Adding New Wellness Options to Bring in Revenue

To keep current members coming through your doors and invite potential ones, it’s necessary to continuously assess health and wellness trends. Members might get bored with the same fitness equipment and classes, so why not offer new options for them to consider?

At the JCC of Youngstown, Laura Weymer, the health and wellness director, is constantly thinking of new ways to build programs and improve member satisfaction. One way they have done this is by purchasing the InBody 570.

“In the past, we’ve done weight loss challenges where they measure their weight,” said Weymer. “But now we’ve incorporated our InBody machine, so instead of [tracking] weight, we’re tracking body fat percentage loss.”To get members familiar with and interested in the machine, they offer a free baseline scan, then they can choose to purchase additional scans for $25 or a monthly scan option for an extra $15 to their membership.

With the scan, members also get time with a personal trainer to discuss results and moving forward. “We’re trying to find ways to incorporate it into our health and wellness programs,” said Weymer. “And InBody was definitely one of the new things we’ve added that people are excited about.”

Additionally, to improve their health and wellness options, they have subcontracted two massage therapists as add-ons to memberships. “You can pay $15 a month and you get one 30-minute massage every month,” explained Weymer. “They are basically getting 50 percent off the massages because our hope is they will sign up and it will be a continual payment.”

To further increase interest, the JCC of Youngstown recently renovated their massage therapy room and created a new one, so each locker room — men’s and women’s — has its own massage therapist along with a male and female therapist.

Weymer elaborated this is a program they are still building and growing. “We just hired a new massage therapist, and he’s been coming in and doing free chair massages to get his name out there and build relationships with people,” she said. “He’s choosing to do that — we aren’t paying him an hourly rate because he knows the more time he puts in on the front end, hopefully the better off he is as he starts to get clients.”

Looking into the future, they are also exploring nutritional wellness options for members. “I just met with a registered dietician and we are looking into bringing someone on — either in a sub-contracted roll or as a personal trainer — to start offering programs for our members,” said Weymer. “If you’re not doing your work in the kitchen, you’re not going to see any results — we feel that’s a really important aspect to a health and wellness journey.”

When exploring new wellness options for your facility, Weymer suggests having an open mind and being willing to work with others. “Always be looking for ways to serve everyone, not just the people who have the money — although I know that drives everything,” she said. “Just be open to looking at new ways to build revenue that’s still going to meet the mission of your facility.”