Property managers understand that wellness amenities are a priority among modern residents, but hardly anyone talks about the specifics. Should you focus on gyms and cardio rooms? Or functional training areas? Where do outdoor spaces fit in the equation?
Wellness amenities, defined as facilities and services that actively promote physical and mental health, need a framework adapted to your property's requirements and your residents’ preferences. Go over all you need to know to develop your strategy and select the best amenities for new apartment buildings or older facilities.
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What Residents Expect From a Wellness Amenity Today
Resident expectations around apartment wellness amenities have changed.
For today’s residents, standard apartment amenities include varied and accessible wellness features, covering physical fitness, mental health, recovery, and even community activities. A worn-down gym room is forgettable to modern residents used to modern fitness. A series of group classes, paired with on-demand workshops and monthly community challenges, is the opposite: a thought-out experience that keeps residents engaged.
With over 80% of renters considering fitness centers important or essential, the right programs and building amenities can have a significant impact on both resident satisfaction and leasing decisions.
6 Fitness and Physical Wellness Amenities
Physical fitness amenities remain one of the highest-demand categories across resident demographics. We don’t see that changing any time soon, so here’s how to approach the most common apartment fitness amenities for resident retention.
1. Full Fitness Center
A well-designed fitness center should cover three fundamental zones: cardio, free weights, and functional training. Most amenities fall into the mistake of shortchanging the last one, leaving a significant portion of residents unserved. HIIT, bodyweight, mobility-focused, and other functional workouts need open square footage, appropriate flooring, and equipment such as kettlebells and suspension trainers.
The attention paid to equipment and installations is as important. Lighting, mirrors, sound systems, screens — design matters. A gym that looks like it was outfitted once in 2010 and never again won’t cut it when trying to create a true community hub of fitness activity.
2. On-Demand and Digital Fitness Offerings
Physical equipment serves residents who already have a workout routine. Digital amenities take this a step further, reaching the residents who want to work out but don’t yet know how.
On-demand fitness content, ranging from yoga and cycling to Pilates and dance, turns a standard gym into a 24/7 studio. Residents can follow pre-recorded workouts on their own schedule, raising utilization rates among those needing the guidance of an instructor.
Fitness On Demand’s multifamily virtual solution brings a full on-demand content library directly into your own unique apartment amenities.
3. Group Fitness and Studio Programming
Group fitness has the power to bring residents together, creating meaningful connections and friendships. When the time comes to renew, this can become a key factor in convincing residents to stay with their community.
Some of the main issues with traditional group fitness programming include staffing and scheduling. Group virtual fitness for apartments eliminates those constraints. Residents can join live-format classes without coordinating around a specific time or paying extra fees.
Fitness On Demand’s Group Studio was built exactly for this: delivering seamless fitness experiences for residents at will.
4. Outdoor and Active Community Spaces
The gym isn’t for everyone. Outdoor wellness amenities are as important for serving residents who prefer to get moving in the open air.
Pools are always a draw, but you can get much more creative. Walking and jogging paths, pickleball courts, bike-sharing programs, and other amenities attract residents across all fitness levels. Plus, they add a social layer that’s hard to get with indoor spaces only.
5. Designated Mindfulness Rooms
Mental health deserves its place in the wellness amenities conversations. Apartment residents, like everyone, need spaces to relax, and environments that actively support stress reduction, breathwork, and recovery are the ideal solution.
The perceived value for residents who prioritize mental wellness is invaluable and far exceeds the capital cost. A quiet, well-lit space with yoga mats, plants, acoustic treatment, and sunlight will get you most of the way there. To take things one step further, Fitness On Demand’s Recovery Touchscreen gives residents guidance ranging from online meditation classes to stretching sessions.
6. Green Spaces and Outdoor Wellness Areas
Besides any equipment, residents also look to be outside, away from screens and work. Green spaces, such as gardens, dog parks, and landscaped communal areas, encourage stress reduction, social connection, and daily movement.
This becomes even more important for families with little kids and/or pets, giving them the multifamily wellness amenities they're looking for without forcing them to walk to the nearest park.
Keep Your Residents Connected With Digital Wellness Amenities
Physical infrastructure is the foundation, but for high-quality, modern features, you need to think about digital amenities to attract residents. These extend the wellness experience beyond shared apartment fitness amenities and into individual routines.
Branded Resident Wellness App
A property-branded app creates a daily touchpoint that no physical amenity can replicate. With a few swipes, residents can access on-demand fitness content, class schedules, wellness workshops, and other resources that reinforce the value of what you’ve built.
Fitness On Demand’s Flex App goes beyond the hours residents spend in shared spaces to provide a massive content library through their smartphones. You don’t need to add extra square footage or staff when you can take full advantage of the technology your residents already have.
Fitness Kiosks and Touchscreen Workout Stations
Self-guided touchscreen stations and fitness kiosks give residents a structured and customizable workout experience without requiring staff involvement or equipment proficiency. They're effective for smaller fitness spaces as well as for activating underutilized areas of larger properties.
We designed Fitness On Demand’s fitness touchscreens for flexible deployment and everyday use. They deliver guided workout experiences in any space with power and a screen, a strong on-demand fitness amenity for properties that can’t easily expand square footage.
Platform Integrations
Managing multiple wellness amenities across an entire portfolio can quickly become a headache due to vendor sprawl. The best digital solutions work within your existing tech stack.
The idea behind Fitness On Demand’s API is straightforward, allowing you to integrate our high-quality content with the tools and infrastructure you already use. No overhauls, no replacements, and no headaches — easy-to-manage, connected fitness amenities.
How To Evaluate and Prioritize Wellness Amenities for Your Property
To decide what works best for your facilities, start by analyzing the target resident demographics. A property with a high concentration of young professionals has very different priorities than one serving a family-heavy community looking for outdoor spaces.
Also keep in mind the type of property. Are you aiming to further modernize already smart apartment buildings, or does your portfolio need to be brought into the 21st century? Available space matters as well. Digital wellness-driven amenities offer a strong ROI relative to capital investment when compared to physical buildouts, and can scale better across portfolios. If you’re working with tight square footage or budget, digital-first solutions are a great place to start.
Access to wellbeing services is one of the top three factors that contribute the most to a renter’s sense of community. However, while offering these amenities can be successful with a large demographic, they don’t necessarily factor in the specifics of your properties. There are solid apartment wellness strategies for any budget and portfolio. The key is knowing which amenities move the needle for your residents.
Build a Wellness Amenity Strategy To Attract and Retain Residents
Wellness apartment amenities are a baseline expectation for properties wanting to satisfy their current and future residents. The options are pretty much endless, so building a framework and a solid strategy across physical space, digital programming, and community engagement should be a top priority.
At Fitness On Demand, we’re ready to help. Book a demo with our team today to see how you can develop a strong resident wellness program tailored to both your goals and your residents’ needs.
Author
Luke Miska
Luke Miska is a results-driven business management visionary with a stellar record developing operationalizing strategies, experiences and measurable results that engage teams and customers to lead healthier lives. He leverages his passion for customer-centric strategies and aligns goals between customer needs and organizational priorities, catalyzing business success.
