Aira Fitness Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
AIRA Fitness is a gym franchise offering 24/7 access, equipment, personal training, and bootcamps from studios or modular pods. Franchisees run the clubs, managing memberships, staff, and equipment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A AIRA FITNESS franchise requires a total initial investment of $49K – $312K, including a $30K franchise fee. The 2024 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 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $49K – $312K
- 5th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 20
- 52nd 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 $49K – $312K including a $30K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports a lead-generation metric rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 34/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Aira Fitness Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- None
- Predecessor
- Aira Fitness LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Mike Bell
- Incorporated in
- Illinois
- HQ
- 600 Route 59, Ingleside, IL 60041
- Auditor
- Naper CPA Group
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $46K
- vs $94K prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2024
- Status as of 2024; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mike Bell
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 7
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 69% below the typical health & fitness franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $3K | $6K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $17K | $276K |
| Total initial investment | $49K | $312K |
Source: AIRA FITNESS 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $49K – $312K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $6K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- $997 per month flat fee (covers Gross Sales of preceding …
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 1.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $997/month royalty |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $2K |
| Total fee load | 1.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
AIRA 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 AIRA FITNESS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
130%
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports a lead-generation metric rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. We omit it from rankings.
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 1.0% — below the Health & Fitness average of 8.4%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports a lead-generation metric rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 600.0% CAGR over 3 years across 20 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Aira Fitness Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 20
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 6
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 70%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 11 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
AIRA Fitness presents material risk due to lack of financial transparency, minimal unit base, corporate going concern issues, and inability to validate investment returns.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Naper CPA Group⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 34 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDExtremely small unit base (9 locations) with unknown growth trajectory — suggests limited brand traction or possible contraction
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates potential financial viability issues at corporate level
- 03MINORHigh investment range spread ($254k vs $40k) without corresponding revenue/profit data creates opacity
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 1.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 90 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | McHenry County, Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 23 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- Ingleside, Illinois (in-person); virtual on-demand modules
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee, subject to franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- GymMaster
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: GymMaster
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
19 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
AIRA FITNESS · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a AIRA FITNESS franchise?
The total investment to open a AIRA FITNESS franchise ranges from $49K – $312K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do AIRA FITNESS franchise owners earn?
AIRA 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 AIRA 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 AIRA FITNESS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is AIRA FITNESS's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for AIRA 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 AIRA FITNESS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, AIRA FITNESS has 20 total units in the United States, including 14 franchised units and 6 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is AIRA FITNESS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates AIRA FITNESS as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 34 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?
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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.