IN 2017, NO one batted an eye when I told them I’d signed up for Planet Fitness. I was in grad school, still living like a broke college student. PF didn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it was cheap and open 24 hours a day. I could go in the middle of lunch or at 2 a.m. after lab. Plus, free pizza every first Monday of the month.
Nine years later, I still go to Planet Fitness even though I’ve long since graduated school. In fact, I’ve even splurged on the Black Card tier (an extra $10 a month). My friend Mario jokingly calls me a broke bitch whenever I say I’m headed to Planet Fitness.
But here’s the thing: I never asked for a wellness spa lifestyle center with a hair salon, massage appointments, or sauna. I don’t need overpriced juices or blood tests. I definitely don’t need to shell out $300+ every month. And I’m not alone.
On social media, people used to clown on PF—but I’ve noticed a distinct shift in how they talk about the ‘purple palace.’ A growing number of videos have the same message: “Maturing is realizing Planet Fitness is a good gym,” says the text on one video. “Say what you want but Planet Fitness is stepping it up. This is a fucking amazing gym to have,” states another.
It shows in the numbers. Planet Fitness ended 2025 with an increase in membership to 20.8 million members, up from 19.7 million the year before. The franchise opened 181 new locations in the past year, too. Two of those are near me. I’ve been putting my Black Card to good use.
So… what’s going on? I decided to find out.
The Price Is (Still) Right
I STARTED BY asking some guys at my local Planet Fitness in Westbury, New York. Price was the most common answer, followed by location. David, 42, says it’s close to where he lives and much cheaper than other gyms. Luis, 19, says that for the price, it covers everything he needs to get in a good workout. “I work all over the States and with the Black Card I can get to a lot of Planet Fitnesses,” says Michael, 35.
As gym prices go up, it seems like mid-budget gym options have all but vanished. (Planet Fitness did raise its prices, going from $10 to $15 for a basic membership, in my case $21.99 to $24.99 for the Black Card, but it still isn’t breaking the bank). There are fewer affordable options, period.
But price isn’t the only thing that’s changed. People online point out improved machine selection and how PF has transformed into a place where you can get decent workout at all experience levels—while avoiding the “performative” fitness influencers that crowd other, more expensive, commercial gyms. “Planet Fitness played the long game. Planet Fitness saw this coming,” says one commenter. “Now it’s like I’m getting tired of the standard commercial gym influencer stuff and Planet Fitness might not be that bad.”
What’s corporate got to say about it?
“Our focus has been on meeting people where they are and creating a space where anyone can feel comfortable getting started or staying consistent,” said Brian Povinelli, PF’s chief marketing officer, in an email to me. “We are always working to evolve our member experience to best reflect changing consumer needs.”
I’m all for it. The purple and yellow space I stepped into nearly a decade ago is not the same Planet Fitness I see today.
PF Bulked Up
WHEN I JOINED PF, a good two-thirds of the floor used to be filled with cardio machines. It was a loud, sweaty obstacle course you had to walk through to reach a dumbbell or a Smith machine. Nowadays, my local PF has cut back on cardio and decreased the number of treadmills and ellipticals.
In line with a changing gym culture, they’ve shuffled the space to expand muscle-building equipment and free weights. They’ve also added new strength machines: hack squat machines, incline presses, and glute drive machines, to name a few. You can also sign out accessories like barbell pads and resistance bands at the front desk.
While I haven’t personally seen one, people online have mentioned seeing actual squat racks at their local Planet Fitness, not the fixed-track Smith machines. “This is by far one of the best gyms I’ve ever been to in my whole life,” said one user who mentions that he was once “one of those guys that said Planet Fitness is fucking trash.” Steve, 55, told me he was an LA Fitness member until a month and a half ago. “Every piece of equipment was broken and it was more money for fewer amenities. Planet Fitness gave me everything I needed. Plus I use the massage and tanning beds.”
They Merked the Lunk Alarm
BACK IN THE day, Planet Fitness was big on branding itself as a “Judgment-Free Zone,” positioning the gym as unintimidating for the casual beginner. The “Lunk Alarm” was a reminder of that vow: Every Planet Fitness location had a blue siren jutting out from the wall above the free weights or Smith machines that would—allegedly—go off if someone was ego lifting—a.k.a. grunting or disrupting the space by throwing weights around. (These wouldn’t automatically go off, they had to be manually turned on by an employee, I later learned online.)
Boston Globe//Getty Images
Instead of deterring showoffs, the Lunk Alarm may have ostracized a good chunk of the gym community: experienced lifters. I remember comments online absolutely savaging the Lunk Alarm, lifters purposely trying to set it off out of spite, and still others saying they felt targeted. Below the alarm was a sign defining “lunk”—“Ricky is slamming his weights, wearing a bodybuilding tank top, and drinking out of a gallon water jug…What a lunk!” Pretty judgmental for a judgment-free zone.
You know what? I never actually heard the lunk alarm go off. There never really were any heavy weights to throw around (max dumbbell weight is 75 pounds). Years ago, I remember once throwing weights on the floor, and immediately preparing myself for the sirens. Nothing. It was supposed to discourage “gym bro” behavior, but it also seemed like a constant reminder not to go too hardcore on your workouts.
When the lunk alarms were removed around two years ago, I started to notice an uptick in super muscular guys in the gym and more people pumping iron in a way that wasn’t even allowed before.
They Evolved the Casual, Beginner Gym
INITIALLY, IT SEEMED like Planet Fitness was positioning itself for people who weren’t interested in upending their whole lifestyle. There were Pizza Mondays and Bagel Tuesdays. There was a bucket of Tootsie Rolls you could swipe at the front desk. It seemed like the idea was to help members reward themselves for working out. The message implied that a small treat wouldn’t undo weeks of exercise.
It was a nice gesture—and I definitely participated—but it also made Planet Fitness look unserious. I’d argue that it kind of implied that if you wanted to take your workouts seriously, eventually you’d need to sign up somewhere else. I saw that play out in real time.
As my friends locked in on exercising, the ones who started with me eventually moved on to Life Time and LA Fitness. Though PF discontinued free pizzas and bagels during the pandemic, these free perks never came back (but the Tootsie Rolls remain). Recently, some of my friends have come crawling back.
One decision I personally appreciate is that PF finally got rid of the express 30-minute area. It was a full body circuit corner with a mix of strength machines and cardio step stations (where you were supposed to do jumping jacks, step ups, etc). There would be a timer for 60 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest before alternating to the next station. Honestly, those mustard-colored machines took up too much space and using them made you feel like you were screaming ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I don’t think I ever saw anyone follow the circuit. Good riddance!
The Culture Is Still There
“IT’S A FRIENDLY place to come work out and the machines aren’t always being used. They’re always open,” Luis, 26, tells me. Kevin, 24, says he feels he can work out without people looking or judging him.
I never see influencers recording themselves at the gym. People don’t throw their gym bags around or hog machines by leaving a rude little water bottle sitting on the seat. People are actually really good at wiping down machines. Above all, the vibe is that no one will make fun of people trying their best.
Look, the place still isn’t perfect. There’s the stale air and the free weights area reeks of hot man sweat. At least one machine is broken at all times. Dumbbells still only go up to 75 pounds, kettlebells to 30. I still don’t have a squat rack.
But for me, and apparently lots of others, these aren’t dealbreakers. Even my younger brother came back to Planet Fitness recently after turning traitor and switching to LA Fitness years ago. I asked if he did it because Planet Fitness is cool now. His response?
“It’s not that serious. I just need a cheap place to work out.”
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
