Fitness facility design has shifted in recent years, moving away from crowded, equipment-heavy floors toward more intentional, experience-driven spaces. Insights from leaders at VASA Fitness and Crunch Fitness show today’s best clubs are designed around clarity, flexibility, recovery and community.
From Equipment Density to Design Clarity
Older gyms often featured dense layouts packed tightly with machines. That approach is fading fast.
“Gym layouts today are far more intentional and clearly zoned,” said Amber Martinez, the COO of JEM Wellness Brands, a Crunch Fitness franchisee. “Members don’t want a sea of equipment — they want purpose-driven spaces that support how they actually train.”
As a result, clarity and flow have become central design priorities. VASA Fitness describes its clubs as a “mall of fitness,” where members can immediately understand what’s available and choose what motivates them.
“We’ve adopted a more open concept so members can see all the amenities from the moment they walk in, making the experience feel both expansive and connected,” said Hilleary Steckler, the director of facility design at VASA.
Crunch follows a similar logic, emphasizing that when members understand the space, they’re more likely to engage with it fully. Flow, sightlines and zoning directly affect confidence and space usage.
Designing the First Impression
A club’s entrance is no longer just a check-in point. It’s the first thing a member sees when they arrive, and it plays an important role in making them feel like they belong. “We’ve reimagined the front entry as a true community hub — with our friendly front desk team, a welcoming lounge area and our REVIVE retail space featuring snacks, beverages and branded gear,” said Steckler.
VASA also placed their recovery area near the front, normalizing rest and recovery as a core part of fitness. From there, the experience shifts deeper into the club, where training spaces are designed with the same level of intention.
Strength Floors Built for Visibility and Belonging
As strength training continues to rise in popularity, it has become foundational to gym design. “Members are more educated, longevity-focused and results driven, and they want equipment, space and programming that supports progressive training,” said Martinez.
As a result, strength floors are larger and more thoughtfully designed, with functional training zones highly visible.
At VASA, functional areas have expanded to include multiple turf zones that allow for multiple activities. “These open spaces are intentionally unstructured — they encourage creativity, connection and a sense of ownership over the workout experience,” said Steckler.
Crunch takes a similar approach, emphasizing central turf and shared warm-up areas to create visibility and energy. Open sightlines and shared spaces help members feel part of something bigger, reinforcing a sense of belonging that supports engagement and retention.
Boutique Experiences at Scale
Boutique-style spaces have increasingly been integrated into larger clubs. At VASA, this includes STUDIO RED(HIIT), STUDIO FLOW (infrared yoga), and STUDIO LFT (guided strength training). These studios give beginners a safe place to build confidence while still offering challenge and progression.
The idea of boutique-style spaces is not new to Crunch. “Long before boutique studios became widely available, Crunch delivered the studio-style experience inside a big-box gym,” said Martinez, noting Crunch’s high energy classes and specialized formats.
The current growth of boutique-style spaces isn’t about chasing trends, but about delivering focused experiences at scale without sacrificing accessibility or value.
Both brands stress that community is built through design choices. VASA creates “intentional gathering spaces, such as our front community lounge, large turf zones and STUDIO rooms, that naturally foster connection,” said Steckler. They pay close attention to how people move through the space, where they pause and what encourages them to stay.
Martinez echoed this, explaining how Crunch incorporates community into every part of design. “Open sightlines, shared warm-up areas, centrally located turf areas and high-energy group fitness studios create natural points of connection,” she said.
When energy is visible and experiences are shared, members feel part of a larger community, reinforcing confidence and engagement.
Designing for Connection, Comfort and Longevity
Post-COVID, lounges remain popular, but their purpose has shifted as clubs place greater emphasis on connection and recovery. At VASA, lounges now double as casual meet-up spots. The growth of co-fitness has also driven the creation of more shared functional zones and versatile layouts.
Crunch sees that members want comfort. “They want flexible spaces to decompress, connect or transition before and after workouts,” said Martinez. Their lounges now support recovery, community and convenience, extending the overall experience beyond exercise.
Sustainability is a key factor in VASA’s facility design. “Sustainability is becoming an expectation, and we view it as an extension of wellness,” said Steckler.
VASA’s clubs use LED fixtures, skylights and Energy Star-rated equipment, along with recycled rubber flooring and preserved concrete floors to reduce waste. They are also introducing EV charging stations in select markets.
Crunch approaches sustainability as both an ethical responsibility and a practical business decision. “Sustainability has become a smart business decision,” said Martinez. “Members may not always see these investments directly, but they feel them in air quality, temperature control and overall experience.”
Design isn’t just about how a space looks. “Every design choice, from lighting and sightlines to material textures and sound, contributes to how members feel in the space,” said Steckler. “A great facility should look good, function effortlessly and make people feel good being there.”
Martinez agrees. “The best designs elevate function through aesthetics — not the other way around,” she said. “When a space looks great and works intuitively, members feel confident navigating it.” That confidence leads to comfort, consistency and long-term retention.
Design That Evolves with the Member
Modern fitness spaces must adapt as trends change. VASA designs floor plans that are “flexible to reconfigure spaces as trends shift,” said Steckler, such as converting racquetball courts into performance lifting zones or fitness cinemas into yoga studios. Listening to member behavior and feedback helps guide these changes.
Crunch’s 3.0 model also focuses heavily on flow, sightlines and how energy moves through the club, creating an environment that, according to Martinez, “exceeds member expectations and supports how people want to train, recover and connect.”
VASA highlights recovery and reinvestment in equipment, noting that recovery is a part of fitness, not a luxury. They also add more equipment based on usage data and feedback.
Crunch emphasizes flexibility and immersive fitness experiences as the biggest drivers of loyalty. Members stay where they feel supported, inspired and connected.
Today’s fitness facility isn’t defined by how much equipment it can fit, but by how effectively it supports the member experience. From open sightlines and flexible zones to visible recovery and intentional lounges, every design choice shapes how members feel, move and engage.
Modern fitness design is, at its core, about clarity, connection and care — creating spaces that make it easy not just to work out, but to belong.
