Sep 01, 2017 (Japan Times) - Twenty-four-hour gyms are proving popular not only in the cities but also in the suburbs, giving busy workers a cheaper option to exercise.
The number of such gyms - fitted with training machines but not with swimming pools or dance studios featured in conventional full-fledged gyms - is rising sharply.
Anytime Fitness, which opened the first such 24-hour gym in Chofu, Tokyo, in 2010, now boasts 229 branches in 17 prefectures. Joyfit 24, also based in Tokyo, operates 155 outlets in 12 prefectures.
Tipness, a major fitness club operator, has also entered the fray, opening 68 outlets of Fastgym 24 in four prefectures in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
The gyms are cheaper to set up and maintain because they can cut back on manpower and rent. Fees are thus cheaper. Traditional fitness clubs usually charge users a monthly fee of ¥10,000 or more. Most 24-hour gyms cost less than that.
