In days gone by gyms and fitness facilities may have been able to get away without paying attention to the small details of their club. In a pre covid world, gym-goers typically joined a gym based purely on proximity to work and convenience. They needed something that could easily fit in to their cookie cutter 9-5 schedule, that didn’t take too much time out of their day. In a post covid world, many people have a lot more flexibility with work from home privileges, as well as the ability to make their own schedule. As such, they taking more factors into consideration when making the decision of what gym to join. This means that now more than ever, gyms NEED to pay attention to all aspects of their service offering, and how they add value to their membership experience.
Why Do I Need To Implement a Towel Service?
One great way to add value to you gym goers experience is by simply adding a towel service to your membership offering. Not only does it give your members the ability to freshen up after their workout without having to take a wet towel home (or to work) with them, but it also differentiates you from competitors who do not offer this service. This could be the difference between winning a leads business and losing it. I know what you are thinking, ‘isn’t a towel service expensive to run?’ well, it may be, but many clubs either bake the expense associated with towel service into the cost of membership or they offer a ‘premium’ membership option where towel service is included for an additional fee. You’ll be surprised how many people are happy to pay up to 25% more a month, for the additional service if it means they have one less thing to worry about.
How Much Does a Towel Service Cost?
This is a difficult question to accurately answer as there are many variables from club to club, but let’s try to break down the economics from a high level. The quality of towels you offer will greatly affect the cost of your program but for the purpose of this costing example, lets suppose that you will offer both hand towels (to use on the gym floor) and bath towels (to be used when showering) from a low to mid range of quality. A low to mid range hand towel will cost anywhere between $0.75-1.25 per towel whereas a low to mid range bath towel can cost between $2.50 – $3, 50 per towel. The average amount of towels needed for a towel service would be 3 x the amount of daily check INS for hand towels and 1.5 x the amount of daily check INS for bath towels. For example if a club had 1000 average daily check ins, they would need 3000 hand towels and 1500 bath towels to run a successful towel service. This will give them enough towels to have stocked and ready for members while some other towels are being laundered etc. In terms or a reorder rate, we typically see clubs place a monthly order of about 25-35% of their initial order size. This is to compensate for towel theft (an unfortunate reality) and damaged or aged towels. Overall you can figure that 1 member will cost the club about ½ hand ¼ bath towel per month. That means if a hand towel is an avg price of $1.00 and a bath towel is an average price of $3.00, the towel program would cost the club $1.25/month per member. This would include the cost of the towel and the cost to launder, fold and anything else associated with towels. As mentioned previously, this cost could be passed on to the members relatively easily.
How to pick the best towel for your club:
When looking at what towel is the best option for your club to offer there are a couple of things to take into consideration.
- What is the price point of your membership?
If you are charging people $100+ per month to come in to your facility, then there is a good chance they are expecting more than just a basic towel service. They may be expecting more of a higher end towel offering that provides comfort and softness rather than just practicality and durability. With that said, on the flip side, if you are an economical gym that is priced accordingly, members will understand a more budget towel offering.
- The Material
You basically have two choices to make here. First option is to go with 100% cotton. These are often softer and feel higher end but are not quite as durable as the cotton/polyester blend. They also come at a higher price point. Cotton/Polyester blend towels are durable and have a slightly longer life span when going through multiple hot washes a day.
- What other amenities do you offer?
If you are a standard gym that offers the usual cardio, weights and shower section then a more basic towel line may be what you are looking for. However, if your location offers a pool, sauna or steam room then higher end towels may be called for. People do not want to be taking a thin workout towel into the sauna with them, they need something more substantial.
How to save money paragraph (AT Towel):
I know what you’re thinking, won’t your more ‘forgetful’ members end up taking some of these towels home with them? This is a valid concern. In fact, we have done research into this and studies show that up to 40% of a clubs towels disappear, or are lost, every month. While this happens in all businesses, we understand that it is far from ideal. PetrA-1 removed all of the potential ‘cons’ of offering a towel service by introducing Anti-Theft (AT) Towels. Developed specifically for the health and fitness industry, the Anti Theft Towel System solves the problem and expense of towel theft at your facility. Through membership and guest compliance, your towel expenditure will shrink without compromising quality of service. The AT Towel System pays for itself and puts money back into the club in no time. In addition, you can increase your green quotient by reducing towel consumption.
If you choose to adopt the AT system, Petra will provide an ROI analysis based on your current towel consumption and what a conservative outlook would be as you transition to the AT Towel System. Petra works in partnership with Tyco Sensormatic. Petra and Tyco have worked hand in hand for more than a decade and have implemented the AT Towel system for several hundred athletic clubs across many countries and continents.
Our AT towels are made of high-quality, 100% ring-spun cotton and the soft, plush feel will captivate your clients, making it a big selling point for new members to join your club. Club owners will love the money they save through our exclusive, anti-theft RFID technology that cuts massive towel replacement costs.
For more information on towel service, towel consumption and anti theft towels, reach out to us on 1-866-334-3702 or mail us at greg.m@petrasoap.com now to claim a free ROI audit.
Conclusion:
When considering factors that contribute to a members experience at your facility it is really hard to underestimate the importance of a good towel service. The amount of convenience it provides to the end user is unparalleled. It gives them one less thing to worry about as they go about their busy day. Connect PetrA-1 now, if you are interested in learning more about wholesale towels and implementing a towel service in your facility.
