Sell Your Fitness Business in California
Who is buying gyms and fitness studios in California
Named fitness acquisitions we have recorded in California
- Bay Area Crunchers franchise group (8 Crunch clubs), acquired by Crunch FitnessPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Closed Aug 2026 · San Francisco Bay Area, CA · Source ↗
- Harman Fitness (22 Crunch clubs), acquired by Fitness VenturesPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Announced May 2026 · Southern California and Houston, TX · Source ↗
- Grand Fitness Partners (98 Planet Fitness clubs), acquired by Flynn GroupPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Closed Mar 2026 · California, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia · Source ↗
- 24 Hour Fitness, acquired by LongRange Capital and Mark MastrovPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Announced Jan 2026 · Carlsbad, CA · Source ↗
- Banos brothers' Gold's Gym SoCal franchise (23 gyms), acquired by EōS FitnessPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Announced Oct 2025 · Southern California · Source ↗
- Griffin Club Los Angeles, acquired by The Bay Club CompanyPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Announced Oct 2025 · West Los Angeles, CA · Source ↗
- Ontario Fitness, LLC (2 Planet Fitness clubs), acquired by Grand Fitness Partners (then HGGC-backed)Private-equity-backed buyer · Announced Sep 2025 · Ontario and San Bernardino, CA · Source ↗
- Eight Planet Fitness corporate-owned clubs, acquired by Grand Fitness Partners (then HGGC-backed)Private-equity-backed buyer · Closed Aug 2025 · San Francisco Bay Area, CA · Source ↗
Headquartered in California: Flynn Group (San Francisco, CA) and The Bay Club Company (San Francisco, CA).
| Platform | Owner / backer | Type | Headquarters | Scale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crunch Fitness | Leonard Green & Partners (majority, bought from TPG Growth, April 2025) | Private equity | New York, NY | over 550 gyms worldwide in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and India (Aug 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Fitness Ventures | Meaningful Partners (acquired August 2024) | Private equity | Orlando, FL | 115 locations across 30 states (May 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Genesis Health Clubs | Rodney Steven II (owner and president); privately held and family owned | Strategic / family-owned | Wichita, KS | 86 clubs across 14 states (Apr 2026) | Source ↗ |
| EōS Fitness | TSG Consumer Partners (bought from BRS & Co., 2025) | Private equity | Dallas, TX | more than 225 locations open or on the way (Jul 2026) | Source ↗ |
| National Fitness Partners | Argonne Capital Group (since 2016; recapitalized through Argonne continuation vehicles in July 2023) | Private equity | Camp Hill, PA | over 200 clubs in 14 states (company site); 198 after the June 2025 Pizzazz deal | Source ↗ |
| Excel Fitness | Olympus Partners (since April 2022) | Private equity | Austin, TX | over 180 Planet Fitness locations across Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia (company site) | Source ↗ |
| Flynn Group (Flynn Planet Fitness) | Founder Greg Flynn and management, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Main Post Partners (roughly one-third each, per Reuters, Feb 2024; Main Post still lists Flynn as a current investment) | Private equity | San Francisco, CA | 141 Planet Fitness clubs in 7 states (Apr 2026) | Source ↗ |
| CR Fitness Holdings | North Castle Partners (largest shareholder; majority investment 2019, recap 2022); Sixth Street ($350M minority investment, Oct 2025) | Private equity | Tampa, FL | 95 open Crunch Fitness clubs across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, expanding into Arizona (May 2026) | Source ↗ |
| The Bay Club Company | KKR (since 2018) | Private equity | San Francisco, CA | more than 35 clubs across California, Oregon and Washington; over 150,000 members (May 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Onelife Fitness | 26North Partners (bought from Delos Capital, Oct 2024) | Private equity | McLean, VA | more than 70 clubs companywide (Feb 2025); 61 clubs when 26North bought it (Oct 2024) | Source ↗ |
| Easy Mile Fitness | Co-founders Peter and Philip Amato (privately held) | Strategic / family-owned | Boston, MA | over 70 locations across Alaska, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Canada | Source ↗ |
| Aligned Fitness Holdings | Eagle Merchant Partners (majority stake, June 2025) | Private equity | Not disclosed | 61 studios across multiple states (Jun 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Primetime Fitness | CapitalSpring (controlling stake, December 2023) | Private equity | New Fairfield, CT | 36 locations nationwide (Aug 2025) | Source ↗ |
| JF Fitness of North America | Trive Capital and 808 Capital Partners (June 2024) | Private equity | Richmond, VA | 24 gyms across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia and Maryland (Jun 2024) | Source ↗ |
| Life Time | Public company (NYSE: LTH) | Strategic / public | Chanhassen, MN | more than 185 athletic country clubs across the U.S. and Canada (Feb 2026) | Source ↗ |
| PureGym (US: Pinnacle US Holdings) | Leonard Green & Partners (majority); KKR (significant minority investor since December 2021) | Private equity | Leeds, UK | 61 US gyms; over 700 gyms group-wide (Jun 2026) | Source ↗ |
Ownership verified October 6, 2026. See every platform's recent deals in the Fitness roll-up tracker →
How many fitness and recreational sports centers are in California
The Census Bureau counted 5,371 fitness and recreational sports centers in California in 2023, the most of any state. 38% had fewer than five employees and 76% had fewer than 20. 345 had 50 or more.
| Employees | Establishments | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | 2,057 | 38% |
| 5 to 9 | 928 | 17% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,105 | 21% |
| 20 to 49 | 936 | 17% |
| 50 or more | 345 | 6% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 ↗ (NAICS 713940). An establishment is a single physical location, so an owner with three locations counts three times.
What a fitness business in California is worth
Gyms and fitness studios typically sell for 4x-8x EBITDA, or 2x-5x SDE for smaller owner-operated gyms and fitness studios, with most deals in the $300K - $5M range. These are industry-wide benchmarks, reviewed July 2026, not an appraisal of your business.
What buyers pay more for
- +Recurring membership base
- +Personal training revenue
- +Premium positioning
- +Membership retention rates
What buyers discount
- -High churn rates
- -Equipment-heavy capital needs
- -Commodity positioning
- -Short lease terms
How selling through DealSeam works
A confidential conversation
We learn about your business and what you want from a sale. Nothing is listed publicly.
Introductions where there is a fit
Where a qualified buyer fits your business, we introduce you, and only after you approve it.
You decide
You choose whether to go further, on your own timeline. Sellers pay nothing; the buyer pays our fee if a deal closes.
Selling a fitness business in California: common questions
How much is a fitness business in California worth?
Gyms and fitness studios typically sell for 4x-8x EBITDA, or 2x-5x SDE for smaller owner-operated gyms and fitness studios, with most deals in the $300K - $5M range. Buyers tend to pay more for recurring membership base, personal training revenue, premium positioning and membership retention rates, and less where they see high churn rates, equipment-heavy capital needs, commodity positioning and short lease terms. These are industry-wide ranges, not an appraisal of your business.
Who is buying gyms and fitness studios in California?
Recent named deals in California include Bay Area Crunchers franchise group (acquired by Crunch Fitness, Aug 2026), Harman Fitness (acquired by Fitness Ventures, May 2026) and Grand Fitness Partners (acquired by Flynn Group, Mar 2026). Nationally, the largest groups consolidating gyms and fitness studios include Crunch Fitness (Leonard Green & Partners), Fitness Ventures (Meaningful Partners) and Genesis Health Clubs (Rodney Steven II); 13 of the 16 platforms we track are private-equity-backed.
How many fitness and recreational sports centers are there in California?
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns counted 5,371 fitness and recreational sports centers in California in 2023, the most of any state. 38% had fewer than five employees, 76% had fewer than 20, and 345 had 50 or more.
Does it cost anything to sell through DealSeam?
No. Sellers pay nothing. When a deal closes, the buyer pays DealSeam's fee. There is no listing fee and no retainer.
Will my employees or customers find out I'm thinking about selling?
No. Nothing is listed publicly, and your details go to a buyer only after you approve that introduction.
Selling another kind of business in California?
Selling a fitness business in another state?
Thinking about selling your fitness business?
DealSeam works confidentially with owners to understand their options and, where there's a fit, introduces them to qualified buyers, at no cost to sellers.
Talk to us about your California business
Tell us how to reach you and we'll start a confidential, no-obligation conversation.
Sources
Valuation multiples are DealSeam's industry benchmarks, reviewed July 2026. Establishment counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 713940). Platform ownership comes from each platform's own or press sources, verified October 6, 2026. Named acquisitions are the deals we have recorded from public announcements, each linked to its source; they are not every deal in the state. Ownership in this sector changes often. None of this is investment, legal or tax advice.