back, they actually partnered with NBC and the television show The Biggest Loser. Because of that partnership, the gym was prominently featured on virtually every episode. For anyone that wasn’t already aware of their existence, this certainly fixed that problem. It also helped people understand that they really were on board with helping people of all fitness levels and that their only concern is that you learn how to live a healthier life that works for you, not that you become a supermodel or a bodybuilder.

13. Their facilities are clean and climate controlled

If you’ve ever been to a gym that is stifling hot when you walk into it, you understand how frustrating it is to think that you’re about to do a workout and your already miserable before you even get started. Sure, there are those people that are saying that you’re going to work out and get sweaty and miserable anyway so what difference does it make? The truth is, most people aren’t working out so they can train for some type of medieval torture program. They want to be comfortable while they’re exercising and they’re less likely to come back again if they’re miserable the minute they walk through the door. The same applies to those gyms that are so dirty they make you feel like you need a decon shower when you walk out. You don’t have to worry about either one of these things at Planet Fitness.

14. They have all kinds of strength training equipment as well as cardio

They have free weights and all kinds of strength training equipment. As matter of fact, most of the facilities have so much that you might feel a little overwhelmed the first couple of times you go. The same is true for cardio. Regardless of the type of cardio exercise that you prefer, you’re going to be able to find it here.

15. Most gyms also have fitness classes

Almost all of the Planet Fitness locations also provide group fitness classes. If you prefer this type of activity to exercising alone, you can certainly find it here. In addition, they make it easy because in most cases, all you have to do is go on the website and click on a particular location in order to find out what their schedule is.

16. You can get a tan there

In addition to getting fit, you can also get a tan there. Most of the locations offer tanning booths so if you like the idea of staying tan all year long, this is a perfect way to do it and you can incorporate it with your workout routine so you’re not constantly spending your time driving back and forth to do one or the other.

17. They have massage chairs

There are few things more rewarding than a nice massage after a grueling workout. All you have to do is drop in a couple of tokens and you can enjoy one of their massage chairs, and to up the ante, most of these massage chairs are in a remote location where you can have a little bit of alone time even when the gym is busy.

18. Many of them have access to water massage

If you’ve never gotten on one of their beds that provides targeted water massage, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s an experience that everyone should have and it’s a great way to work out those sore muscles after a big day at the gym.

19. You can bring a guest everyday

One of the things that really sets this gym apart from its competition and that you can bring a guest every single day. That person doesn’t have to be a member of the gym and all they have to do to gain access is come in with you and show their ID. That’s a lot different than most gyms that force you to buy family memberships and even then, you can only allow people that are living with you to come to the gym.

20. Many of them have built-in filtered water stations

It’s not at all uncommon to see a water fountain at a gym, but a lot of the Planet Fitness facilities have filtered water stations that dispense cold water into your own personal water bottle. It’s a lot cleaner than sharing a water fountain with everybody else and it tastes better, too.

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