Urban Gym Group opened its first new site since acquiring Gymbox last October. The 22,000 site in London’s Finsbury Park will become the blueprint for future clubs. This is the 10th Gymbox in London. This hotly contested site was acquired by Gymbox in 2019, now part of Netherlands-based Urban Gym Group. The company has invested more than £250k in creating a health club with a nightclub feel. Architect and founder

Fitness, wellness and spa brand, Equinox, has been announced as the operator of a new luxury hotel in Nashville, US. This will be the the second property for Equinox Hotels, following the opening of its flagship in New York City’s Hudson Yards in March 2019. Equinox Hotels has plans to expand to 33 locations globally over the next decade. Last year, the company announced plans to open a resort on

A new recovery brand – Re:set by Pure – will open its first studio in Hong Kong on 1 July. The ‘smart wellness studio’ concept is the brainchild of industry veterans Colin Grant, Rey Bolivar, and Richard Boyd, who already have further studios in development, along with plans to franchise. Backed by Pure Group, which operates health clubs and yoga studios in Asia and the US, the new concept has

A new social wellness concept curated by three industry veterans will open soon in Amsterdam before being rolled out to key cities. 432 – a name which comes from 432 hertz, the earth’s natural frequency – has been created by wellness consultant, Jamie Waring, Jonathan Fisher, CEO of Holmes Place and Tribute Brands and Emlyn Brown, who is currently vice president of wellbeing at Accor. Speaking in this month’s HCM,

Go Fit has invested more than €20 million in its latest development, a 22,000 square metre sports and wellness hub in Tenerife, next to Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium. This is the Iberian operator’s second site in the Canary Islands, following a launch in Las Palmas in 2015. Go Fit now has 21 operating sites and will expand into Italy this year. Strategic European cities are being targeted for projects where

UAE-based developer Aldar has unveiled a masterplan to turn Fahid Island into the world’s first Fitwel-certified wellness island at a development cost of AED40 billion (US$10.8 billion, €9.5 billion, £8 billion). Aldar is planning to make Fahid Island the place where entertainment and culture meet wellness. It is located between lifestyle destination Yas Island, with its theme parks and attractions and cultural centre, Saadiyat Island. The a 2.7sq mile island

Luxury hospitality group Proper Hotels has launched its first health and fitness, wellness and athletic performance membership at the Santa Monica Proper Club in Los Angeles. Proper Hotels is a hospitality company focused on luxury design and creating cultural connection. These new club memberships are the brand’s next-generation take on a modern country club – for those seeking a third space that meets their lifestyle requirements for health and fitness

Social wellness company &Soul has unveiled a new wellness and cultural hub called Shoreditch &Soul in Shoreditch, London. &Soul is an urban hospitality operator focused on fostering community and tackling loneliness. It's led by co-founder Reza Merchant, founder of all-inclusive co-living space developer The Collective. Shoreditch &Soul, based in a former Victorian textile warehouse, has 16 private residence apartments for rent, called The Villas, which give access to a 3,252sq

A £14 million redevelopment of the iconic Doncaster Dome, one of the youngest listed buildings in the UK, has begun. Designed by Neil Taylor and the team at FaulknerBrowns to echo the pink and cream banding of the Duomo in Florence, the building received a Grade II listing on the National Heritage List for England in 2023. The Doncaster Dome has been operated by the Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust

Kerzner International has opened its first purpose-built Siro and the launch of the fitness and recovery-focused concept in Europe. Siro is a fully-integrated hospitality concept targeting guests looking to improve and enhance their active lifestyles. It’s built on five core pillars of wellbeing – nutrition, fitness, sleep, recovery and mindfulness. The wellness-centric hospitality brand, has only one other destination hotel – Siro One Za’abeel in Dubai, which opened in Q1

Details have been revealed for the spa and wellness concept for The Newman in London – the first hotel to be operated by new hospitality management company, Kinsfolk and Co. Slated to open in Q3 this year, the 81-key property will have an entire floor dedicated to wellness. The Nordic design for The Newman is by London-based studio Lind + Almond, with the designers taking inspiration from the 1920s ‘Swedish

1Rebel has announced it will be opening a flagship site in Chelsea this summer, along with four more studios over the course of the next year. The site at 107 Kings Road was formerly tenanted by United Fitness Brands’ (UFB) offering three of its concepts: Barrecore, Reformcore and its only remaining Kobox location. The UFB business has now formally closed and the landlord has taken back control of the building.

Ritz-Carlton is gearing up to launch its third superyacht – Luminara – in July. The vessel will be the largest to date. The ship’s exclusive Ritz-Carlton Spa will be located on the fourth deck, alongside the fitness studio and a barber and salon. Plans for the spa show treatment rooms with private terraces overlooking the sea, as well as separate saunas and steamrooms for men and women and a relaxation

A wellness-focused mega development in London has received full planning consent, with the scheme expected on-site this year and a completion date of 2030. The Round, at 18 Blackfriars Road in Southwark, London, has been designed by architects Foster + Partners for global real estate developer Hines, which has US$90 billion of assets under management in 30 countries. Arup will drive construction while Knight Frank is the property agent. The

London-based family members’ club, Little Houses Group (LHG), is set to expand following new investment from Blackstone. The fresh backing will enable LHG to bring its community-focused concept to more families across the capital, adding to its existing sites – Jaego’s House in Kensal Rise and Jesse’s House in Parsons Green. Three more houses are in the pipeline – Orly’s House, Leo’s House and Olive’s House – but the locations

Luxury wellness brand BodyHoliday is expanding into Europe with a five-star health and fitness retreat on Portugal’s East Algarve coastline. Set to open in 2027, the €158 million (US$165.9 million, £131.1 million) – at yet unnamed – BodyHoliday Algarve will be located near the unspoiled beaches of Praia da Lota. The 220-key resort will be a sister destination to the operator’s flagship in St Lucia and mark BodyHoliday’s first European outpost.

Fitness and leisure facilities in Sheerness, UK, are being upgraded as part of a regeneration project, Sheerness Revival, funded by the UK government. Swale Borough Council has appointed Alliance Leisure to manage this flagship project that will breathe new life into the town. The Beachfields site, which is situated near the town centre, waterfront and train station will be reimagined as a hub for leisure, health and community engagement. Sheppey

The social wellness club movement that has taken the US East Coast by storm looks set to reshape London’s wellness scene in early 2025. ARC, an all-new urban wellness brand, is due to launch in January, bringing a fresh concept that blends connection, community and evidence-based wellness practices to the UK. The brand’s flagship location will open in London’s bustling Canary Wharf business district, specifically chosen so that ARC can

David Lloyd Clubs launched its latest site at Bury St Edmunds, UK, yesterday (3 December,) which has been under construction since last year. Facilities include a 100+ station gym featuring an Intuitive Strength Circuit; heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools; tennis, padel, badminton and pickleball courts; group exercise studios with the full range of signature David Lloyd Clubs’ classes, including Blaze, Spirit, Ign1te, Battlebox and Rebels. There is also a

Global wellbeing organisation Therme Group has acquired Therme Erding – a vast 145,000sq ft wellbeing destination located near Munich in Germany. Recognised as one of Europe’s largest thermal wellbeing complexes, Therme Erding features a 40-pool bathing oasis, 35 steam baths and saunas and 28 indoor and outdoor slides. Founded by architect and entrepreneur Josef Wund in 1999, the facility has become a cornerstone of the European wellness industry. The acquisition

Luxury London health club operator, Third Space, launches its 13th club – and fourth this year – on Monday (9 December) at Richmond Upon Thames. This tops off an exciting year, following the launch of new clubs in Wood Wharf, Battersea and Clapham Junction. The growth will continue into 2025, with further openings planned. Colin Waggett, CEO of Third Space says: “The opening of Third Space Richmond is a significant

Center Parcs is pursuing plans to develop its first-ever holiday village in Scotland. The proposed project will feature 700 lodges, a luxury spa and extensive leisure facilities, with a projected investment of £350-400 million (US$443-507 million, €418-480 million), pending planning approval. Located in the Scottish Borders, north of Hawick and south of Selkirk, the site is approximately a 90-minute drive from both Edinburgh and Newcastle and two hours from Glasgow.

The multi-million revamp of McFit continues, with the completion of its first new-look studio in Munich Laim, which will soon be followed by three more in the city. “The modernisation offensive in Munich is an important step for the McFit brand and a strong signal for the future,” says Stephan Pallmann, director brand and customer management RSG Group. “We are certain that the fresh look and new ideas will offer

Spelthorne Borough Council has opened the doors to a world-leading leisure centre built to Passivhaus standards. Spelthorne Borough Council is expecting the new Eclipse Leisure Centre to use between 60 and 70 per cent less energy than a typical modern leisure centre and will be a major step forward in helping the Council become carbon neutral. Located in Staines-upon-Thames, the facility includes a 25 metre main pool, learner pool, splash

Resort developer and operator Kerzner International has announced plans to expand its portfolio of luxury hotels and residences with two new fitness-centric wellness destinations in 2025. The first, SIRO Boka Place, will be operated under the group’s fitness-focused hospitality lifestyle brand SIRO which invites guests to live at their fullest potential through a specialised blend of hospitality, fitness and wellness. With a flagship property in Dubai, the brand's philosophy has

Private equity firm, Levant Capital, has taken a majority stake in UAE-based premium operator, Warehouse Gym. The investment will be used to drive regional expansion, as well as to introduce advanced fitness solutions and broaden the wellness offering. Founded by Kevin Texeira, Fahad Al Rafi and Edris Al Rafi, the first Warehouse Gym launched in 2013 in an industrial area of Dubai, hence the name. The USP is street art,

A new Nordic-inspired contrast bathing experience is set to open in Liverpool in Q3, offering residents, visitors and commuters a serene escape in the heart of the Northern UK city. Approved by Liverpool City Council in June, WYLD Sauna will open on the banks of Prince's Dock, consisting of a floating pontoon housing a 30-person Finnish sauna, two ice baths, two cold waterfall showers and four heated outdoor showers equipped