In 1992, the first-ever Life Time athletic country club (which, at the time, was under the name Life Time Fitness) opened its doors in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Founder and CEO Bahram Akradi envisioned a different kind of health-club experience from the start — one that focused on the member point of view and that was centered around the whole-body health and wellness of the member.
More than 30 years later, Life Time (which dropped the “fitness” from its name to demonstrate its commitment to the whole-health experience) now has more than 170 clubs across the United States and Canada, offering not only athletic country clubs, but also Life Time Work, standalone pickleball facilities, Life Time Living luxury apartment complexes, MIORA longevity and performance centers, and more.
“We’re striving to help as many people create healthy, happy lives as possible,” says Aaron Koehler, senior vice president of real estate and development at Life Time. “We certainly can and will continue to reach more people through our existing locations, but our biggest opportunity for reaching even more people is by expanding to new locations.”
The number of new athletic country club locations in the pipeline, coupled with the expanded offerings in the Life Time app — available to anyone, regardless of their proximity to a club location — leave Life Time poised to support more individuals on their healthy-way-of-life journeys than ever before.
“We’re a growth company, and we’ve proven to be the premier developer and operator in a growing industry,” says Koehler. “Our past success, along with how much room there is for growth, is, and will continue to be for many years, the primary drivers of our company’s value in the marketplace. But most importantly, that means we’ll continue to have the opportunities to change more and more members’ lives for the healthier.”
New Club Locations, New Club Amenities
Each new athletic country club is an opportunity to design for the spaces and features of a particular destination. Getting granular in the details is something Life Time is known for, with features as seemingly small as the color of the grout in the shower being carefully considered.
And while each club’s blueprint is examined individually, there are certain standards that bring consistency to the feel you get when you explore Life Time’s network of athletic country clubs. In the coming years in new destinations (and in those receiving renovations), members can expect to see the emphasized focus Life Time is having on its luxury, social, and wellness amenities.
“There are three things that are currently ‘topic of the moment’ for our clubs: cold plunges, work lounges, and recovery spaces” says Meghan Akradi, vice president of real estate and development at Life Time. “We are not only incorporating those into our new clubs, but we are also moving to retrofit our existing locations to feature these amenities.
“From a club development side, we design everything with intention,” Akradi continues. “For example, instead of converting a whirlpool to a cold plunge on the pool deck, we’re striving to create an entire wet suite of amenities featuring a whirlpool, cold plunge, sauna, steam room, and showers in new clubs.”
Life Time is also prioritizing work-lounge spaces where members can work, make a phone call, or take a moment to catch up on emails or tasks before going on with the rest of their day. “We’re seeing members stay at our clubs for longer lengths of time than ever before,” says Akradi. “And a large part of that is because we’re giving them more reasons to and more spaces to use.”
The designated recovery spaces, where available, are also where Akradi says members spend more time, as they’re better understanding the role recovery plays in a well-rounded fitness routine. These spaces feature tools like HydroMassage, CryoLounge, and Normatec compression sleeves.
Another change is the continued evolution of LifeCafe offerings, with the quality of food and ease of experience set to improve to an even higher quality. “In our newest club prototypes, we have an upgraded LifeCafe offering for members to build their own bowls with really fresh ingredients such as grilled chicken, hanger steak, and shrimp,” says Akradi. “The food is incredible; I actually go out of my way to eat at our new LifeCafe’s whenever I travel. I’m addicted to our Mediterranean Grain Bowl!”
There are improvements to note in the workout areas as well. “We’ve put a lot of energy and attention into how those spaces are designed so our studios can not only have the best programming on the market, but also the most incredible studio spaces you’ve ever seen,” she says.
Life Time is also dedicating space on the workout floor that’s customized toward Dynamic Personal Training, according to Akradi. “In markets where we expect to have that strong demand for personal training, sometimes that comes in conflict with the daily workout floor traffic,” she says. “Therefore, we’re being strategic on where we have trainers and clients working together so it’s the best experience for all members.”
A Peek at a Few Coming-Soon Life Time Club Locations
Below are several of the athletic country club destinations Life Time is adding to its network in 2025 and 2026. To see the full list of coming-soon locations, and to find out if one is opening near you, visit Life Time’s coming soon page.
Life Time Evanston
This 60,000-square-foot space in the Sherman Plaza in Evanston, Ill., opened in 2025. The bustling college town (home to Northwestern University) also blends with the city of Chicago, sitting just 12 miles from downtown.
The beautiful grand entrance at Life Time Evanston features large windows, letting in natural sunlight and offering a warm welcome to members. Members can use one of the three indoor pickleball courts, fitness studios, LT Recovery amenities (such as HydroMassage, CryoLounge, and compression and vibration tools), and more. They also can grab a nutritious meal from the LifeCafe and find a space to catch up in the complimentary Life Time Work Club Lounge. (Learn more: Step Inside: Life Time Evanston.)
Life Time South Lamar
Coming to Austin, Texas, in 2025 is the 57,000-square-foot Life Time South Lamar. This will be Life Time’s 33rd club location in the state and the fifth in the Austin area.
The vibrant city — known for its love of music, dining, and entertainment — is sure to make good use of this new destination. “I’m excited for the community to have this beautiful club,” says Akradi. “Our existing clubs in Austin are operating at capacity, so this opening is happening at a good time for our members and future members.”
Life Time South Lamar will feature a patio that overlooks downtown and is connected to a full hydrotherapy suite with water amenities, including a steam room, sauna, whirlpool, and warm and cold plunges. “It’s going to be absolutely stunning,” says Akradi.
Life Time Prudential Center
Built in the iconic Prudential Center building in downtown Boston, the Life Time Prudential Center club entrance is less than a mile from the Boston Marathon finish on Boylston Street. This club spans 60,000 square feet of space and is set to open in 2025.
Athletes will appreciate the dedicated spaces for the signature group training formats of GTX, Alpha, and Ultra Fit. This athletic country club will offer recovery from exercise efforts and added relaxation in an expansive coed hydrotherapy suite that features a steam room, sauna, cold plunge, and whirlpool. The club will also house a Life Time Work Club Lounge equipped with tables, lounge seating, charging ports, and collaboration spaces.
Life Time West Boca
Set to open in late 2025, this athletic country club in Boca Raton, Fla., sits in an area known for its golf courses, parks, and beaches. “At 36,000 square feet, this is a classic boutique club that we’re really excited to open,” explains Akradi.
Life Time West Boca will be the second club in the community, and is located less than 8 miles from Life Time Boca Raton. “We are developing this new location nearby an existing club in hopes they can work together to create nice optionality for residents,” says Akradi. “For example, members may head to Life Time West Boca for a 7 a.m. GTX class in the dedicated studio and then travel to Life Time Boca Raton to spend the rest of the morning on the pool deck.”
Life Time Brea
Life Time Brea will span 85,000 square feet and be located in Orange County, a famous neighboring community of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The club will be part of a major mall redevelopment and is set to open in 2026. “This will be our first prototype build in the Orange Country/L.A. area in a decade, so we’re excited to continue growing our network in this community,” explains Akradi.
Members can enjoy the fast-growing sport of pickleball by playing on one of the three indoor or five outdoor courts. There will also be an outdoor Beach Club with a lap pool, leisure pool, poolside bistro, lounge chairs, and cabanas.
Life Time Paradise Valley
Arriving in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2026 is Life Time Paradise Valley. Known for the desert and the mountains, the expansive Paradise Valley area spreads from north of the Phoenix Mountains to the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree on the north, and to the McDowell Mountains to the east.
Life Time Paradise Valley will be part of a major mall redevelopment — one that’s unique from how Life Time normally approaches those. “Typically, we develop an entire wing of a mall because a big box store closed or something like that,” says Akradi. “But in Paradise Valley, they tore down the entire mall. They full demolished it with the exception of a Costco and a JCPenney.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Life Time because this mall has struggled for years, but it’s in a great location,” Akradi continues. “It’s perfectly positioned between Life Time Biltmore, Life Time Scottsdale Fashion Square, and Life Time North Scottsdale, which are three of our most successful clubs in the Phoenix area. We view this as rounding out that core of Phoenix.”
In addition to the expansive club, Life Time Paradise Valley will also feature the first Life Time Living project in Phoenix, with luxury apartment rental units. This Life Time Living tower will connect to the athletic country club via a bridge on the rooftop pool deck.
Life Time Durango
Las Vegas is set to welcome its third Life Time club in 2026 with the opening of Life Time Durango. This club will span a whopping 130,000 square feet, with offerings that include a 6,000-square-foot work lounge, an expansive pool deck, six indoor pickleball courts, and more.
“This is coming at a great time because our nearby existing Las Vegas clubs — Life Time Green Valley and Life Time Summerlin — are both on waitlists and are busting at the seams,” says Akradi. “We’re looking forward to having the space to welcome those in the area who are eager to go after their healthy-living goals to this new club location.”
To receive more information about the coming-soon club location of your choice, visit the coming soon page, select your club of interest, and join the waitlist. Current members will be the first to receive details on the new club offerings and given the first opportunity for future access. Life Time also uses a waitlist to maintain new membership capacity for optimal experiences.
