On February 1, 2025, the gym on 1000 East Broad Street underwent a massive change. OneLife bought 24 Hour Fitness, and now has full control of all locations. Not just the one in Falls Church, but both of the 24 Hour Fitnesses in the state, with the other being in Fairfax. The main changes will be the branding on the equipment, a different interior design and, of course, massive renovations. The total budget in the Falls Church location for the renovations alone is over a million dollars.
Kevin Brawner, who was the General Manager at 24 Hour Fitness since 2020 and is now the General Manager for One Life, is excited about the changes. He’s looking forward to the massive technology upgrades the most.
“I researched the red light therapy, the research is there … [and] the hydro massage I’m super excited about,” Brawner said.
Red light therapy exposes your skin to a lamp or a laser where the LED (light-emitting diode) travels deep into your skin and can assist the healing process of skin and muscle tissue. A hydro massage is exactly what it sounds like: you sit or lay down in a soft chair and use a mix of water jets to massage you. The variety of durations, pressures and temperatures make it therapeutic.
There are many great things coming from this massive change in ownership, although It will take six to eight months for the major renovations to begin. This means the majority of the 24 Hour Fitness branding will remain on the equipment for the time being. While most branding is remaining, all of the “24 Hour Fitness” signage on the walls have been removed. As of February 24, 2025, they are waiting to be replaced. Across the gym, you will find portions of the wall lacking paint.
Along with the physical changes, the schedule is changing too. From Monday to Thursday, the gym will open at 5am and close at 10pm. On Fridays 5a.m.-7p.m. On Saturdays 7am-7pm. And on Sundays 8am-6pm. The lessened gym hours will make it much more crowded.
“What’s happening is we’ve got more people coming to the gym. All of the people who would come at 3 in the morning are now coming at 5, when we open,” Brawner said.
The massive increase in attendees resulted in many of the machines being taken. Now, the machines almost always have someone using them. This leads to people not finishing their workout or having to stay at the gym longer than they intend to. Another negative factor is the traffic having picked up immensely. The parking lot is nearly full no matter when you go to work out.
Another change coming is the removal of the basketball court. With one full court and two smaller courts, a total of six hoops, it takes up a significant amount of room. As a result of its removal, there will be a great amount of room to be used for additional weights and machines, hopefully fixing the waiting problem. Henry Midberry, a member of OneLife and a Junior at Yorktown is looking forward to its removal.
“It’s hard to tell without knowing what equipment is coming in, but I like the idea of tearing down the basketball court. I’m excited for there being more equipment,” Midberry said.
The switch is going to be a great investment. The addition of all of the brand new state-of-the-art-equipment, professional staff and members, allows everyone to be able to have a better workout experience through not just accessibility but socialization as well. The renovation process will be rough but once it’s concluded it will undoubtedly be a significant improvement.
