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Our vision has always been to deliver a whole healthy way of life, including every aspect of healthy living: healthy aging, nutrition, exercise—a complete atmosphere that you really want to be in.
Sweating the status quo: The modern gym is more than a workout
Designing gyms for identity, community, and wellbeing
Fitness is no longer for the fanatics. The monotonous solo endeavor that filled so many with foreboding is fundamentally shifting. Working out doesn’t begin and end with lifting a barbell or on a rowing machine. It encapsulates the whole self–body and mind.
With the drastic uptick in holistic wellbeing, gyms are perfectly poised to take advantage of this new fitness definition. We have developed four foundational principles to help gyms not only match, but exceed their members’ ambitions.
Principle 1: Create room for more
Since adapting to the hybrid work lifestyle, people have re-defined their expectations of where they can (and should) spend their time. With an increasing desire for wellbeing, third spaces are becoming increasingly popular. Luxury gyms such as Equinox are merging function and leisure to slot seamlessly into members’ routines and support their needs beyond the workout.
Why this matters
The modern gym member can no longer clinically segment their lives. People are making the most of their time by jogging to work, or taking meetings from the elliptical. Gyms need to evolve alongside their members, providing an environment that capitalizes on the need to support the ‘whole person’.
A quarter of hybrid workers regularly take meetings from third places, compared with 11% of fully remote workers, according to research discussed in Fast Company.
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The Blinks and the Planet Fitnesses, people go in for 45 minutes or an hour, and they leave, and that’s it. We try to engage our members and be more than just a four walled space full of gym equipment.
Principle 2: Establish a bridge to identity
Gym members’ goals and aspirations are the foundation of their fitness journey. Thankfully, we are seeing a rise in gyms’ individuality — offering more unique ways of working out and achieving these goals. From barebones CrossFit locale to fully-kitted fitness centers, gyms are becoming increasingly differentiated by their ethos. Members wish to exist in a space that reflects their fitness identity, affording them frictionless engagement with their workouts.
Why this matters
With so much competition, gym members will no longer accept their hard work being misguided.
Gyms need to demonstrate distinct resonance to continuously support members in growing to own their new fitness identity. At Smart, we have helped a large gym corporation to re-design their new member experience, offering easy entry for anyone entering the ecosystem.
In ClassPass’s 2025 Look Back Report, there was a 112% growth in low-impact bookings, as well as a 432% growth in Hyrox bookings. Showing that two very different workout styles are seeing significant growth and reinforcing the need to design for the entire spectrum of fitness identities.
Principle 3: Make sweat social
With digital screens ubiquitous, people are tweaking their lives to find connection offline. Fitness is the perfect format to deliver both physical and social benefits — letting you disconnect from stress and reconnect with others through shared activity and passion. Having others around can drive competitive spirit and elevate performance, while also providing social safety and community. Be it run clubs or recreational soccer leagues, fitness is rapidly becoming a team sport.
Why this matters
As expectations shift, gyms must become social-first environments to both create and fortify connection between members. Finding ways to activate community in new and exciting ways is paramount in enticing member engagement.
According to the Wellness Watch report, 73% of consumers agree that being part of a fitness community helps them stay motivated. As for why people join fitness communities, 57% of consumers say social interaction and connection are the main reasons.
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Longevity and healthy aging will be a defining component for the health and fitness industry’s positioning and value proposition. We need to look at ‘whole person’ lifestyle programming that goes beyond traditional fitness.
Principle 4: Elevate the basics
Intentionality isn’t just for the luxury experience that comes with the top tier price point. As the public garners more fitness knowledge, expectations of recovery and the holistic experience are changing. The workout no longer ends after your last rep, but instead after your recovery. Despite a modest price-point, even budget gyms are finding ways to introduce moments of intentionality and luxury into their members’ sessions. Planet Fitness have introduced spa amenities, inclusive of HydroMassages and red-light therapy, showing customers a new way to perceive wellness beyond the weights.
Why this matters
Recovery and wellness is no longer premium, but instead a baseline accessibility expectation. Introducing small, thoughtful moments in members’ sessions drives value beyond the workout to build lasting, sustainable routines. According to the Health & Fitness Association, 79% of fitness facilities already offer recovery amenities in their gym experiences.
Rethinking where fitness fits into our lives
Fitness is no longer one-size-fits-all. Today’s gym-goers want more than a workout. They want spaces that support their goals, reflect their identities, and help them feel their best. For fitness businesses, this shift is an opportunity to rethink the gym experience and give members more reasons to show up and stay.
At Smart Design, we can help you turn these evolving expectations into meaningful member experiences. By combining research, strategy, and physical and digital design, we help brands uncover opportunities to stand out, strengthen member engagement, and build lasting loyalty.