Top 10 Health and Fitness Franchise Business Opportunities

Posted on June 04, 2008 by Ginger Watford

Some reports say that today’s health and fitness industry is bigger than it’s ever been, raking in some $16 billion and serving roughly 42 million every year, and it continues to grow.  As the nation becomes increasingly health-conscious—or at least conscious of how health-unconscious we’ve been in the past—people can’t seem to keep themselves from the gym.  As we discover the disastrous effects of excessive stress in our lives, people go running to the spa for a regular relaxation and pampering.  And as we grow older and older, it’s unavoidable that medical and hospice care markets experience higher demand as well.

All this in mind, it only makes sense that entrepreneurs looking to start a franchise seriously consider breaking into this expanding and lucrative industry.  Below is a list—in no special order—of what we would consider your 10 best business bets in the various sub-categories of the health and fitness market.

1. Workout Anytime
We live in a world of convenience.  Everyone in our country seems to be interested in accomplishing a dozen different things all at once, so the optimization of time is something that we all hold in high, high esteem.  What better way to use that common American mentality, in conjunction with our growing love of fitness, than by providing 24-hour exercise equipment and training.  With a concept and name that are becoming increasingly popular, the sky’s the limit for Anytime franchisees.

2. BalanceD
It is becoming more and more evident that though physical activity is essential to good health, what proves to be just as important, if not more so, is good nutrition.  Not another diet facility, BalanceD provides in-store, online, and printed resources to its clients that work in unison to teach not only what good nutrition looks like in general, but what it looks like for the individual.

3. MixStirs
Whether pursuing the nutritional benefits or simply the great taste, everybody loves a good smoothie.  At a MixStirs franchise, however, guests don’t get an ordinary smoothie; they get a no-sugar-added, fresh-fruit-laden “stir.”  Conveniently placed in malls and other similar shopping establishments, franchise kiosks benefit from the growing smoothie craze while still providing their franchisees plenty of room to grow under a name that isn’t yet as well known by the public as many competitors.

4. Hand and Stone Massage Spa
Also located in malls and shopping centers, this franchise opportunity conveniently provides their clients with excellent rest and relaxation at the hands of trained massage therapists utilizing a host of techniques, including their signature stone massage.  Built on a simple and successful system, each location has the capacity to give thousands of massage appointments every week.

5. South Beach Tanning Company
The name pretty much sums it all up: the claim to fame here is that guests receive the dark, rich tan and chic atmosphere that they would if they traveled all the way to renowned South Beach at Miami, Florida.  If you’re in the market for a franchise that’s simultaneously hip, hospitable, and lucrative, here it is.

6. Mobility Solutions
Perhaps a far cry from the trendier side of the health industry, Mobility Solutions is no less necessary and no less successful than the other businesses we’ve mentioned.  Dead set on providing expert service and mobility equipment to those in our communities who are physically challenged to various degrees, this franchise primes franchisees to succeed while also helping people who really need it.

7. ComForcare Senior Services
At some point, all of our bodies will begin to fail, regardless of how regularly we’ve worked out and eaten well, and it’s up to the service-oriented franchisees and employees of facilities like this one to care for us when we hit that stage.  This business is founded on compassion for a population whose size will only increase (the elderly) and is built in such a way that as long you’re firmly rooted in that foundation, you will succeed.

8. ATC Healthcare Services
Lets not forget, in a list of health and fitness franchises, a business dedicated to the medical profession.  ATC is one of the premiere medical staffing operations in the country, finding medical professionals to fill employment holes at patient care facilities everywhere.  Connecting both employees with work directly and patients with aid indirectly.

9. INCHES-A-WEIGH
Designed especially for women, this historically successful franchisor provides a place for women to develop, execute, and benefit from gender- and person-specific nutrition and fitness programs with the help of trained and experienced staff.  Diets don’t solve the problems of the millions of overweight women in the US, and neither do one-size-fits-all work-out programs, but the personal touch of the INCHES-A-WEIGH program does.

10. Velocity Sports Performance
Recognized as an exceptional program for young athletes in a revolutionary training facility, Velocity provides personal coaching that far exceeds mere conditioning.  Owners and coaches are taught how to best run a successful business as well as most effectively guide clients as they get the fitness necessary to compete in their various events.

Though it at first sounds like a very niche market, the health and fitness industry has become so large in our country that there are really a whole host of sub-markets.  This makes the search for the right franchise much easier, because instead of having to fit your instincts and desires into a box pre-made by the establishment, you only need to do the homework to decide which corner of this vast industry you are best suited for.  Then, even if the field you choose is relatively new to you, the training and support provided by franchisors will make y the difference and ensure your success in an area that you are truly passionate about.