55 Fitness Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
55 Fitness is a boutique fitness franchise offering group fitness and strength classes. Franchisees run the studios, managing instructors, class scheduling, and membership growth.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A 55 Fitness franchise requires a total initial investment of $117K – $442K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $117K – $442K
- 22nd pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1 outlet
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 10th pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 1
- 3rd pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Health & Fitness avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $117K – $442K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 audited financial statements are in Exhibit C, which is not present in the OCR text (scanned/not extracted); no Item 21 figures available. Item 19: no financial performance representations. Item 3: no litigation disclosed. Item 10: no direct or indirect financing offered. Item 7 POS System cost is a range $2,000-$5,000 (low recorded). Item 12 territory granted by population (no less than 50,000 people), no mileage radius. Franchisor (55 Franchising, Inc.) not in business 3+ years; FYE Dec 31; audited financials as of 12/31/2021 and 12/31/2022.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 30/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- 55 Franchising, Inc.
- CEO title
- Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer
- Brendan S. Skeen
- Incorporated in
- West Virginia
- HQ
- 322 12th Street, Huntington, West Virginia 25701
- Auditor
- Naper CPA Group
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Affiliated brands
- DS Fitness
- Loved Ones in Home Care
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brendan S. Skeen
- Headquarters
- West Virginia
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 51% below the typical health & fitness franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown20 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $50K | |
| Lease Deposit and Payment | $4K | $16K | |
| Fitness Equipment Lease | $17K | $185K | |
| Utility Deposits | $680 | $3K | |
| Initial Inventory | $2K | $5K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment | $6K | $25K | |
| Design Services | $2K | $4K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $5K | $75K | |
| POS System | $2K | $5K | |
| Signage | $4K | $5K | |
| Office Equipment | $3K | $7K | |
| Presales and Grand Opening Advertising | $5K | $10K | |
| Website and Digital Advertising | $3K | $5K | |
| Marketing Collateral | $500 | $3K | |
| Insurance | $500 | $2K | |
| Permits and Licenses | $500 | $1K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $2K | |
| Travel and living expenses while training | $500 | $2K | |
| Employee Wages Pre-Opening | $3K | $8K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $15K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $117K | $442K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $117K – $442K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
55 Fitness did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one 55 Fitness unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
79%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21 audited financial statements are in Exhibit C, which is not present in the OCR text (scanned/not extracted); no Item 21 figures available. Item 19: no financial performance representations. Item 3: no litigation disclosed. Item 10: no direct or indirect financing offered. Item 7 POS System cost is a range $2,000-$5,000 (low recorded). Item 12 territory granted by population (no less than 50,000 people), no mileage radius. Franchisor (55 Franchising, Inc.) not in business 3+ years; FYE Dec 31; audited financials as of 12/31/2021 and 12/31/2022.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% — below the Health & Fitness average of 8.4%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Health & Fitness averages
How 55 Fitness Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
55 Fitness presents extreme risk due to single-unit system, lack of financial transparency, apparent franchisor distress, and inability to validate investment returns before commitment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Largest disclosed settlement: $250,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Naper CPA Group
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 30 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 1 unit in system indicates either brand-new franchise or failed expansion — extreme concentration risk and inability to validate model
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting franchisor financial instability or operational distress
- 03MINORNo Item 19 disclosure (Avg Revenue/Net Income) prevents ROI validation — cannot assess if $116k-$442k investment generates positive returns
- 04MED6% royalty on undisclosed revenue base is difficult to evaluate; could be unsustainable if margins are thin in fitness sector
- 05MINOR10-year term locks franchisee into relationship with unproven, single-location franchisor with no growth track record
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 5 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Cabell County, West Virginia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | West Virginia |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 26 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 17 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor headquarters (Huntington, WV) or another designated location, and online
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Glofox
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Glofox
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a 55 Fitness franchise?
The total investment to open a 55 Fitness franchise ranges from $117K – $442K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do 55 Fitness franchise owners earn?
55 Fitness does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the 55 Fitness FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the 55 Fitness FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is 55 Fitness's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for 55 Fitness (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many 55 Fitness franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, 55 Fitness has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is 55 Fitness a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates 55 Fitness as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 30 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent 55 Fitness, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Health & Fitness franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Health & Fitness category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.