After four years of research and development, exercise concept Lumin Fitness has officially opened its first studio.
On September 9th, the company opened in Las Colinas, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. This studio, with his wall-to-wall LED screens, is the result of an initiative that company founder Brandon Bean started in his 2019. This company location offers his 40-minute classes, which incorporate artificial intelligence, digital workout displays, and motion tracking.
Before franchise stores opened, chief development officer Craig Sherwood said the brand’s leadership felt it was best to start with a company-owned gym to test the concept.
“If you have a popular coach or trainer and they decide to go somewhere else, they will take their members with them,” Sherwood said. “So we wanted to make the main character of the system an AI trainer. Our members have his AI-powered coach who monitors your progress and changes in technique and makes sure you are doing the exercises correctly. Check to see if it is correct.”
Craig Sherwood, Chief Development Officer, Lumin Fitness
Roomin founder Bean, who was also the founder and chairman of Gold’s Gym, saw new possibilities in the fitness field with the popularity of boutique models and improvements in technology.
“Through his experience at Gold’s Gym, he saw the untapped potential to bring technology to brick-and-mortar fitness spaces,” Sherwood said. “He also felt there was an opportunity in boutique fitness, which is booming and continues to boom, where technology and fitness come together and take the boutique space to another level.”
At Gold’s Gym, Bean discovered his passion for franchising in the fitness industry. As Lumin was in its development stages, the team talked about franchising early and often, Sherwood said.
“We intended to design Lumin through two major customers,” Sherwood said. “First, it was our members who provided us with a fun and motivating fitness experience. Second, we wanted our franchise owners to build a legacy with this brand and continue to grow it for years to come. Our goal was to create a strong franchise model that gives our franchisees the opportunity to be actively involved.”
There has been interest from potential owners, and Mr Sherwood said his goal was to grow the brand globally.
“We’re looking to franchise across the country,” Sherwood said. “We’re obviously focused on launching in Texas, but we’re open to growing across the U.S. and around the world.”
Potential partners are people who want to be part of the larger Lumin Fitness network, Sherwood said.
Each Lumin Fitness studio is equipped with wall-to-wall LED screens to provide members with a digital workout.
“We want a strong system of franchisees who are actively involved in Lumin Fitness, including on marketing committees and franchise advisory boards,” Sherwood said. “We want to make sure we hire the right brand partner who shares our vision and passion for fitness. Someone who understands executing the playbook in a franchise model.”
Sherwood said each studio will offer scheduled classes and allow members to exercise whenever they want through a program called Lumin Solo.
“People can come into the classroom, take their classes and choose their workouts,” Sherwood said. “It’s interactive and immersive. You train in front of a screen, so there’s a gamification aspect to it. You can keep your focus on a number of elements while counting reps. It’s also very personalized to you. You choose the AI coach and the music you listen to. We’ve run test classes over the past few weeks and people are really enjoying it.”
New Lumin Fitness studios will range in size from 1,700 to 3,000 square feet, depending on the number of stations installed at each location. The initial investment to open a franchise is between $505,000 and $997,000.
