SAUGUS — Residents will soon have a new place to pump some iron.
At its July 20 meeting, the Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to allow Planet Fitness to open a new location at 327-357 Broadway, which formerly housed a Bed Bath & Beyond.
Expected to open by the end of the year, the new facility will be open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. The Planet Fitness location will face competition from LA Fitness, Orange Theory and Title Boxing in Saugus.
Town Manager Scott Crabtree said that the town is always happy to have new businesses.
“We’re very supportive here in Saugus of new businesses opening up and I just want to congratulate them and look forward to them serving Saugus’ residents and the community,” said Crabtree.
With a Black Card membership, gym members gain access to tanning beds and hydromassagers at the facility, can bring a friend for free, and are able to use any other Planet Fitness location. While the heavily-advertised basic memberships only cost $10, that upgraded Black Card membership costs more than $20.
Crabtree added that it’s great to have more facilities open up in the town that are focused on health and wellness. Planet Fitness prides itself on completely changing the gym environment, both in attitude and format, creating a non-intimidating and low-cost environment, which it claims has “revolutionized the gym industry.”
The new Planet Fitness will add to the recent business growth the town has seen on Route 1, according to Crabtree.
“We definitely are seeing pre-pandemic development that was in the works and some of that is following through and some isn’t,” he said. “Now, post-pandemic we are definitely seeing different types of businesses and development. We’re here trying to support and promote smart growth and development that has the least amount of impact on the community, but provides benefits and needs of the community.”
Planet Fitness was founded in 1992, in Dover, N.H., and has grown to more than 2,000 facilities across the Americas.
