Youfit expansion hots up with Baltimore opening
by Tom Walker | 08 Aug 2016
Youfit was founded in 2008 by entrepreneur Rick Berks
US-based budget club operator Youfit has opened its latest site in Baltimore, Maryland, increasing the number of sites in its portfolio to nearly 120.
The Baltimore club features a large gym floor with resistance stations and cv machines supplied by Cybex and also offers personal training through its YouCoach programme.
There is also a 30-minute Express Circuit course, while SilverSneakers classes – a wellness programme designed exclusively for older adults and created by fitness giant HealthWays – will be made available.
The club is YouFit’s second in the state of Maryland.
Founded in 2008 by entrepreneur Rick Berks, Youfit is one of the fastest-growing fitness companies in the US, with an average of three clubs opening per month.
Based on a low-cost model, monthly memberships start at just US$10 for a single club. The company’s “Lime Card”, which gives access to all of the chain’s clubs across the US, costs US$19 per month.
The group also places emphasis on environmental responsibility. Gym floors are made from Nike Grind and other recycled rubber materials, and each Youfit location – some which are operated on a franchise model – is required to practice additional eco-friendly initiatives.
In 2014, Youfit secured venture funding from PWP Growth Equity, a private equity entity focused on investing in lower middle market growth companies.
Fitness
US-based budget club operator Youfit has opened its latest site in Baltimore, Maryland, increasing the number of sites in its portfolio to nearly 120. The Baltimore club features a large gym floor with resistance stations and cv machines supplied by Cybex and also offers personal training through its YouCoach programme. There is also a 30-minute Express Circuit course, while SilverSneakers classes – a wellness programme designed exclusively for older adults
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Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
by Liz Terry | 04 Jun 2026
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Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
by Helen Andrews | 03 Jun 2026
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Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
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Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
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MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
by Helen Andrews | 21 May 2026
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Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
by Helen Andrews | 28 May 2026
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First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
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Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
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Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
by Helen Andrews | 06 May 2026
Zannier Île De Bendor, a new island retreat, has been unveiled off the south coast of Bandol in Provence, France, with a wellness concept called Rēsonance. The 93-key destination has reopened after a five-year transformation, set across three areas. Luxury hospitality operator Zannier Hotels has worked with the family-owned holding and operating company Société Paul Ricard to modernise and restore the property. The destination was bought by French entrepreneur Paul
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
by Kath Hudson | 04 May 2026
A wellness club opens on London’s River Thames in June, offering luxury facilities and personalised wellness protocols focused on recovery and longevity. Sæl Spa at Fulham Pier – London’s new lifestyle destination on the River Thames – will be set across four floors and has been conceived as a “modern British sanctuary.” Facilities include a 15-metre heated rooftop infinity pool and sun terrace and a movement studio with integrated infrared
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by Helen Andrews | 30 Apr 2026
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Construction has begun on a new wellness destination in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, US, called The Shenandoah Nature Resort, which is due to open in January 2028. The US$200 million (€184 million, £156 million) property has been designed to reimagine the traditional spa experience by blending ancient and modern wisdom in what is described as a “spiritually expansive and scientifically grounded approach”. The resort has been created to address
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
by Magali Robathan | 21 Apr 2026
Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea (nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark with two new family raft slides. Other attractions include the Crown's Edge skywalk/zip line experience, the FlowRider surf simulator, the Adrenaline Peak rock-climbing wall, and the Lost Dunes mini-golf course. Arriving in Miami in August 2027, Hero of
V&A East opens in London
by Magali Robathan | 18 Apr 2026
The much-anticipated V&A East Museum has opened in Stratford, east London, UK. Designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, the new branch of the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is a cornerstone of the East Bank cultural complex in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Intended as a legacy for the 2012 London Olympics, the project was inspired by the cultural boom in South Kensington after the 1851 Great Exhibition and London's
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
by Magali Robathan | 21 Apr 2026
The Peter Zumthor-designed David Geffen Galleries have opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles, US. Spanning LA's Wilshire Boulevard, the elevated exhibition space houses LACMA's permanent collection, allowing the museum to present art from all cultures and eras on a single level without hierarchies or prescribed visitor pathways. “This building is not just about the flow of people. It's actually about the flow of
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
by Helen Andrews | 20 Apr 2026
The heritage-listed Department of Lands building in Sydney, Australia, has relaunched as a major cultural and events destination, as part of a mixed-use redevelopment of two iconic buildings known collectively as the Sandstone Precinct. Singapore-based Pontiac Land Group owns the property, as well as the building next door that was the former Department of Education building. The two-phase restoration project has seen Pontiac turn the Department of Education building into
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
by Magali Robathan | 16 Apr 2026
World of Frozen has opened at Disney Adventure World in Disneyland Paris with new offerings across the entire park. The expansion almost doubles the size of Disneyland Paris, immersing guests in a life-size recreation of the Kingdom of Arendel. The World of Frozen features a Tangled -inspired attraction, 14 new dining locations and a large lake debuting a new night-time spectacular. It also features a daytime celebration, themed shopping, and
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
by Helen Andrews | 14 Apr 2026
The €200m (US$221.3 million, £169.7 million) Pical Resort, Valamar Collection has opened in Croatia with the country’s first ESPA spa. Valamar Riviera, a Croatian tourism company and hotel operator has revealed the 514-key property in Poreč, Istria. The development of the Pical Resort represents Valamar’s largest investment to date. The accommodation is split into the following options: the Pical Hotel, the luxury all-inclusive Pical Family Hotel, the exclusive Pical Suites
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
by Helen Andrews | 13 Apr 2026
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has revealed plans to expand its presence in Egypt with the renovation and operation of two historic hotel properties and the brand’s first-ever luxury river cruise. In 2022, Mandarin Oriental announced it would open its first Egyptian property, Mandarin Oriental Shepheard in Cairo. The hotel is undergoing a comprehensive renovation and is due to open in 2027. Ownership and development The river cruise, Old Cataract
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
by Helen Andrews | 27 Mar 2026
Holistic design and architecture practice Mendil + Meyer, based in Arizona in the US, has introduced a new division called Lām Concepts to integrate and align wellness goals for projects before they reach the design stage. Ben Meyer, architect and co-founder of Mendil + Meyer, told Spa Business exclusively about the new division: “Lām comes from the word loam, meaning fertile ground – the place where conditions are right for
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
by Helen Andrews | 05 Mar 2026
Wilderness, an operator of 60 safari camps across eight African countries, has unveiled the second spa under its new concept called The Sanctuary, at Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda. The Sanctuary is a concept that pairs design and wellness with raw, restorative landscapes. The offering at the Rwandan property follows the opening of a different interpretation of The Sanctuary’s concept at Wilderness Mombo in Botswana. Read more about that property here.
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
by Helen Andrews | 04 Mar 2026
Design firm 4a Architekten has shared details of the recently-completed extension to the wellness facilities at destination spa park Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa in Germany. The upgrades to the leisure pool facility, which has been in operation since 1984, included the addition of a thermal spa and sauna in a new building that integrated sensitively into the landscape. Commissioned by the facility’s operator, utility company Stadtwerke Bad Dürkheim, the
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