Washington International Airport (BWI) will soon be the site of the first gym in the U.S. to be located within the secured portion of an airport.
Roam Fitness, an Oregon-based startup, expects to open its 1,175-square-foot facility along the new BWI concourse D and E connector as soon as the end of the week.
The gym will offer travelers the opportunity to use cardio equipment, free weights, a pull-up bar, a TRX suspension training system, medicine balls and yoga mats.
Roam also plans to open a gym at the Charlotte Douglas Airport during the third quarter of this year and is in talks with other airports, CEO Cynthia Sandall said.
Fliers could use the gym during a layover or a flight delay. Sandall also said that Roam's market research has shown that 48% of fliers who are interested in working out said they'd use it before a flight.
"It's a substitute for things that already exist in the airport," she said, referencing bars, restaurants, retail outlets and gate areas. "And it's particularly for people who want to manage their stress or get an escape rather than just sit in the crowd."
To date, the only airport gyms in the U.S. are at airport hotels at Chicago O'Hare and Detroit Metro, Sandall said. Fliers can purchase day passes for both facilities, but the gyms are located outside of TSA checkpoints.
Roam Fitness will sell day passes for $40, monthly passes for $175 and annual passes for $600. Those fees include clothing and shoe rentals, towel service and shower access.
Sandall said the Roam at BWI would open no later than the end of this month.

Source:Travel Weekly