[Gym Industry Check ②] The Number of Domestic Fitness Centers (Gyms) Hits an All-Time High

According to data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Pitchdeck, and related industry sources, the number of domestic fitness centers (gyms) reached an all-time high of 17,207 (cumulative openings minus closures). This is a contrasting growth trend compared to karaoke rooms (28,014), which have been on a downward path since peaking in 2011, or public bathhouses (5,671), which have halved compared to 2003.

◇ From 'Organizing Towels' to 'Sales War'... A 20-Year History of Fitness The evolution of the Korean gym industry goes hand in hand with the changing role of trainers. According to industry insiders, back in the late 2000s when the concept of PT (Personal Training) was scarce, a trainer's main duties were cleaning, equipment maintenance, and organizing towels, with a monthly salary of only around 700,000 to 1 million won. However, as the American-style system was introduced in the Gangnam area, PT established itself as a full-fledged revenue model starting in the early 2010s.

During this process, gyms rapidly commercialized. A climate emerged where trainers were mass-hired for their appearance and sales skills rather than their exercise expertise, and a structure of sharing PT profits in exchange for a lower base salary became established. This grew the size of the market, but at the same time, it became a cause of consumer complaints such as "trainers don't even say hello" and excessive sales competition.

◇ The First Boom (2000s): Launched by 'Momjjang Ajumma' and the 'Five-Day Workweek' The Korean gym industry's first leap began in the early 2000s. In 2003, the syndrome of the so-called 'Momjjang Ajumma', who boasted firm abs despite being in her late 30s, instilled a desire for a 'well-managed body' in the entire nation. Following this, the 'five-day workweek' introduced in 2004 provided office workers with the time to exercise, acting as a catalyst for the popularization of fitness.

◇ The Second Boom (2020s): The Counterattack of the 'Hwakjjinja' and the Divergence of 'PT Shops' The second boom that arrived after 2020 is qualitatively different. The market exploded as the diet demand from 'Hwakjjinja', who gained weight due to decreased activity levels from the COVID-19 pandemic, coincided with the trend of authenticating exercise records on SNS through 'Ounwan (Workout Complete Today)' and shooting 'body profiles'.

The most prominent features are 'miniaturization' and 'specialization'. While large 'public centers' dominated in the past, small-scale 'PT shops' offering personalized guidance are recently leading the market. The proportion of businesses containing 'PT', 'Piti', or 'Studio' in their trade names surged more than threefold from 4.9% in 2015 to 15.87% in 2024.

◇ Investing 500 Million Won to Receive 30,000 Won... The Swamp of 'High Cost and Low Efficiency' The current fitness market shows the aspects of a typical 'red ocean'. Consumers' expectations have risen, making foreign luxury machines (such as Panatta and Hammer Strength) that cost over 10 million won per unit an essential element, causing start-up costs to skyrocket to the 500 million to 1 billion won range. On the other hand, due to fierce cutthroat competition, monthly membership fees have stagnated at the 20-year-ago level of 30,000 to 50,000 won, or have even declined.

As large fitness centers have sprung up in locations where large saunas or kids' cafes went out of business after COVID-19, not only the main commercial districts in Seoul but also regional metropolitan cities have reached saturation. In particular, in the case of new town apartment commercial districts, cheap and accessible 'community centers' within the complexes are well-activated, so they are pointed out as 'trap commercial districts' where it is difficult to even recover fixed costs if one enters hastily.

◇ "No More Boring Iron Pumping"... Cooling Body Profiles, Rising Martial Arts Changes in consumer trends are also being detected. The 'body profile' craze that heated up during the pandemic has peaked and is on a downward trend, along with controversies over 'CG profiles' resulting from excessive photo editing techniques.

The younger demographic, especially the MZ generation, is shifting away from weight training, which yields slow results and easily induces feelings of isolation, towards martial arts or running crews where they can feel an immediate sense of accomplishment and practicality. The heavy atmosphere of traditional gyms and the intimidation felt among the 'Goinmul (veterans)' are also factors that turn beginners away.

The domestic gym industry stands at a crossroads. Amid boundless competition and trend changes, it has become a structure where survival is difficult with a simple 'facility rental business' format. An industry expert predicted, "Only those that achieve a qualitative transformation, such as introducing customized strength programs for obesity drug users like in the case of the US, or new content breaking away from boredom, will survive."