Planet Fitness to open by end of the year in Portage

Memberships to the new Planet Fitness in Portage are now on sale. The health club will open its second Kalamazoo area location at 6420 South Westnedge Ave. in Portage at the end of 2014.

Planet Fitness focuses on the needs of occasional or first-time gym users rather than hard-core fitness fanatics.

Those who join the fitness club before it opens will be helping the Boys and Girls Club of greater Kalamazoo. Planet Fitness donate all enrollment fees during this period before the club opens to the Boys and Girls Club. Planet Fitness franchisee Chris Klebba will match the donation as part of the Grand Opening celebration.  

Those that join Planet Fitness now will be able to work out at the Kalamazoo location at 4408 Stadium Drive, just eight miles from the new Portage location.

The new Planet Fitness club will be about 16,000-square-feet. State of the art cardio machines and strength equipment, fully equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, and numerous flat screen televisions are among the amenities to be offered. Massage beds, massage chairs, tanning booths and beds for members also will be featured. And members receive fitness training.

The club will be open and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each club features the "Lunk Alarm" – a purple and yellow siren on the wall used to gently remind people that grunting, dropping weights, or judging others is not permitted.

New members can join for just $1 down and then $10 a month, and be entered for the chance to win a free membership for a year. Those who decide to join at the $19.90 a month level before the new center opens will have access to the Westnedge center at their convenience. The Portage sales office is currently open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 269-459-8899 for more information.

"Planet Fitness has been a part of this community since 2011 when we opened our first location in Kalamazoo, and we look forward to providing more local residents with a high quality, judgment free fitness experience at an extremely affordable cost," says Planet Fitness franchisee Chris Klebba. "We are also very excited to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo, and help this amazing organization that enhances the quality of life of youth in our community."

Planet Fitness has over 850 locations nationwide.

Source: Chris Klebba, Planet Fitness