Why You Should Offer On-Site Laundry Service at Your Gym

While many gym owners think about providing top-of-the-line exercise equipment, unique fitness classes, and training programs to members, laundry services may slip their mind. Currently more than 57 million people have a gym membership, and that number continues to rise. As people continue to flock to sports centers, athletic clubs, yoga studios, and health and fitness facilities, the need for laundry equipment is increasing as well. Towels pile up fast and depending on services offered at the facility, bed linens, robes, and uniforms may also need to be cleaned. If you do not already offer a laundry service to members or don’t have high-quality laundry equipment at your fitness facility, here’s a few reasons why you should.

It saves you time and money. 

Many fitness centers provide towels and robes for members, use rags to clean and sanitize workout equipment, and have uniforms for instructors to wear while teaching exercise classes. Having commercial laundry equipment on site saves you the time, hassle, and the expense of utilizing a laundromat or outside laundry service. One fitness center noted they spent about $900 a month for a laundry service to clean towels, but reduced that cost significantly after purchasing a commercial-grade washer and dryer for the facility.

Employees will enjoy the perk.

An experienced staff of fitness instructors, trainers, and health experts that can offer fun, challenging workouts will help attract new members to your gym or health center – and keep them coming back. As these employees get sweaty while working alongside clients, they’ll enjoy the convenience of on-site laundry equipment. While the laundry equipment may not make or break their decision to work at your gym, it can make their work day easier and more enjoyable. Research shows that happy employees are more productive and generate greater profit for your business.

It can help you outshine the competition.

There are more than 36,000 fitness centers and clubs in the United States which means customers have a lot of options when it comes to working out. Any way your exercise facility can go above and beyond the competition will give you a leg up and help to make your business successful long-term. While other gyms may run low on clean towels and linens by the end of a busy day, having the convenience of high-quality laundry equipment right on site can assure that your facility never does. Always having a selection of fresh towels and linens makes your facility seem cleaner, more sanitary, and better prepared than others and helps you provide better customer service for your members.

Laundry service will delight your customers.

Offering a laundry service on site is another way to go above and beyond for customers. It’s something more and more luxury fitness centers and clubs are offering to members, and it’s a great perk for sports teams and athletic groups that utilize your facility. Gym bags full of smelly clothes are a hassle to carry, take up space in already crowded offices and locker rooms, and can be embarrassing if others smell the odorous workout gear. If your fitness center offers a pool or hot tub to members, the issue is only worsened by wet suits and towels. Having the convenience of a gym laundry service and knowing clothes would be cleaned and ready to go for their next work out or athletic event can go a long way to creating happy, loyal members. A happy, loyal customer base, in turn, means long-term success for your fitness facility.

You can charge higher membership rates.

Consumers are willing to spend more for a premium service. In fact, research shows that 23% of patrons would pay more in order to save time. That’s why many customers are already used to paying extra at fitness facilities for services like tanning beds, massages, and personal training sessions. Having a washer and dryer on site means you can easily offer additional luxuries, like a laundry service, sauna, or special athletic events, since you’ll have easy access to the laundry equipment needed to clean the additional towels, uniforms, and other linens. Being able to provide additional luxuries means you can reasonably increase your gym membership fees, or charge additional fees specifically to those who utilize the added services.

Our team at Coin-O-Matic has extensive experience working with gyms, health centers, and fitness facilities of all sizes and specialties. We offer a variety of financing solutions and same or next business day repair & service so your business stays operating efficiently with minimal downtimes. Contact us today to discuss what commercial laundry equipment is right for your fitness center!