Although the fitness sector is coming back in San Francisco and other places, industry leaders say local, state or federal assistance has been insufficient.
Before The City went into lockdown in March 2020, Fitness SF had 38,000 members across its Marin, Oakland and San Francisco locations. Soon, that figure was more than halved, and the family-run business watched as most of its revenue evaporated overnight.
But many in the fitness business have not been so fortunate. According to a report of the Global Health and Fitness Association, 17% of U.S. gyms and fitness studios closed in 2020, collectively losing 58% of their revenue compared to 2019. In San Francisco, Gold’s Gym and 24 Hour Fitness were among the pandemic casualties.
Dave Karraker, owner of MX3 Fitness which has three San Francisco locations, said Peloton stationary bikes were popular during quarantine, but people are again looking for nonvirtual companionship in their workouts. “We split up the gym into as many as five 200-square-foot fitness zones,” Karraker said, noting the zones include squat racks, adjustable benches and barbells for one person’s use. “We were going to switch back to open gym format but the feedback was to keep the zones … People really wanted more control of their space, and now we have monkeypox.”
Macfarland agreed neighborhood gyms are doing well, adding that the Fitness SF locations in the Castro, Fillmore and SoMa are almost back to pre-pandemic membership levels, while the downtown clubs are struggling. This includes Fitness SF’s newest location, at the Salesforce Transit Center, which opened in 2019.
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