Being in Colorado — especially in the summer — it’s hard to keep up with a gym membership when you could run outside or explore the mountains. There are options though if you want to pick and choose when you want to go to a gym nearby at a reasonable price with Flex Gym Share. This new app launched in 2017, with gyms located in Boulder and will soon offer more options in Denver in the near future. It lets members of gyms such as CrossFit Sanitas, One Boulder Fitness and Amana Yoga Boulder sell their membership for a day and make a little profit from it. It is a cool concept for those whose memberships always go unused, and a great opportunity for others who want to use the gym every once in a while.
How it Works
The idea of Flex Gym Share came about when the owner, Janine Shea, was traveling for her job and became fed up from using run down hotel gyms, while also paying for her gym membership back home. ” I sought a business model that would enable gyms to make better use of their spaces and their own members, and in doing so deliver more value and accessibility to me,” said Shea. With that idea, she created Flex Gym Share and from word of mouth alone it already has about 200 users.
Flex Gym Share allows anybody to buy unused workout days from the gym itself or its members. Gym members can earn money by listing their membership on the app and getting 20 percent profit back. How gym owners make money is by earning 60 percent of the price of day passes sold by a gym member and 70 percent of passes they sold themselves. They also receive increased foot track, and free advertisement by getting their name out there. CrossFit Sanitas owner, Thomas Baker, recalled his first time hearing about Flex Gym Share.
“When I heard about Flex, I was immediately interested. I mean, AirBnB for gym memberships? It sounds like a no-brainer! Especially when in a town like Boulder ith countless gyms and facilities. It would be impossible to have a membership to all of them, so having a service like Flex that allows people to jump around to the different gyms/classes around town without having to break the bank is awesome.”
To sign up for classes you can either download the Flex Gym Share app or go to the site online and sign in. Right now, Flex Gym Share only has three gyms as their options and they are all located in Boulder. There are two options you can purchase with these gyms: an Off-Peak Pass or an Anytime Pass. The Off-Peak Pass is cheaper than the Anytime Pass but only allows you access into the gym at certain times, compared to the Anytime Pass which allows you to go into the gym anytime during the day (it’s an average of a two dollar difference). Prices vary from $8 to $14 per day based on which gym you choose. Once you purchase the pass, you will receive a confirmation email with a code on it. You then go to the gym that you signed up for, show them your email and your good to go.
Flex Gym Share is looking to expand to Denver in mid to late September this year. As of this week, they will be adding a bouldering gym called The Spot Gym located in Boulder, which also just announced a new location in Denver. Be on the lookout for more gyms popping up every month with this app.