Skip to Content

29 Best Gym Franchises [Cost, Fees]

Do you want to start a gym business by buying a franchise? If YES, here are 29 best profitable gym franchise opportunities for sale and their cost. Everyone wants to stay firm and fit, and this is what drives the success of the gym and fitness center industry. With the increased concerns over obesity and rising health care costs, people are seeking cheaper and more effective ways to take care of their health in order to prevent avoidable health problems.

It is a fact that nearly 61 million Americans have a gym or health club membership, a number that has been growing steadily since 2012, and nearly half of them belong to a niche boutique or sport-specific facility such as the spinning, kickboxing, and barre workout studios that have been popping up everywhere.

The specific amount a consumer pays for a membership depends on the chain, but it ranges from as little as $10 to as much as $200 or more per month, with an average monthly cost of just under $60. This is where the majority of your profits would come from as a gym and fitness center franchisee. The more members you have, the better for your fledgling business.

With more and more people working out today, entrepreneurs who want to ride this wave to success now have a whole array of different franchises in the industry to choose from. Some of them include;

29 Best Gym Franchise Opportunities for Sale and Their Cost

  1. World Gym International

For more than forty years, World Gym has been at the epicenter of the modern fitness scene with the goal of creating fitness enthusiasts who want to be fitter, healthier, and stronger. The company is on the look out for high net worth individuals and multi-unit area developers who can buy their franchise.

World Gym has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover just equipment, though they offer a speedy turn around time.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $762,200 – $3,212,500
  • Net-worth Requirement – $250,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $100,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $25,000 – $25,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – $1K/mo.
  1. The Little Gym Int’l.

After teaching grade school in public schools for years, Robin Wes used his physical education, psychology and motor development degrees to open The Little Gym in 1976. Although it started out focusing on physical education, the program has evolved to focus on children’s intellectual and social development as well.

Today Little Gym offers programs for various age levels, including Parent & Child, Developmental Gymnastics, Karate and Sports Skills Development. Franchises also hold birthday parties, summer camps, Creative Crafts Adventures and Parent’s Survival Nights.

The Little Gym Int’l. has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover startup costs, equipment and inventory.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $181,450 – $431,500
  • Net-worth Requirement – $150,000 – $200,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $75,000 – $100,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $49,500 – $49,500
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 8%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1%
  • Veteran Incentives – 50% off franchise fee
  1. UFC Gym

Have you gotten tired of the treadmill, the stair machine and other basic fitness machines and are ready to try something new? Then maybe it is time to try UFC Gym. UFC GYM uses mixed martial arts, personal training, specialized equipment and attention to healthy eating to help customers reach their fitness goals.

This fitness center appeals to all ages as it provides a full range of group fitness classes, private coaching, personal and group dynamic training, plus MMA-style youth programs. UFC GYM is the largest boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts franchise network in the world, with almost 150 open locations in the United States and Australia, and they are still expanding to reach other territories.

Financial Requirements

  • Minimum Cash Required – $350,000
  • Total Investment – $706,057 – $1,465,057
  • Net Worth Required – $1,000,000
  1. Gold’s Gym

Gold’s Gym is a bodybuilders training center that was first opened in Venice, California in 1965. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie “Pumping Iron” focused on Gold’s Gym, propelling it into the spotlight in 1975. Gold’s Gym has been franchising since 1980. In addition to running health club facilities, franchisees sell Gold’s Gym licensed apparel through their Pro Shops.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $2,218,250 – $5,000,500
  • Net-worth Requirement – $1,000,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $400,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $40,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  • Veteran Incentives – 20% off franchise fee
  1. GymGuyz

GymGuyz is a home personal training franchise company that focuses on individualized, one-on-one fitness, group sessions, and corporate fitness. They offer a wide range of services, including weight loss, body sculpting, weight training, therapeutic/athletic stretch, senior fitness, obstacle course training, kickboxing, pre- and post-natal exercise, and more. They aim to provide convenient, customized, and creative workouts to their clients.

GymGuyz was founded in 2008 and started franchising in 2013. They currently have 125 existing franchise units. If you want to become a GymGuyz franchisee, you’ll need an initial upfront investment between $56,072 and $122,482. Their ongoing fees include a 6 percent royalty fee and a 2 percent ad fee. The initial contract agreement term is 10 years.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $56,072 – $121,673
  • Net-worth Requirement – $100,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $50,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $35,000 – $45,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. The Gravity Vault

The Gravity Vault (formerly Rock Climbing Franchising) is an indoor rock-climbing wall gym concept in an environment that welcomes everyone — young and old, big and small, novice and expert. The chain wants every person who walks through its doors to believe that “new heights can always be reached in all aspects of life.”

Founded by Lucas Kovalcik and Tim Walsh in Upper Saddle River, NJ, the pair spent a number of years honing their model before opening franchise locations in NJ, PA, and NY. Founded in 2005 and franchising since 2012, the number of locations currently stands at four, two of which are company-owned.

  1. Iron Tribe

Iron Tribe Fitness offers high intensity fitness training in small group settings. For those interested in becoming franchisees, the company currently has several different territories open for development. And Iron Tribe Fitness also provides training and support.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $300,000 – $433,500
  • Net-worth Requirement – $250,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $50,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $42,000 – $42,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1%
  1. Outlaw FitCamp

This is a fun fitness franchise, where friends become family, and personal health and happiness make profitable partners. Their Fitcamps are led by professional personal trainers who challenge members to meet and exceed their fitness goals. Outlaw FitCamp is a personalized experience in a small group training environment.

If you believe in a healthy lifestyle and have a desire to help others, then their functional interval training (FIT) system will help you help your members. Their unique FitCamp system has helped thousands of their members lose pounds and inches, become more fit, and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

Financial Requirements

  • Franchise Fee – $22,500
  • Total investment – $143,500 to $262,000
  1. Physique 57

Physique 57 is a barre fitness company that operates full-service exercise studios in the United States, Thailand, India, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and the UAE. The studio offerings are complemented by fitness retail boutiques and a global video-on-demand platform.

Physique 57 is committed to sculpting bodies and changing lives with challenging, invigorating and empowering barre-based workouts. In 2005, Jennifer Maanavi and Tanya Becker joined forces to create Physique 57, the world’s best results-driven barre fitness program. Driven by their passion for empowering women’s bodies and minds, they committed to making their innovative workout accessible to women worldwide.

Physique 57 devotees soon discovered astonishing results with the magic formula of ballet-inspired movement, cardio, and strength training. Physique 57’s proprietary technique accelerates building lean muscle, melting inches and increasing your metabolic rate exponentially, leaving you feeling invigorated and energized.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $272,037 – $603,551
  • Net-worth Requirement – $500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $270,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $50,000 – $50,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 7%
  1. Blitz 45

Blitz 45 is known to have taken two of the top industry trends: Group training and Personal Training and blended them into one, thus creating a unique and exciting Functional Training studio. No experience or training is necessary prior to becoming a franchisee with the company.

The company provides all the necessary tools and training you will need. At Blitz 45, every workout is a new experience; they never repeat the same programs which makes for exciting and fun workouts that produce great results. Their classes are energized and coached by a qualified Blitz 45 trainer.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $49,500-$89,500
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $10,000
  • Royalty Fee: 0%
  • Advertising Fee: 0%
  1. Jazzercise Inc.

While teaching traditional jazz dance classes in Evanston, Illinois, in 1969, Judi Sheppard Missett turned her students away from the mirrors and started a “just for fun” class that incorporated dance moves to provide aerobic exercise.

After moving to Southern California, she started training other instructors in the Jazzercise program in 1977. Six years later, the company began franchising. Now Jazzercise’s CEO, she continues to teach weekly Jazzercise classes and choreograph new dance routines.

Based in Carlsbad, California, Jazzercise’s instructors teach its total-body conditioning program to almost half a million participants each year in the United States and more than 30 other countries. Jazzercise instructors are trained and certified before becoming franchised.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $2,405 – $17,155
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $1,250 – $1,250
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 20%
  1. The Bar Method

The Bar Method workout routine is designed to provide a safe and challenging exercise that uses your own body weight for resistance along with a few basic props such as free weights, mats, and exercise balls. The classes are appropriate for all levels, ranging from 45 to 60 minutes. The Bar Method technique was created under the guidance of physical therapists, making it safe even for those with physical limitations and injuries.

The Bar Method, an independently owned exercise studio chain, has spread so quickly across the country for one simple reason: it works. The patented Bar Method exercise program is so called because it utilizes a fixed bar, such as those affixed to the walls of dance studios, to formulate exercise routines that target areas of the body for muscle shaping.

The result is a one-hour, total-body workout that sculpts people’s bodies for a lean, toned look and feel. The Bar Method has attracted countless fans, including many celebrities, such as Drew Barrymore, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tori Spelling, Zooey Deschanel, Denise Richards and others.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid capital required – $35,000
  • Investment $156,750 – $764,750
  • Franchise fee – $35,000
  1. Fitwall

Fitwall is distinguished by its Fitwall apparatus, a unique piece of equipment that allows standard bodyweight exercises to be performed in a rigorous vertical training program in the chain’s tech-savvy studios. Fitwall makes all parts of the body work together as a unit to create stronger, sleeker, more functional bodies.

The workout challenges the human body in more intelligent ways than traditional fitness techniques, blending strength, cardio, and flexibility training, all guided by expert coaches in 40-minute group sessions that also include floor-based exercises and resistance bands for comprehensive workouts.

Private and semi-private personal training options are also available. Founded in 2013 and franchising since 2014, the number of locations currently stands at six, two of which are company-owned.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $310,600 – $626,200
  • Net-worth Requirement – $750,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $200,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $45,000 – $45,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. Retro Fitness

Retro Fitness gyms feature cardio equipment, circuit training equipment, movie theaters that play ’80’s films for entertainment, weights, personal training, tanning, group fitness, a Retro Blends smoothie bar, supplements, and chiropractic services.

Retro Fitness was founded by Eric Casaburi in 2002 and it began franchising in 2006. Retro Fitness has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and payroll.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $941,350 – $1,892,250
  • Net-worth Requirement – $1,500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $300,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $69,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  • Veteran Incentives – 10% off franchise fee
  1. Burn Boot Camp

Burn Boot Camp offers a 45-minute workout program designed for moms and like-minded women that aims to provide maximized results and burn around 700 calories per camp. They focus on proper mindset, whole food nutrition, burst training, strength training, and motivating environment to promote confidence and achieve success.

Burn Boot Camp was founded in 2012 and started franchising in 2015. It has over 100 existing franchise units across the United States. An initial investment ranging from $142,330 to $349,150 is needed if you want to own a Burn Boot Camp franchise.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $142,330 – $349,150
  • Net-worth Requirement – $300,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $150,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $40,000 – $40,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. Get In Shape for Women

Get In Shape for Women is a small group personal training concept that is aimed at total body transformation for women through a four-component system made up of weight training, cardio, nutrition, and accountability with a focus on weight loss.

Members attend regular training sessions three times a week for one-hour workouts. Because the emphasis is on individual coaching attention from a personal trainer, class size is limited to a maximum of four people, and a studio will only work with a total of 150 clients at any time.

To be accepted, prospective members must exhibit a high level of commitment. Founded in 2006 and franchising since 2007, the number of locations have declined in recent years from a high of 102 in 2012 to the current total of 43, four of which are company-owned and all of which are located in the U.S.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $71,412 – $172,675
  • Net-worth Requirement – $250,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $100,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $29,000 – $29,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 3%
  1. Koko FitClub

Koko FitClub bills itself as the alternative to mainstream fitness. It combines technology with individualized coaching to customize workouts and guide customers to success. The 3-step Koko Smartraining System builds a solid foundation of fitness habits over the course of a few weeks.

It builds concentration on fitness goals with customized strength and cardio conditioning plus personal nutrition. Founded in 2004 and franchising since 2008, the number of locations has declined in recent years from a high of 128 in 2013 to the current total of 83, none of which are company-owned and one of which is located outside the U.S.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $185,260 – $396,312
  • Net-worth Requirement – $350,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $175,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $39,000 – $39,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 3-5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. 9round Fitness and Kickboxing

The 9Round Fitness Franchise Opportunity is breaking the rigidity in the fitness industry. They are very dedicated to keeping the business model simple and the cost of entry low. With a proven business model, a network of dedicated support staff, and hundreds of other franchise owners, 9Round owners always have somewhere to turn for support and guidance.

The center helps its franchisees by finding and negotiating a lease for them, helping with software and client management, build-out support, marketing support, a 4 Day intensive training at the corporate office in Greenville SC, and operational support.

Financial Requirements

  • Minimum Cash Required – $50,000
  • Total Investment – $65,700 to $101,800
  • Net Worth Required – $75,000
  1. Kaia FIT

Kaia FIT is a fitness franchise designed by women for women. It features a number of different workouts, coaching program, nutritional guidance and more. Several states are currently open for new developments. And the franchise fee is $10,000, among other startup costs.

Kaia FIT has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and payroll.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $34,000 – $99,765
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $50,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $10,000 – $10,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1%
  1. Workout Anytime 24/7

Workout Anytime 24/7 is another entry in the convenient, low-cost, 24-hour access fitness niche. As the chain puts it: “Bottom line, the key to losing weight, building strength and increasing energy is to find as little as 20 minutes in your daily schedule. Workout Anytime makes it easy.”

The difference between them and other low-cost chains is their focus on top-notch fitness equipment, which is sourced from Matrix Fitness, an innovative leader in commercial fitness manufacturing with a focus on superior industrial design, innovative ergonomics, and high-end tubular construction. It’s a value-priced club but offers what it calls the “Rolls Royce” of equipment.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $555,500 – $996,400
  • Net-worth Requirement – $500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $175,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $35,000 – $35,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – $499+/mo.
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1%
  1. PickUp USA Fitness Clubs

These clubs are full-service basketball-focused gyms that incorporate group and private basketball training, pickup basketball games with referees, full weight and cardio rooms, lounges, retail, and more. The fitness company offers traditional amenities like weight and cardio rooms for the 54 million people nationwide that are gym members.

PickUp USA Fitness is the first and only basketball-focused fitness club concept operating in the US. The company franchise generates revenue from four diverse channels which are; membership dues, private training packages, private court rental and retail sales.

Financial Requirements

  • Minimum Cash Required – $150,000
  • Veteran incentive – 15% discount on franchise fee
  1. Fitness 1440

This fitness center was founded in 2009 with the philosophy that each day is made of a perfectly matched set of 1,440 minutes of opportunities, choices, and attitudes. Fitness 1440 has over the years developed into one of the most unique fitness club concepts in the country, promoting total well being of the mind, body, and spirit.

With their unique business model, franchisees are able to open equivalent-sized clubs for a fraction of the cost of some of the leading national brands and franchisees are allowed to create clubs that match their vision and the specific needs of their community.

Franchise Costs

  • Cash Investment: $150,000
  • Investment Range: $150,000 – $837,000
  • Franchise Fees: $27,000
  1. Planet Fitness

Talk about taking a down-on-its-last-legs business and turning it into a robust money-spinner; that was the story of this fitness center. Planet Fitness got its start in 1992 when Michael Grondahl acquired a struggling gym. He reduced membership prices to compete against better-known brands and focused on serving occasional or first-time gym users.

As part of its measures to sustain its clients, every Planet Fitness location holds a pizza night for members once a month, as well as a bagel morning, and Tootsie Rolls are available at all times.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $857,080 – $4,234,750
  • Net-worth Requirement – $1,500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $600,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $20,000 – $20,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 7%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 9%
  1. Blink Fitness

This fitness center believes that exercising should not be done for how it makes you look alone; it is also about how it makes you feel. Blink designed their program to make everybody happy regardless of fitness level or body type. They achieved this with the help of their mood lifter staff, inspiring gym design and energizing music.

Blink Fitness offers their franchisees turnkey development process that includes an operations executive as a direct support point of contact for franchisees, comprehensive training, a national network of real estate broker recommendations, layout design of their proposed gym, 24/7 tech support, and state-of-the-art business performance and consumer feedback tools.

Financial Requirements

  • Cash Investment – $500,000 – $700,000
  • Net Worth – $1,500,000 – $3,000,000
  • Total Investment – $500,000 – $1,000,000
  1. Club Pilates

Pilates has been seen as the finest strength-training workout available to anyone, at any age, and suitable for any fitness level. Club Pilates is breaking down the traditional barriers to Pilates by offering franchise opportunities to make the method accessible to more people, both financially and geographically.

All their studios are equipped with Pilates Reformers, EXO Chairs, and Spring Boards as well as mats, balls, weights, and barres. They are the largest premium network of group Pilates studios in the world. They were also ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2017 Franchise 500 and named #17 of 2017’s Top New Franchises.

Financial Requirements

  • Cash Investment – $75,000
  • Net Worth – $300,000
  • Franchise Fee – $49,500
  • Total Investment – $250,000
  • Royalty Fee – 6%
  1. Brickhouse Cardio Club

Brickhouse Cardio Club is a fitness studio that offers group dance and aerobics classes that have women as their main targets. The company which is based in Charleston, West Virginia, has been franchising since 2010. Brickhouse Cardio Club is seeking new franchise units throughout the United States. Brickhouse Cardio Club offers in-house financing to cover franchise fee and accounts receivable.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $22,450 – $39,350
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $14,900 – $14,900
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 4-7%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1%
  • Veteran Incentives – 10% off franchise fee
  1. Crunch Fitness

Crunch Fitness aims to provide a no-judgement fitness room for everyone, regardless of shape, size, age, race, gender or fitness level. They offer personalized fitness training designed to help their clients meet their fitness goals, with the assistance of certified personal trainers. Their services also include group training and classes such as Zumba, pilates, yoga, barre, and more.

Franchising since 2010, Crunch fitness centers offer access to workout equipment, personal training, and a variety of classes to base members. Peak members who pay a higher monthly membership fee, also receive tanning services, free guest passes, and access to an online fitness and nutrition program that includes meal planning, recipes, fitness videos and tools, and nutritional products.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $255,500 – $2,320,500
  • Net-worth Requirement – $1,500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $400,000 – $500,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $25,000 – $25,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. Orangetheory Fitness

Orangetheory Fitness offers members access to exercise equipment, such as treadmills, rowing machines and free weights, in an energetic and contemporary atmosphere characterized by its signature orange color scheme and trade dress.

They provide 60-minute, trainer-led group workout sessions broken into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training. They are known for their heart rate monitored training, which is designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism, increases energy, and burns around 500 to 1,000 calories per workout session.

Orangetheory Fitness was founded in 2010 and started franchising in the same year. They currently have over 500 existing locations across the United States and more than 100 franchise units outside the country.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $563,529 – $999,121
  • Net-worth Requirement – $500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $150,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $59,950 – $59,950
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 8%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 2%
  1. Anytime Fitness

Anytime Fitness clubs are open 24 hours a day every day of the year, thanks to security systems that allow members to access the clubs during unstaffed hours. The company which began franchising in 2002, is expanding worldwide. Anytime Fitness has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover
franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and payroll.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $78,012 – $521,437
  • Net-worth Requirement – $300,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $100,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $21,000 – $42,500
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – $449-$549/mo.
  • Ad Royalty Fee – $300/mo.
  • Veteran Incentives – 20% off franchise fee
  1. Snap Fitness

Snap Fitness is a worldwide fitness brand that has been around since 2003. With more than 2,000 clubs open or in development in 18 countries around the world, the company is always open to new franchisees who want to get into the fitness business. The franchise fee for a single unit is $25,000, but you can inquire about multi-unit franchise opportunities as well.

Before Peter Taunton founded Snap Fitness Inc. in 2003, he was a professional racquetball player and owned and operated five fitness centers in Minnesota. Taunton’s vision for Snap Fitness was to offer patrons a convenient and affordable place to work out 24 hours a day. The company began franchising in 2004, and is currently expanding globally.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $149,771 – $462,800
  • Net-worth Requirement – $250,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $75,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $29,500 – $29,500
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – $549/mo.
  • Ad Royalty Fee – $150/mo.