If your fitness business is considering a locker room overhaul, there may be a simple way to stand out from competitors without spending a fortune: Add privately labeled personal supplies to your locker room’s wet and dry areas.
Imagine the scent of cucumber melon, cocomango, or citrus nectar wafting through the showers. And—rather than scrambling for a leftover hotel sample—your members simply pump body wash from an easy-to-use bottle emblazoned with your gym logo. What an inviting way to start the day.
To learn more about this concept, we reached out to Jeremiah Hofstetter, Senior Account Manager – Health Club Division at ReadyCare. For 25 years, ReadyCare has been providing innovative products to health clubs, spas, and hotels.
What is private labeling?
Private labeling distinguishes your business with a selection of high-quality shampoo, conditioner, and body wash encased in containers reflecting your brand and image. The highest-quality manufacturers offer a silk-screen process rather than a paper label, increasing both the durability and attractiveness of the bottles.
Many high-end spas and health clubs also private label items in the locker room dry areas and then sell them in smaller sizes at the club’s retail sales center.
A common complaint? Yes, there is a chance the item could walk away from the club. The solution is to keep extra dispensers on hand—or build a secondary business by selling smaller versions of the same product for home use.
Is it expensive to private label items at my health club?
No. The initial expense for a simple one-color run with 32 oz. dispensers, wall brackets, and pumps is $450–$600, depending on the number of wall brackets needed.
- Single set of triple wall brackets with private-labeled bottle dispensers: $55–$65 each
- Minimum purchase: 10 containers per product
- Cost of the solutions: About $40 per 4-gallon case, depending on quality
To break this down, a gym with six showers would need to buy six wall brackets, then purchase 18 pumps to cover the six shampoos, six body washes, and six conditioners. After this initial investment, the only ongoing cost is replacing the solutions inside the silk-screened bottles.
The solutions themselves reflect your own brand as well. Industry leader ReadyCare states there are several broad categories of personal care liquids—janitorial grade, health club grade, and spa grade—each with optional fragrance palettes reflecting your gym’s ambiance.
Why should I offer personal supplies at my gym?
- Create an inexpensive high-end experience that sets you apart from big-box gyms. It’s an easy “yes” when prospects learn they can confidently exercise before work, knowing high-quality shower supplies are readily available. These amenities also appeal to fitness fans who train multiple times a day. For these diehards, knowing they can jump into a refreshing shower makes it easier to push harder during their workout.
- Build loyalty. Nearly every gym owner understands the value of a clean, well-maintained gym. Locker rooms, however, are ground zero. Nowhere is cleanliness more under the microscope than in the bathroom and shower areas. According to ReadyCare, it’s estimated that members spend 10%–20% of their time in the locker room. Investing in branded products shows your commitment to the details—translating to increased consumer confidence in the cleanliness of your wet and dry locker areas.
- Express exclusivity. Privately labeled shower items enhance your brand image in the eyes of your members.
- Provide a wholesale income stream. Once a member begins to enjoy a particular scent or spa treatment, they may want to bring it home. Private-labeled products serve as a marketing tool for items that can later be sold in your retail store.
- Enhance growth. If your club is expanding to new locations or selling franchises, privately labeled products create consistency across your brand concept.
What are the downsides to privately labeled shower products?
Like every new investment, there is some maintenance. Once you’ve agreed to provide shower shampoo, conditioner, and soap, it becomes a task to keep them filled and sanitary. Wide-mouth refillable bottles make adding fluid easy. However, they need to be placed where maintenance staff can access both the dispensers and the surrounding area for proper cleaning to prevent residue buildup.
Customers will quickly become accustomed to the service and expect bottles to be full and ready for use. Another challenge is that some members may steal the bottles. There’s no perfect solution to this, other than keeping extra dispensers in stock and encouraging honesty.
A third challenge may arise in your sales center. If your retail inventory of lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and body wash doesn’t sell, it becomes dead stock. The lesson? Hold an end-of-season sale or include them in new-member welcome bags.
Private labeled products are inexpensive, high-end features
The cost to renovate a locker room ranges from $50 to $200 per square foot—though we’ve heard of estimates exceeding $450 per square foot. Yet, a complete renovation may not be necessary. If your goal is to simply spruce up an existing locker room, adding a few amenities such as private-labeled bath products can enhance your image and deliver member value far beyond the actual investment.
Don’t compete on price
We’ve all heard the term “race to the bottom” when referring to fitness centers that cut fees to stay competitive. Unfortunately, this race can lead to a dying club as members switch to cheaper options. Instead, differentiate your business by focusing on your members’ goals.
Offering high-end amenities such as ReadyCare’s privately labeled products creates value in your members’ minds. Whether it’s the value of time saved or removing obstacles to help them reach their fitness goals, “value” means more than just money to many people — and offers a distinction far beyond price.
Gym Insight
This value mindset is why our gym management software is essential for your business. Our fully integrated, digitally based member management software shortens time spent on sign-ups, eases member access to your club, and simplifies your life by providing real-time data and comprehensive reporting. And all this happens without ever accessing your club accounts.
Our gym software is subscription-based. We never touch your bank account—you own the data, retrieve your charges, and keep your fees. We just provide excellent, easy-to-use software and the best U.S.-based customer support in the industry.
Looking for more details? Call today at 855-367-4967 (855-FOR-GYMS) for a free demo.
