Clay Hale
Workout chain Planet Fitness is on a mission to whip Oxford into shape beginning this fall. The gym will open its doors sometime between late September and early October. It will be located in what used to be the Office Depot building along West Jackson Avenue.
Mike Woolsey serves as the district manager for Planet Fitness in Central and North Mississippi. For nearly half of his six years working with the company there have been discussions of a Planet Fitness joining the Oxford community.
“I’d say (Oxford has been on our radar), as far as the wheels turning, for the past two and a half years,” Woolsey said. “We’ve wanted to be in that area for quite some time.”
Woolsey added that it makes sense for a Planet Fitness to join Oxford because of the population and demand. His team has already begun promoting the gym to students on campus for summer courses and early fall move-in. This early promotion has included reaching out to Greek organizations and posting informative flyers around the community.
It is no surprise that Planet Fitness would join a solar system of other workout spaces in Oxford, but Woolsey believes that the chain’s “high value, low cost” motto will make the gym stand out to Oxford’s workout community.
The 18,000-square foot facility will offer a range of equipment and activities including fully equipped locker rooms, massage areas and training areas, among various other opportunities.
Some perks will be open to general members of Planet Fitness, but some, like tanning and access to every Planet Fitness worldwide, will be more exclusively for those who purchase what is called a Black Card.
Woolsey shared that although Planet Fitness will not be officially ready for the public until the middle of fall, they will host a pre-grand opening sale from July 31 to Aug. 13. To learn more about that, the district manager suggests those interested check out planetfitness.com and search for Oxford.
