VASA Fitness announced a comprehensive rebrand centered on a new brand platform: Built to Be Strong. The rebrand introduces a new tagline, a redesigned digital experience across web and mobile and a preview of upgraded club designs coming to VASA locations in 2027.
Built to Be Strong reflects what VASA has heard directly from its members: that strength isn’t only about what happens on the gym floor. Physical strength matters, but so do confidence, resilience, mental and emotional well-being, and the ability to keep doing the things that matter throughout life. It also reflects the brand’s own growth and evolution: VASA opens its 75th club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa later this month, with plans to open eight more before the end of the year and nearly 20 clubs in 2027.
“Built to Be Strong captures what we believe fitness should ultimately help people do: live stronger, for longer,” said Liz Crisafi, the CMO at VASA Fitness. “The strength our members build at VASA goes far beyond physical strength. It can show up as more confidence, greater resilience, better physical capability or simply feeling ready for whatever life asks of you. Our job is to give people the tools, support and environment to keep building that kind of holistic strength throughout their lives.”
Progress Over Perfection
To better understand how people connect with fitness and define strength in their own lives, VASA commissioned focus groups with participants across Colorado, Utah and the Midwest. The research revealed a broader, more personal view of what it means to be strong: 75% of respondents valued the idea of progress over perfection, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and celebrating small wins along the way. And 90% agreed that strength is about more than how much you can lift.
Participants described strength in deeply human terms, from overcoming challenges with mental health to resilience and the ability to keep moving forward through adversity. As one participant shared, strength is about being able to “overcome things like my mental health.” Another reflected, “I think it connotes more than physical strength. Resilience speaks more to the human spirit and beyond.”
Together, these findings point to an evolving definition of fitness, one where strength isn’t measured solely by physical performance, but by progress, resilience and what people overcome along the way.
“VASA is the place where members get to discover and challenge their own strength, whatever that looks like on a given day,” said Haley Lubas, the VP of brand at VASA Fitness. “Sometimes progress is adding five pounds to your last set or pushing for ten more seconds. Other days, the win is simply showing up and walking for ten minutes after a bad night’s sleep or stressful day at work. Built to Be Strong celebrates all of it. We’re not here to define what strength should look like for someone. We’re here to give people a place to find it, build it and keep moving forward.”
A Campaign Built on Real Members
VASA’s rebrand campaign features real members and team members in its photography and videography, an intentional choice that reflects the people, effort and everyday progress found inside its clubs. The campaign rolled out across paid, social, in-club and digital channels on October 1.
A Digital Experience to Match
Alongside the new brand identity, VASA is launching an upgraded website and members-only mobile app. Both have been redesigned with a new look and feel inspired by the energy and authenticity of the gym floor, while making it easier for members to manage their membership, book classes and stay connected to their fitness routine.
More Ways to Build Strength
As strength training continues to become a fundamental part of how people approach long-term fitness and well-being, VASA is investing in more ways for members to build strength on their terms. Clubs across the portfolio now feature expanded strength training offerings, including equipment from brands such as Life Fitness, Arsenal and Booty Builder, giving members more room, more variety and more ways to train.
VASA has also expanded its Studio suite with a fourth format: Studio Pilates, a coach-led reformer Pilates experience designed to build strength, stability, posture and control through low-impact, full-body movement. VASA plans to launch a fifth concept before year end. These additions reflect the philosophy behind Built to Be Strong: there is no single way to get stronger, and members should have options that allow them to build strength in ways that work for their bodies, goals and lives.
Strength that Gives Back
The launch of Built to Be Strong also extends beyond VASA’s clubs. In recognition of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the strength of those impacted by breast cancer and other cancers, VASA has released a limited-edition black and pink Built to Be Strong t-shirt available for purchase exclusively online here. All proceeds from the shirt will benefit Susan G. Komen and its work to support breast cancer research, advocacy and patient care. The initiative reflects the broader idea behind Built to Be Strong: strength takes many forms, and some of its most powerful expressions happen far beyond the gym.
Reimagining the Club Experience
VASA also previewed a new club design standard developed to create a more welcoming, modern environment that supports how members train, recover and connect. Beginning in the second quarter of 2027, new VASA clubs will feature:
- A more welcoming, modern entryway and check-in experience
- Reimagined group fitness and Studio rooms
- Improved locker room designs and layouts
- Improved exterior facades
The investment extends beyond individual clubs. VASA plans to open nearly 20 new locations in 2027 alone, one of the most aggressive growth years in the company’s history, bringing the Built to Be Strong experience and reimagined club design to more communities.
“We’re not just changing how VASA looks; we’re creating an experience that better reflects what our members come here to do,” added Crisafi. “Our clubs should give people more ways to train, recover, connect and take care of themselves so they can keep building the kind of strength that carries into the rest of their lives.”
Built to Be Strong will serve as the foundation for how VASA evolves its brand, clubs, products and member experience in the years ahead. While the ways members choose to move, train, and recover will continue to evolve, the idea at the center of the brand remains simple: everyone is capable of getting a little stronger every day.
