Gold’s Gym SoCal Embraces the Future of Fitness
With content creator rooms, turf spaces and recovery rooms, Gold’s Gym locations in Southern California are getting major makeovers
Gold’s Gym Thousand Oaks has undergone a substantial renovation catering to the evolving needs of fitness consumers, incorporating new equipment, unveiling a new Posing Room for fitness content creators and debuting an exclusive private Escape Fitness Room for more reserved gym goers.
When the opportunity to expand the Thousand Oaks gym’s upper level by 20,000 square feet presented itself, Gold’s Gym SoCal, a franchise group that owns 23 locations in the Southern California area, pounced at the chance — with plans to revamp additional locations in due time.
“In the Southern California market alone, which has 23 health clubs in total, Gold’s Gym has approximately another ten clubs that will be remodeled and re-equipped while reinvesting $15M in those clubs over the next 30 months or so,” shared Brian Morris, senior vice president of Gold’s Gym SoCal.
Seeing a growing demand for Gold’s Gym memberships, particularly in a post-pandemic environment, Morris called it a “no-brainer” to expand and enhance the Thousand Oaks location.
“We want to ensure we react to the needs of our communities and grow our spaces accordingly,” he said. “We also used this moment to bring our entire club up to speed with what consumers are demanding today, which is the crème de la crème of fitness equipment and sleek, spacious settings.”
Inside the Remodel
In addition to its indoor lap pool, the Thousand Oaks Gold’s Gym location now has an expanded weight section, a group workout room, a new turf zone with functional training equipment, an outdoor fitness area and the latest equipment from Life Fitness, Freemotion and Gym80.
With fitness influencers continuing to carve out notoriety on social media, the Gold’s Gym SoCal’s Posing Rooms allow amateur and professional gym goers to create content in private.
In this respect, Gold’s Gym SoCal is ahead of its time. Morris noted it’s one of the club’s heritage trademarks that began at its Venice gym in 1965. Gold’s Gym SoCal plans to eventually implement the immensely popular creator content rooms in all of its clubs.
While content creators have a special space of their own, Gold’s Gym was also mindful of fitness enthusiasts hoping to avoid the crowds with a new Escape Fitness Room, which offers a more secluded yet fitness-serious zone bathed in serene blue mood lighting.
“Our dedication to creating a great member experience for every workout led to the creation of The Escape Room,” Morris said. “We wanted to create something fun and new to keep members engaged and excited for their gym sessions. The Escape Room is state of the art with top-of-the-line equipment, which allows us to provide our top-tier members with a first-class fitness experience in a more private environment.”
Trends To Watch
Looking ahead, Morris predicts the fitness industry will continue to see a rise in heavy-weight training for all ages and fitness levels, along with another form of strength training.
“Body weight training continues to be on-trend, as it provides options for all endurance levels or those wanting to tailor their sessions for lower impact routines,” he said.
Morris also noted a surge in demand for open-area fitness spaces, indicating that some future renovations will entail repurposing space used for swimming pools and other gym equipment into open fitness areas.
“As a mainstay in Southern California’s fitness scene, we will keep leading the way for 2024,” Morris said. “By having the most up-to-date equipment, programs and products, as well as best-in-class trainers and instructors to lead the charge, we will continue meeting people where they are in their fitness journeys.”
