WAYNESBORO – Calling all night owls – WBO Health and Fitness in Waynesboro has extended its hours.
The business, located in the Boro Plaza on Walnut Street, began opening 24 hours a day starting Dec. 2.
“This will really enhance the member experience by accommodating their schedule,” owner Dylan Bryan said.
“We’re continuing every day to evolve and find new ways to improve the gym. We use the feedback from members when we plan our projects and renovations – always in their best interest,” he added.
“People love the gym, but the only request we have been getting over the years is that it should be open 24/7. With the growth of the warehouse fulfillment jobs as well as people working second and third shifts or 12-hour shifts, there has been a need for more hours. It’s a growing trend in gyms,” Bryan said.
Any current member 18 and older can access the new illuminated entrance, located to the left of the main entrance, using the gym key card. “The rules will be posted outside the door. The gym will not be staffed after regular hours,” according to Bryan. “We built out a new bathroom with showers on the main floor, gating off part of the gym for safety purposes.
“With renovations and new equipment, this change will meet the needs and desires of our members – the gym will be available whenever they want to use it,” he added.
Bryan was just 22 and a recent graduate of Penn State University when he bought the business in 2018. “How did I get here? During my freshman year when I was struggling with direction, I fell in love with fitness and everything that went along with it,” he said.
Three months after opening, “COVID hit and we shut down. After we reopened and were back on our feet again, I decided to put everything back into the gym to make it a better experience for the members. In the past four years, we’ve added about 2,000 square feet of workout space, renovated the whole gym and classrooms and added 20 to 30 new pieces of equipment at a cost of over $200,000. We’ve increased our memberships by 200 or 300 percent since COVID,” Bryan added.
The journey was not without roadblocks, according to Bryan. “I had no experience (owning a business), and it took 14 months of work to make it happen. I must have bounced around to a dozen banks before circling back to the first one – I wasn’t keen on taking no for an answer – to get the funding. I turned my passion into a career.”
Staffed hours at WBO are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Kids Club hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 8:45 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
WBO offers a variety of classes for all ages and fitness levels, including Silver Sneakers sessions, as well as tanning, infrared sauna, personal training, a yoga studio, smoothie bar, women’s studio and WBO apparel shop. The War Room, opened at the end of 2022, is a space for high-level training equipped for competitive strength sports, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting and cross fit.
“We offer a true fitness experience for everybody and every goal,” Bryan said.
