Planet Fitness Opening This Fall in Old Bi-Lo Center

You may have seen work going on at a strip mall on Big A Road where a Bi-Lo and other shops once stood.

Now a new business is going in the anchor building and yes, it’s a Planet Fitness.  Franchisee Philip Amato is the CEO of EasyMiles Fitness, LLC.  He says his new health and fitness center is expected to open before Christmas.

“We are going to put in a Planet Fitness on Big A Road. We expect it to be open in November. It’s going to be a 20,000 sq ft club that will have state-of-the-art cardio, strength equipment, free fitness training, black card spa with hydro massage, massage chairs, tanning beds and booth, the whole nine,” he said.

Now, Toccoa already hosts three fitness clubs and all of them along Big A Road.

Some in the community have expressed concern that the town doesn’t need another gym, but Amato says there’s room in Toccoa for a Planet Fitness.

“We cater to first time and casual gym goers who maybe have never belonged to a gym before,” he explained. “So, as a part of that there’s a couple of things. First, we always strive for that non-intimidating, judgement-free atmosphere where anyone can feel really comfortable working out at their own pace. And the second thing is we always offer really low memberships costs with $10/a month for our Classic Card membership or $21/month for our Black Card membership.”

With two membership levels, the club also tailors its amenities to the senior set, with several kinds of discounts and programs.

“We work with all the major programs. We work with Silver Sneakers. We work with Optim Fitness on the Optim Renewal program.  We work with all of the national providers to provide those types of memberships for seniors or those who are retired. And so, depending on which type of healthcare they may have, it’s either covered 100% by their healthcare or a portion is covered. So, it becomes even more affordable,” Amato said.

Amato owns eight Planet Fitness locations, mainly in Florida.

He said they plan to build more Planet Fitness centers throughout Northeast Georgia, including in Winder, Cleveland, Cornelia, and Commerce.