Antonio Iozzo, founder and CEO of Body Action Gym in Johannesburg, South Africa, has announced plans to open his upscale clubs in seven locations across the country, both inland and along the Atlantic coast.

The first club – a 5,000sq m space in Bedfordview, Johannesburg – launched in July 2021 following a R150m (£7.7m, US$8.3m) fit-out. The second will be in Sandton, Johannesburg, a 6,000sq m of gym space with a 2,500sq m wellness area, comprising indoor spa pools, saunas, waterbeds, treatments and hot tubs. This site is expected to open in around three-and-a-half years’ time. The third gym will be in Cape Town, the fourth in Pretoria and the fifth in Umhlanga. Plans for the remaining clubs will be drawn up as the other sites develop.

Iozzo’s business model for Sandton was born through his experience as an entrepreneur running insurance and construction companies, preferring to own the buildings, as opposed to renting them, and building the spaces out himself.

“We’ll retain ownership of the gym and wellness area, but we’ll build and sell 15 floors of high-end apartments above it,” he explained in an exclusive interview with HCM. “The owners of those apartments will have lifetime access to both gym and wellness – personal training will cost extra – and then the club will also be open to the public.”

Iozzo describes his first “baby”, the Bedfordview club, as a “six star” experience for all people of all ages, but it wasn’t always this way. The club started out as a 600sq m space, in a different location, as a private gym for his companies’ employees only.

After opening its doors to the public and signing up 800 members, he realised there was market demand for this type of upscale gym offering. He decided to capitalise on this discovery when moving premises, upping the size and offering to compete with the likes of Virgin Active and Planet Fitness, the two leading chains in the South African fitness industry.

“The gym floor is kitted out with premium Technogym cardio and resistance equipment, while our free weights section is divided into upper and lower body workouts,” he explained. “We have a boxing academy with a full-size boxing ring – boxing classes are really popular in South Africa – and a number of studios: aerobics, indoor cycling, reformer pilates and HIIT – which is probably our busiest studio.”

The club also offers the full range of Les Mills classes, a 50m sprint track, an artificial turf sled track and functional training space, an outdoor Crossfit-style rig for X-Fit classes, a basketball court and a stretch area, which is divided into 4sq m sections so each participant has a dedicated space.

Customised kids’ exercise programmes are also included, along with a kids’ centre, play area and basketball court. In addition, a retail shop sells branded Live Fit kit and there's a health-focused café.

Iozzo’s attention to detail gives the brand its luxurious edge. “The changing rooms offer sauna, steam and full body dryers, which dry you off by blowing hot air from three sides – they’ve been the biggest hit,” said Iozzo. “We also infuse the air with scent: in the men’s changing room it’s Jean Paul Gaultier for Men; in the ladies’, Jean Paul Gaultier for Women. In the main gym, there’s an Italian brand of air fragrance called Dr Vranjes. We have its lime and ginger scent blowing through the spaces.

“There are other little touches throughout, too: charging stations for cell phones all over the gym, couches and lounge areas. We’ve even got arm wrestling tables as a fun addition – you’d be amazed how many people do an arm wrestle just after a workout.”

The gym takes on a club feel at night. “We have our in-house DJs playing the latest club mixes with smart lighting, lasers, strobes and haze machines,” explained Iozzo. “Once a month, on a Saturday, we run a three-hour cardio event where members rotate through each studio doing group classes with different instructors, ending up with giveaways and a little dance down at the bottom of the gym with the DJ.”

Standard gym membership is R995 (£55, US$58) a month, but subsidies exist for certain eligible parties, and membership is free for Iozzo’s staff across all of his companies.

“I’m really, really big on health and wellness, trying to get my staff to live a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “They also get subsidised personal training and are allowed to train during working hours.”

Read more about Antonio Iozzo’s plans for Body Action Gym in issue 9 of HCM magazine.