MUSCLING IN
Defined Fitness is expanding to the Santa Fe market with a new center in 2019
Defined Fitness announced Monday it will be opening its first fitness center in Santa Fe next year.
The new 40,000-square foot facility is the first stage of an expansion that the company said in a news release would ultimately double its current footprint in New Mexico. The company is planning to open five new locations. A company spokeswoman could not provide a timeframe for that expansion but said firmer plans would develop over the next 18 months.
The company now has five centers in the Albuquerque metro area and one in Farmington with a total of 400 employees.
Defined Fitness is also planning $1 million in improvements to existing clubs next year.
The new Santa Fe center at 3320 Cerrillos Road will be the first of its kind for the company, with dedicated areas for recovery, a sauna and a hydromassage bed.
“Along with the one million dollars worth of equipment we put in every facility, we are trying some new things to offer the best place for everyone outside of work and home to go to,” company spokeswoman Maria Lamar said.
Lamar said the Santa Fe facility will open in the second or third quarter of 2019, offering features that are in short supply in the market there.
“We are going to provide aquatics, swimming pools and functional space for aerobic, which is difinitely missing in a lot of markets in New Mexico,” she said.
“We believe the New Mexico market is underserved and there is a lot of opportunity for us to have a greater impact on health and fitness locally, which is why are looking at a number of communities across the state where we can add value,” Mark Fisher, chief executive officer of Defined Fitness, said in the news release.