LA Fitness

Fitness International LLC

Company type	Private
Industry	Fitness, Health clubs
Founded	1984
Founder	Chinyol Yi, Louis Welch
Headquarters	Irvine, California , United States
Area served	United States, Canada
Products	Gym memberships, fitness centers (LA Fitness, City Sports Club, Club Studio Fitness)

Fitness International LLC is a prominent gym franchise in North America, operating more than 700 fitness centers throughout the United States and Canada. Established in 1984, the company’s main office is located in Irvine, California.

History

Founded in 1984 by Chinyol Yi and Louis Welch in Covina, California, Fitness International LLC initially grew by purchasing struggling fitness facilities in Southern California during the mid-1990s and developing new club locations.

In 2012, the company introduced its City Sports Club brand exclusively within Northern California by transforming twelve former LA Fitness sites around the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento region. Since then, this brand has expanded to encompass twenty-one centers.

The Esporta Fitness brand was launched in 2020 when seventeen LA Fitness locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area were converted. This brand experienced swift growth, operating over 100 clubs nationwide by 2023.

In 2022, Fitness International LLC unveiled Club Studio Fitness, a premium boutique fitness concept offering upscale amenities and specialized classes. Positioned to compete with luxury brands such as Equinox and Life Time Fitness, Club Studio Fitness currently runs twelve clubs across nine states including California, Florida, New York, and Texas.

Beginning in 2024, the company started phasing out Esporta Fitness due to its lackluster performance. The majority of Esporta gyms were either reverted back to LA Fitness branding or shuttered. By April 2025, after selling eight locations to Genesis Health Clubs and converting the remaining three facilities, Esporta Fitness ceased operations entirely. Its website now redirects visitors to LA Fitness.

Operations

As of July 2025, Fitness International LLC operates LA Fitness at 664 locations spanning twenty-five U.S. states as well as two Canadian provinces—Alberta and Ontario. Additionally, it manages City Sports Club with 21 venues across Northern California and Club Studio Fitness with 12 sites distributed over ten U.S. states. The company also has further expansion projects underway.

Acquisitions

Fitness International LLC has consistently employed an assertive acquisition approach to broaden its market presence domestically and internationally. In 2007, it entered the Canadian market through the purchase of six clubs located in Toronto. The company further grew within the U.S. by acquiring ten Phoenix-area gyms from Pure Fitness Arizona in 2010, although most of these were subsequently closed.

A pivotal expansion occurred in November 2011 when it acquired 171 Bally Total Fitness clubs for $153 million, significantly enlarging its network. The following year saw acquisitions of all 33 Lifestyle Family Fitness Clubs in Florida and 36 Urban Active clubs across various states, boosting its influence in strategic markets.

Later purchases included The Buffalo and Rochester Athletic Clubs in Western New York (2013) as well as all ten Vision Quest Sport and Fitness locations in the Seattle area (2013). Most recently, in 2024, LA Fitness enhanced its competitive position by acquiring XSport Fitness, strengthening its footprint in key metropolitan areas such as New York and Chicago.

See also

• PureGym, which purchased all LA Fitness locations in the United Kingdom in 2015