‘The locker room is the one area where a club can really distinguish itself in terms of member comfort and quality of accommodation.’
In terms of facility operation, you might say the locker room is the stepchild of the fitness facility. While much attention and money is paid to other areas of the fitness center (i.e., weight and cardio rooms, aerobics rooms), the locker room is often an afterthought to many club operators, receiving less-than-needed attention to help gain and retain members.
Luckily, with a few minor additions and/or modifications, you can transform your locker area into an inviting atmosphere that not only pleases members but sets your club apart from the competition. According to architect Hervey Lavoie, president of Ohlson Lavoie Corp. in Denver., Colo., “The locker room is the one area where a club can really distinguish itself in terms of member comfort and quality of accommodation.” Lavoie says that while not every member will have an opinion about the weight room, given the chance, most everyone will have something to say about the locker room. “People have a similar environment in their own home, so it’s easy to have an opinion about it,” Lavoie says.
To evaluate just how accommodating your locker room is, consider the following areas and determine whether there’s room for improvement in your facility.
Maintenance
It may sound elementary, but many clubs still do not adhere to the golden rule of locker room maintenance: Keep it clean! No matter how luxurious the accommodations, when members see water on countertops, trash cans full or towels strewn across the floor, they are left with an impression of poor service and poor attention to detail. Remember that in a service-driven business, it is the small touches that often speak loudest to customers.
“If you’re going to have clean locker rooms, it means you’re going to have to police them,” Lavoie says. This means having one staff member inspect and straighten the locker area every hour. Trash should be emptied, counters should be wiped down, mirrors should be cleaned and there should be no water or towels on the floor. Everything should also be in good working order, meaning there are no jammed lockers, dripping faucets, stopped toilets, broken shower heads or burned-out bulbs. Any maintenance problems should be fixed as soon as possible, and proper signage should be posted to let members know you are aware of the problem.