City Sports Club opens in Crocker Village as part of Sacramento area expansion
Large national gym chain City Sports Club has opened its first location in the city of Sacramento, but the name may not be familiar to many.
That’s because outside of Northern California, City Sports Club is called LA Fitness.
The name LA Fitness doesn’t play well in Northern California, said Guido Benitez, the manager of the new City Sports Club in Crocker Village.
He said it has to do with a Northern versus Southern California rivalry.
“People in Northern California don’t necessarily like Los Angeles,” he said.
The Crocker Village City Sports Club opened Sept. 22. In May, the club opened another location in Elk Grove.
City Sports parent company, LA Fitness, first entered the Sacramento region in late November 2021 when it took over a defunct 24 Hour Fitness in Carmichael.
Both the Crocker Village and Elk Grove locations are brand new facilities.
City Sports Club capitalizes on money-conscious gym-goers
Benitez said LA Fitness decided to expand in the Sacramento area because consumers are coming back to gyms following the pandemic.
“It’s great to work out at home but there is no way you can get the same quality workout that you could get at the gym,” he said.
Industry organization, The Health and Fitness Association, said in its 2023 report that customers have returned in large numbers to fitness clubs in the past year.
The association said that affordable gyms, such as Planet Fitness, have captured a large percentage of the people who are returning.
“Lower-priced clubs have been finding a larger audience among post-pandemic populations,” it said.
City Sports Club offers various pricing plans, according to its website, from $39.99 to $49.99 per month, plus a $49 annual fee. An additional $75 initiation fee may also be charged depending on the plan.
Benitez said that even with those affordable rates, the 37,000-square-foot City Sports Club in Sacramento has every piece of fitness equipment imaginable. Rows of treadmills, ellipticals and exercise bikes line the club. Benitez said the idea is to minimize wait time to get on a piece of equipment.
High-end gym may be on its way
City Sports is not the only gym concept that LA Fitness plans for the Sacramento region.
The company is also introducing a more upscale gym called Club Studio.
The Club Studio website says a club is coming soon to 5419 Sunrise Blvd. in Citrus Heights but offered no details as to an opening date. The LA Fitness press office did not respond to an inquiry as to when the club would open.
So far, Club Studio has two locations in Irvine and Long Beach in Southern California. Benitez said Club Studio will be more upscale than City Sports Club, featuring towel service, a cafe, spa services and an enhanced fitness class schedule.
“It’s our high rent concept,” he said.
Pricing has not been announced yet for the club in Citrus Heights, but the Long Beach location advertises rates of $199 a month.
