The Business Case for Swim Programs in Fitness & Wellness Facilities

SafeSplash explains its highly lucrative, pluggable program that sets partners up for sustainable success

An empty swimming pool doesn’t just mean fewer cannonballs and quieter summers. It’s lost membership revenue, low ROI on space and a missed opportunity to connect with consumers all year round. 

SafeSplash, the largest U.S. network of swim schools for children and adults, knows the challenges firsthand.

“Operators across the country tell us pools have quietly become some of the most expensive square footage in their facilities,” said Chris Harkness, president of SafeSplash. “They require significant investment to heat, maintain and staff, yet many are still underutilized for large portions of the day. At the same time, the demand for swim lessons continues to grow as parents increasingly prioritize water safety and look for trusted, year-round programs for their children.”

As an organization focused on keeping people afloat, SafeSplash knew it wouldn’t be right to let these struggling operations sink. Accordingly, the brand features a hosted franchising model that empowers operators to host SafeSplash swim schools featuring the company’s curriculum, marketing, technology, staffing guidance and customer acquisition assistance. 

In turn, it fills those empty pools with consumers, and operator budgets with fresh capital. 

While the hosted model is a major growth opportunity for SafeSplash, it is not the brand’s only path to market. SafeSplash also operates dedicated brick-and-mortar swim schools and works with franchisees who build freestanding locations from the ground up. But as access to pool space becomes one of the biggest barriers in aquatics, hosted partnerships have become a powerful way to expand reach faster by activating existing water and bringing structured swim programming into communities that already have the facility infrastructure in place.

“SafeSplash brings the curriculum, training systems, brand recognition and the leadership support to run the program inside the partner facility,” Harkness said. “The operator provides the water and the foot traffic; we provide the engine.”

Doing the Heavy Lifting

The need for a model like SafeSplash’s stems from a hard, yet simple truth: running a swim school is difficult work. Securing proven curriculum, trained instructors, scheduling systems, parent communication tools, water safety protocols and marketing support all fall on the operators, which are often already burdened by all the tasks required to keep the facility running.

“Plus, experienced aquatics talent can be difficult to find,” Harkness added. “There are a lot of moving pieces behind the scenes that people don’t always see.”

Covering those complexities begins with SafeSplash’s education program — designed by a team of champion swimmers with more than 30 years of experience. The curriculum takes members through clear benchmarks to ensure progression and alignment with specialized safety protocols.

SafeSplash also develops marketing campaigns it pushes out to owners, reducing the time and effort otherwise required to develop strategies in-house. On the tech side, it provides a suite of tools that automate communications, and a self-service app where members can enroll and reschedule lessons. 

“From a business standpoint, this is structured as a partnership rather than another program a facility has to build and manage on its own,” Harkness said. “Operators gain a professionally run swim program, national brand credibility and a recurring revenue opportunity without having to take on the complexity of building a swim school from scratch.”

Nobody Likes to Dive in Alone 

SafeSplash can attest that swim schools differ from other fitness programs in how they draw membership commitments from entire families rather than single individuals. Naturally, that creates compounding revenue opportunities.

“Swim lessons are one of the few programs that consistently bring the entire household into a facility on a regular basis,” Harkness said. “A parent who signs their four-year-old up for lessons is suddenly in your building dozens of times a year, and while they’re there, they may be using the locker rooms, grabbing a coffee, fitting in a workout or bringing siblings along. It creates a very different relationship than a single-member fitness pass.”

The progression-based programming sparks an above-average retention rate and enhanced engagement as well.

“Once a child starts making progress in a structured curriculum, parents really don’t want to disrupt that momentum,” Harkness said. “Once a child is gaining confidence in the water, families become invested in that journey.” 

Harkness expects that advantage to only increase as the industry evolves and becomes more competitive. 

“In an industry where retention matters so much, that consistency and loyalty can be incredibly valuable,” he said. “The facilities that stand out over the next several years will be the ones that find ways to turn existing assets into experiences people truly build routines around.”

A Pathway for Growth

SafeSplash’s imprint on a facility can also create a foundation for long-term growth. While many hosted partnerships are designed to thrive inside existing gyms, the model can also serve as an entry point for franchisees who see enough demand to eventually expand into dedicated SafeSplash swim school locations. The brand has seen partners begin in a hosted setting and later open brick-and-mortar schools after experiencing the demand for structured, year-round swim programming firsthand.

“Structured swim programming can start as a way to activate underutilized pool space, but over time it can become a larger driver of engagement, growth and community connection,” Harkness said. “The hosted model presents a tremendous upside for the gym or wellness center.” 

Whether it’s doubling down like those partners, or just getting started with the hosted model, Harkness argues the time to invest in swim-based fitness is now. Doing so will position facilities advantageously in the future, not only due to the aforementioned retention and engagement factors, but the consumer interest in differentiated offerings. 

“Facilities are working harder than ever to create experiences that members can’t easily find elsewhere,” Harkness said. “Many traditional offerings have become table stakes, which means operators are looking for programs that build deeper engagement and create a stronger point of differentiation. Aquatics is one of the few areas that can do both.” 

SafeSplash is seeking fitness and wellness facilities partners that wish to partner on the Hosted model. Whether through becoming a SafeSplash franchisee and operating the swim school within your existing pool, or offering your pool to an existing SafeSplash franchisee, SafeSplash is there to help you take advantage of your underutilized pool and turn it into an engine for growth and retention. Contact [email protected] or visit SafeSplash franchise page.