Is there a market for a €200-a-month gym with the right to refuse entry?
A €200 gym with selective admission and a dress code: an analysis of the viability of a business model that has already failed once before.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The idea of a luxury gym with a €200 fee and selective admission divides opinion
Would the Spanish public be willing to pay 200 euros a month to train in a space free of overcrowding, with no loud music and a strict dress code? That is the proposal that has emerged from a debate among entrepreneurs: a sports club combining a spa, specialty coffee and a "gentleman's club" atmosphere. The figures and the track record suggest the business is not that simple.
A price of 100-200 euros a month sits well above the market average. For reference, clubs charging 130 euros that offer a similar experience already operate in Barcelona, according to one account. The key would be exclusivity: the right to refuse entry, no phones filming, no crowds. However, a similar venture failed between 2014 and 2017, a failure attributed to bad timing.
The hook of selective admission
The most controversial element is the client screening policy: a strict dress code is proposed along with a ban on "shitty" tattoos – wording that, beyond its crudeness, points to a very specific niche. Those defending the idea argue there is unmet demand for a space that is "not tacky", a daily temple. Critics point out that the US has had chains like "Planet" (a nod to Planet Fitness, though with the opposite positioning) for decades, and that originality is conspicuous by its absence.
Timing as the critical variable
The 2014-2017 precedent suggests that even with a solid concept, market timing is everything. The pandemic boosted demand for premium fitness, but today's inflation may squeeze discretionary spending. A quick calculation: at 200 euros per membership and, say, 300 members, revenue would be 60,000 euros a month, enough to cover rent, staff and equipment in a mid-sized city. The problem is reaching that number without diluting the exclusivity.
On these foundations, the project looks more like a garage than a motorway. The final irony: the idea's staunchest defender admits that in his city "it's impossible to find anything that isn't tacky", which reveals a very specific local market. The risk of ending up without members is real, and recent history has already issued a warning. If anyone dares to try, start small and don't invest in a pool.
Would the Spanish public be willing to pay 200 euros a month to train in a space free of overcrowding, with no loud music and a strict dress code? That is the proposal that has emerged from a debate among entrepreneurs: a sports club combining a spa, specialty coffee and a "gentleman's club" atmosphere. The figures and the track record suggest the business is not that simple.
A price of 100-200 euros a month sits well above the market average. For reference, clubs charging 130 euros that offer a similar experience already operate in Barcelona, according to one account. The key would be exclusivity: the right to refuse entry, no phones filming, no crowds. However, a similar venture failed between 2014 and 2017, a failure attributed to bad timing.
The hook of selective admission
The most controversial element is the client screening policy: a strict dress code is proposed along with a ban on "shitty" tattoos – wording that, beyond its crudeness, points to a very specific niche. Those defending the idea argue there is unmet demand for a space that is "not tacky", a daily temple. Critics point out that the US has had chains like "Planet" (a nod to Planet Fitness, though with the opposite positioning) for decades, and that originality is conspicuous by its absence.
Timing as the critical variable
The 2014-2017 precedent suggests that even with a solid concept, market timing is everything. The pandemic boosted demand for premium fitness, but today's inflation may squeeze discretionary spending. A quick calculation: at 200 euros per membership and, say, 300 members, revenue would be 60,000 euros a month, enough to cover rent, staff and equipment in a mid-sized city. The problem is reaching that number without diluting the exclusivity.
On these foundations, the project looks more like a garage than a motorway. The final irony: the idea's staunchest defender admits that in his city "it's impossible to find anything that isn't tacky", which reveals a very specific local market. The risk of ending up without members is real, and recent history has already issued a warning. If anyone dares to try, start small and don't invest in a pool.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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