A gym franchise in the seven 2025 to 2026 FDDs we compiled costs $259,840 to $5,386,000 under Item 7: the range tracks floor space, from 800 square feet to 60,000.
Key takeaways
- The smallest Item 7 low end in the set is The Exercise Coach at $259,840 for an 800 to 2,000 square foot studio (FDD issued April 21, 2025, Items 7 and 11).
- Planet Fitness prints the largest Item 7 high end, $5,386,000, for a club of about 15,000 to 25,000 square feet, before any real estate (FDD issued May 22, 2026, Item 7).
- Per assumed square foot, the small studios cost more: midpoint Item 7 runs $422 a square foot at Stretch Lab and $94 at Crunch Fitness (our arithmetic from Stretch Lab and Crunch Item 7).
- Two of the seven filings charge a flat royalty: Anytime Fitness $842 a month and HOTWORX $695.00 a month (Anytime Fitness FDD and HOTWORX FDD, Item 6).
- Florida requires a $25,000 bond for each health studio location before a business tax receipt is issued (Florida Statutes s. 501.016).
Seven gym franchise filings, A to Z
Seven current franchise disclosure documents cover four gym formats: big-box clubs (Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness), a 24-hour club (Anytime Fitness), boutique studios (barre3, The Exercise Coach) and sauna or recovery studios (HOTWORX, Stretch Lab). Their Item 7 totals run from $259,840 to $5,386,000, and each Item 7 note states the floor space behind the estimate, which is the column most cost lists leave out.
| Brand (format) | FDD issued | Item 7 total | Floor space assumed | Item 5 initial fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness (24-hour club) | March 31, 2026, amended Sept. 14, 2026 | $539,329 to $905,482 | 4,000 to 7,000 sq ft (Item 7 Note 1) | $42,500 | CARDS 37264-202609-04 |
| barre3 (boutique studio) | April 3, 2026 | $423,925 to $754,350 | 1,400 to 2,000 sq ft (Item 7 Note 6) | $50,000 plus $20,000 Grand Opening Fee | CARDS 36004-202604-01 |
| Crunch Fitness (big-box club) | April 29, 2026 | $2,147,500 to $5,367,000, real estate excluded | 20,000 to 60,000 sq ft (Item 7 Note 4) | $35,000 | CARDS 36375-202604-12 |
| HOTWORX (sauna studio) | April 1, 2026 | $288,890 to $830,380 (outside California and New York) | About 2,000 sq ft (Item 1; Item 7 Note 5) | $19,950 | CARDS 35761-202604-15 |
| Planet Fitness (big-box club) | May 22, 2026 | $1,282,500 to $5,386,000, real estate excluded | About 15,000 to 25,000 sq ft (Item 7 Note 3) | $40,000 | CARDS 36703-202605-07 |
| Stretch Lab (recovery studio) | April 17, 2026, amended Aug. 7, 2026 | $281,390 to $814,545 | 1,100 to 1,500 sq ft (Item 7 Note 1) | $60,000 | CARDS 37136-202608-02 |
| The Exercise Coach (boutique studio) | April 21, 2025 | $259,840 to $389,970 | 800 to 2,000 sq ft (Item 7 Note 6) | $49,500 plus $5,000 training fee | CARDS 33862-202504-09 |
The full dataset, with Item 6 fees, presale rules, opening timelines and Item 20 outlet counts for each row, is in the downloadable file gym_fdd_costs.csv (7 rows, 24 columns). Line-by-line breakdowns for four of the brands are on our pages for the Planet Fitness franchise cost under the May 2026 FDD, the Anytime Fitness franchise cost and its 24-hour rules, the Crunch Fitness club build-out budget and the HOTWORX sauna studio cost.
Item 7 totals run from $259,840 (The Exercise Coach, low) to $5,386,000 (Planet Fitness, high). Source: Item 7 of seven FDDs on Minnesota CARDS, accessed November 2026.
Three totals carry conditions worth reading before comparing rows. The Planet Fitness low end assumes the equipment is financed; the Stretch Lab estimate assumes its $61,553 to $89,561 equipment and FF&E package is financed through an approved supplier (Item 7 Note 1); and the Crunch and Planet Fitness totals leave out rent deposits or land because, as Crunch states, the franchisor “cannot estimate your real estate costs” (Item 7 Note 4).
What does each filing pay for a square foot of gym floor?
Dividing each Item 7 midpoint by the midpoint of the floor space it assumes gives a cost per square foot of $94 to $422. The three studios under 2,000 square feet (barre3, HOTWORX, Stretch Lab) land at $280 to $422, the 24-hour club at $131 and the two big boxes at $94 and $167. Build-out, equipment and opening marketing do not shrink in step with the room.
| Brand | Item 7 low + high, halved | Floor space low + high, halved | Midpoint cost per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | ($539,329 + $905,482) / 2 = $722,406 | (4,000 + 7,000) / 2 = 5,500 | $131 |
| barre3 | ($423,925 + $754,350) / 2 = $589,138 | (1,400 + 2,000) / 2 = 1,700 | $347 |
| Crunch Fitness | ($2,147,500 + $5,367,000) / 2 = $3,757,250 | (20,000 + 60,000) / 2 = 40,000 | $94 |
| HOTWORX | ($288,890 + $830,380) / 2 = $559,635 | 2,000 (single figure) | $280 |
| Planet Fitness | ($1,282,500 + $5,386,000) / 2 = $3,334,250 | (15,000 + 25,000) / 2 = 20,000 | $167 |
| Stretch Lab | ($281,390 + $814,545) / 2 = $547,968 | (1,100 + 1,500) / 2 = 1,300 | $422 |
| The Exercise Coach | ($259,840 + $389,970) / 2 = $324,905 | (800 + 2,000) / 2 = 1,400 | $232 |
Midpoint Item 7 per assumed square foot: $94 (Crunch Fitness) to $422 (Stretch Lab); studios under 2,000 sq ft land at $280 to $422. Our arithmetic from seven FDDs, November 2026.
The square footage lines exist because of a federal rule. Under 16 CFR 436.5(g), when real property costs “cannot be estimated in a low-high range,” the franchisor must “describe the approximate size of the property and building and the probable location of the building.” The same rule sets the Item 7 “Additional funds” line at “at least three months” of operation.
Why the per square foot figure is only a midpoint
None of the seven FDDs pairs its low total with its smallest room, so the midpoint is a comparison tool, not a quote. The scopes also differ: Anytime Fitness includes three months of rent and a deposit ($33,500 to $58,700), barre3 prices leasehold work “for a facility up to 2,000 sq. ft.” (Item 7 Note 11), and the two big-box totals exclude real estate entirely. Price your own lease before you rely on any row.
Who sells the machines, and how much of Item 7 do they take?
Equipment ranges from $12,300 at barre3 to $1,500,000 at Crunch Fitness, and in all seven filings the franchisor or an affiliate sells at least part of the equipment or technology package. That matters for resale and replacement: an affiliate-made machine, such as The Exercise Coach’s EXERBOTICS line from Gymbot, has one source when it needs replacing.
| Brand | Equipment line in Item 7 | Who is paid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | Fitness equipment $139,873 to $157,936; technology equipment $37,857 to $45,462 | Vendors; technology package to an affiliate | Item 7, Item 5 |
| barre3 | Equipment $12,300 to $15,000; Branded Opening Props $5,000 to $7,000 | Suppliers; props to B3 Retail | Items 5, 7 |
| Crunch Fitness | Fitness equipment, fixtures, other fixed assets $850,000 to $1,500,000 | Crunch is “the only approved Supplier” for fitness equipment, tanning beds, hydro massage beds, lockers and flooring | Items 7, 8 |
| HOTWORX | Sauna, software and workout equipment $121,510 to $194,000 | Franchisor or affiliate | Items 5, 7 |
| Planet Fitness | Fitness equipment $33,300 (financed down payment) to $995,000 (purchased) | Franchisor’s equipment affiliate | Items 5, 7 |
| Stretch Lab | Fitness Equipment & Initial FF&E Package $61,553 to $89,561 | Us (the franchisor) | Item 7 |
| The Exercise Coach | Equipment Package $107,645 to $155,690, including EXERBOTICS machines | Affiliate Gymbot | Items 5, 7 |
Crunch’s equipment line alone is 39.6% of its low-end total ($850,000 of $2,147,500), while barre3’s equipment and props together are at most $22,000 of $754,350, or 2.9%. In a barre or stretch studio the money goes into the room: barre3 leasehold improvements run $245,448 to $469,000 and Stretch Lab’s $59,438 to $386,000.
Percent of dues, flat fee or a floor: what does each gym owe before the first sale?
Item 6 royalties in this set come in three shapes: a percentage of sales (Crunch 5.0%, Planet Fitness 7% of EFT Dues Draft, Stretch Lab 8%), a flat monthly amount (Anytime Fitness $842, HOTWORX $695.00) or a percentage with a dollar floor (barre3 6% or $850, The Exercise Coach 6% or $1,000, whichever is greater). Flat and floor fees are due in a slow month too.
| Brand | Royalty (Item 6) | Brand or ad fund (Item 6) | Required local marketing | Technology fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | Monthly Fee currently $842 per center; may be replaced by up to 8% of Gross Revenue | General Advertising and Marketing Fee currently $900 per month | $600, $800 or $1,000 per month by market tier | Base Technology Fee currently $799 per month |
| barre3 | Greater of 6% of Gross Revenues or $850 per month after opening | 2% of Gross Revenues | $5,000 per month for up to three months after opening (Item 11) | Software License Fee currently $487 per month |
| Crunch Fitness | 5.0% of monthly Gross Sales | 2% of monthly Gross Sales | Lesser of 7% of Gross Sales or an age-based minimum such as the greater of $10,000 or 8% in months 1 to 24 | $159 per month to ABC plus $75 IT support |
| HOTWORX | $695.00 per month | No national fund | Greater of $2,000 or 10% of gross monthly revenue (Item 11) | $150.00 technology plus $129.00 POS per month |
| Planet Fitness | 7% of EFT Dues Draft | 2% (cap 3%) | Local Advertising Fund, greater of $60,000 or 7% of cumulative Monthly EFT | Software $100 per year |
| Stretch Lab | 8% of Gross Sales | Currently 2% of Gross Sales | Greater of $1,500 or 2% of prior month’s Gross Sales | $675 technology plus $203 software per month |
| The Exercise Coach | Greater of 6% of Gross Sales or $1,000 per month | 1% of Gross Sales | $4,000 per month after the Grand Opening Period | Currently $518 plus $596 per month |
Fixed dollars due each month at zero sales
Adding only the fixed dollar lines printed in Item 6 (and HOTWORX’s Item 11 spending floor) shows what each studio or club owes before any percentage applies. The sums below use the current figures in each FDD and no assumed sales.
| Brand | Fixed monthly lines added | Total per month |
|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | $842 + $900 + $799 + $600 to $1,000 local marketing | $3,141 to $3,541 |
| barre3 | $850 royalty floor + $487 software (plus $5,000 local marketing in up to 3 post-opening months) | $1,337 |
| Crunch Fitness | $159 + $75 (local marketing is the lesser of 7% of sales or a minimum, so $0 at zero sales) | $234 |
| HOTWORX | $695 + $150 + $129 + $2,000 local marketing floor | $2,974 |
| Planet Fitness | Not summed: dollar minimums are annual ($60,000 Local Advertising Fund; $100 software) | Not computed |
| Stretch Lab | $675 + $203 + $1,500 local marketing floor | $2,378 |
| The Exercise Coach | $1,000 royalty floor + $518 + $596 + $4,000 local marketing | $6,114 |
The Exercise Coach’s $790 monthly digital marketing fee is credited toward its local marketing, so it is not added again. HOTWORX also lists smaller per-app subscriptions in Item 6 that are left out of the $2,974. Read the fee table in your own copy of the franchise disclosure document before relying on any sum, since several fees say “currently” and allow increases.
When can a gym start selling memberships before it opens?
Presale is where gym formats differ most. Stretch Lab plans a Pre-Sales Phase of about four months, Planet Fitness starts at least 60 days out, Crunch requires $15,000 a month in pre-opening spend, and barre3’s FDD has no presale provision at all. State health club laws can add a bond or escrow before the first membership is sold.
| Brand | Presale or pre-opening rule | Signing to opening | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | Pre-Sale/Grand Opening Advertising $11,000 to $23,000, from 60 days before to 60 days after opening | 9 to 12 months typical; 12-month deadline | Items 7, 11 |
| barre3 | No presale rule found; grand opening event in months 1 to 4 after opening; $25,000 minimum initial marketing | About 10 to 14 months | Item 11 |
| Crunch Fitness | Presale only after training, where law permits, with bonds and escrow accounts; at least $15,000 a month pre-opening and pre-sale spend | 4 to 10 months after the lease, typical | Items 11, 16 |
| HOTWORX | Marketing required from pre-sale; $129.00 POS fee billed from pre-sale software install | Must open within 275 days | Items 6, 7, 11 |
| Planet Fitness | Pre-sale starts at least 60 days out; $20,000 to $30,000 per 30 days, up to $120,000 | 8 to 18 months | Items 7, 11 |
| Stretch Lab | Pre-Sales Phase about 4 months before Soft Opening, after the lease is signed and the sales plan approved; Technology Fee $150 a month during it | About 8 months to presale, about 12 months to Soft Opening | Items 5, 7, 11 |
| The Exercise Coach | Grand Opening Period from 30 to 90 days before to 90 days after opening; $29,195 to $43,275 committed | Most open within 300 days | Items 6, 7, 11 |
State rules that reach presale money
Crunch’s Item 16 says presales may occur only “if permitted by, and in accordance with, applicable law” and that you “must establish bonds and any required escrow accounts.” These are the state provisions we opened or that a filing summarizes, with each source named.
| State | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Health studio bond of $25,000 per business location, obtained before a business tax receipt is issued; a $25,000 letter of credit may substitute; any escrow for services sold before full operation must be filed with a date certain for opening | Fla. Stat. s. 501.016 (2025) |
| Maryland | If the facility is not open by the date in the agreement, the buyer may cancel and the facility must refund deposits, down payments and initiation or membership fees | Md. Code, Com. Law s. 14-12B-05 |
| Maryland | At least $50,000 bond before any pre-opening sale, raised to match memberships sold; up to $200,000 per facility (as summarized in the barre3 FDD) | barre3 FDD, Item 1 |
| California | Fitness contracts limited to three years and $4,400 (as summarized in the barre3 FDD; Civil Code 1812.80 to 1812.95) | barre3 FDD, Item 1 |
How many franchised gyms did each system add or lose?
Item 20 Table 1 counts franchised outlets at the start and end of each fiscal year. In the latest year reported, Planet Fitness added 134 franchised U.S. clubs and HOTWORX added 85, while Anytime Fitness fell by 19 and Stretch Lab grew by one. Counts are system size, not a measure of how any one owner fares.
| Brand | Year | Franchised outlets at start | At end | Net change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | 2025 | 2,290 | 2,271 | -19 | Item 20 Table 1 |
| barre3 (U.S.) | 2025 | 149 (corrected) | 166 | +17 | Item 20 Table 1 |
| Crunch Fitness | 2025 | 415 | 481 | +66 | Item 20 Table 1 |
| HOTWORX | 2025 | 712 | 797 | +85 | Item 20 Table 1 |
| Planet Fitness (U.S.) | 2025 | 2,298 | 2,432 | +134 | Item 20 Table 1 |
| Stretch Lab | 2025 | 485 | 486 | +1 | Item 20 Table 1 |
| The Exercise Coach | 2024 | 191 | 211 | +20 | Item 20 Table 1 |
Franchised outlets in the latest reported year: Planet Fitness U.S. 2,298 to 2,432, HOTWORX 712 to 797, Anytime Fitness 2,290 to 2,271. Source: Item 20 Table 1, seven FDDs.
barre3’s own table shows 151 U.S. franchised studios at the end of 2024 but 149 at the start of 2025; its footnote says the 2025 start “has been corrected to account for miscalculations in 2024 count.” Ask any franchisor for the Item 20 list of closed and transferred outlets, then call former owners from that list.
How do seven filings compare with the 18-FDD fitness medians?
Our fitness franchise statistics report coded 18 fitness FDDs filed in Minnesota in 2025 and 2026 and found a median Item 7 of $319,510 to $746,562. Four of the seven filings here start above that median low end, and three start below it: The Exercise Coach, Stretch Lab and HOTWORX.
| Measure | 18 fitness FDDs (median) | This page’s seven filings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item 7 low end | $319,510 | $259,840 to $2,147,500 | Minnesota CARDS FDDs, coded 2026 |
| Item 7 high end | $746,562 | $389,970 to $5,386,000 | Minnesota CARDS FDDs, coded 2026 |
| Typical months to open (Item 11) | 10.5 | 4 months after the lease (Crunch) to 18 months (Planet Fitness) | Item 11 of each FDD |
| Item 7 assumes a leased site | 100% | All seven price a lease or exclude real estate | Item 7 notes |
For the two big boxes, the high ends of $5,367,000 (Crunch) and $5,386,000 (Planet Fitness) sit above the SBA 7(a) maximum loan amount of $5 million, before land. Our franchise financing guide covers how buyers combine equity, SBA loans and equipment leases for a project of that size.
Which format fits the money and floor space you have?
Start from the amount you can fund across the full Item 7 range, then check your state’s presale bond rules and the royalty shape. The thresholds below come from the Item 7 totals and floor space in the seven filings; they map facts to situations and do not rank brands.
| If your situation is | Filings whose numbers fit | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| You can fund up to $400,000 | Full range: The Exercise Coach ($259,840 to $389,970). Low end only: HOTWORX ($288,890), Stretch Lab ($281,390) | Whether your market’s lease and build-out land near the low end (Item 7 notes) |
| You can fund $400,000 to $1,000,000 | Full range: Anytime Fitness, barre3, HOTWORX, Stretch Lab, The Exercise Coach | Floor space you can lease: 1,100 to 7,000 sq ft across these five |
| You can fund over $1,000,000 plus real estate | Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness | A 15,000 to 60,000 sq ft box and loans above the $5 million SBA 7(a) cap |
| Your state requires a presale bond | All formats that presell (Florida: $25,000 per location) | Price the bond or escrow before the first membership sale |
| You want fixed royalty dollars | Flat: Anytime Fitness $842, HOTWORX $695.00 a month | Fixed monthly total at zero sales: $3,141 to $3,541 and $2,974 |
| You want royalties that fall with sales | Percent only: Crunch 5.0%, Planet Fitness 7%, Stretch Lab 8% | Local marketing floors: Stretch Lab $1,500 a month; Crunch lesser-of rule |
Buying an operating club changes the math. Stretch Lab charges a $30,000 sourcing fee instead of the $60,000 initial fee when a broker is owed a commission on a resale (Item 7 Note 2), and our guide to buying a franchise for sale covers transfer fees and approval steps.
How we compiled this
We read seven Minnesota-filed FDDs: barre3, Stretch Lab and The Exercise Coach downloaded from Minnesota CARDS on November 3, 2026, Anytime Fitness, Crunch and HOTWORX from copies fetched November 2 and 3, 2026, and Planet Fitness figures from our May 2026 FDD review of October 27, 2026. We also opened 16 CFR 436.5, Florida Statutes s. 501.016, Maryland Commercial Law s. 14-12B-05 and the SBA 7(a) page. Item 19 figures were excluded by site policy; cost per square foot is our arithmetic. Nothing here is legal, financial or investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a gym franchise?
In the seven FDDs we compiled, Item 7 totals run from $259,840 (The Exercise Coach, 800 to 2,000 sq ft) to $5,386,000 (Planet Fitness, about 15,000 to 25,000 sq ft, real estate excluded). Studios under 2,000 square feet mostly fall between $281,390 and $830,380; the two big-box filings start at $1,282,500 and $2,147,500.
Which gym franchise format has the lowest startup cost?
Among the seven filings here, the lowest Item 7 low end is The Exercise Coach at $259,840 (FDD issued April 21, 2025), followed by Stretch Lab at $281,390 and HOTWORX at $288,890. A low total is not a low cost per square foot: on midpoints, Stretch Lab works out to $422 a square foot against $94 for Crunch Fitness.
How much do gym franchise owners make?
This site does not publish earnings figures. What an owner keeps depends on Item 6 fees (a flat fee, a percentage or a floor), Item 7 debt service and rent. All seven filings here include Item 19 financial performance data; read Item 19 of the current FDD and ask former owners listed in Item 20.
Is Planet Fitness a franchise?
Yes. The Planet Fitness FDD issued May 22, 2026 counts 2,432 franchised U.S. clubs and 277 company-owned clubs at the end of 2025 (Item 20 Table 1). Its Item 7 runs $1,282,500 to $5,386,000 before real estate, with a $40,000 initial franchise fee and a 7% royalty on the EFT Dues Draft.
Do gym franchises need a bond to sell memberships before opening?
Often, by state. Florida Statutes s. 501.016 requires a $25,000 bond, or a $25,000 letter of credit, for each health studio location before a business tax receipt is issued. The Crunch FDD (Item 16) allows presales only where law permits and requires any bonds and escrow accounts to be in place first.
How long does it take to open a gym franchise?
Item 11 estimates in these filings range from the HOTWORX 275-day opening deadline to 8 to 18 months for a Planet Fitness club. barre3 estimates 10 to 14 months, Stretch Lab about 12 months to Soft Opening, Anytime Fitness 9 to 12 months, and The Exercise Coach expects most studios open within 300 days.
Sources
- Anytime Fitness Franchisor LLC, Franchise Disclosure Document, issued March 31, 2026, as amended September 14, 2026 (Minnesota CARDS 37264-202609-04), accessed November 3, 2026.
- B3 Franchising LLC (barre3), Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 3, 2026 (Minnesota CARDS 36004-202604-01), accessed November 3, 2026.
- Crunch Franchising, LLC, Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 29, 2026 (Minnesota CARDS 36375-202604-12), accessed November 3, 2026.
- HOTWORX Franchising, LLC, Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 1, 2026 (Minnesota CARDS 35761-202604-15), accessed November 3, 2026.
- Planet Fitness Franchising LLC, Franchise Disclosure Document, issued May 22, 2026 (Minnesota CARDS 36703-202605-07), accessed October 27, 2026.
- Stretch Lab Franchise SPV, LLC, Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 17, 2026, as amended August 7, 2026 (Minnesota CARDS 37136-202608-02), accessed November 3, 2026.
- Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 21, 2025 (Minnesota CARDS 33862-202504-09), accessed November 3, 2026.
- 16 CFR 436.5, Disclosure items, eCFR, accessed November 3, 2026.
- Florida Statutes (2025) s. 501.016, Health studios; security requirements, accessed November 3, 2026.
- Maryland Code, Commercial Law s. 14-12B-05, accessed November 3, 2026.
- U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loans, accessed November 3, 2026.