Do I let members bring friends into my unsupervised, unstaffed gym?

This is a question I’ve wrestled with, especially in the early years of running my gym. Back then, members accessed the gym using a fob (and now through the Kinect app), and occasionally, they’d bring a friend without informing me. Most members were considerate and asked about the policy beforehand, allowing me to manually set up a guest pass and charge them.

But here’s the thing: my goal has always been to create a gym that members can run on their own—managing their memberships and workouts with as little staff involvement as possible. Plus I'm lazy and I'm addicted to passive, recurring revenue! So, I needed a solution to the "guest pass or bring-a-friend" issue that fit this vision.

I took inspiration from GoodLife Fitness, which, at the time, had a policy allowing members to bring a guest for free. They even promoted it on their website. Of course, as a sales-driven organization, GoodLife used this as a way to bring in new prospects and convert them into paying members.

I thought, Why not take a similar approach?

The Problems with Unauthorized Guests

When a legitimate member brings in a friend without notifying me, several issues arise:

  1. Trespassing and Theft: The friend is effectively trespassing on private property and using a service they haven’t paid for.
  2. Liability Risks: Without a signed waiver or proper orientation, there’s a significant liability issue. If the guest gets injured and decides to take legal action, I’d have to pursue the member for theft and trespassing to protect my business. This is a mess I’d rather avoid.

Finding a Win-Win Solution

Rather than getting bogged down in enforcing strict rules and penalizing members, I saw an opportunity. What if I turned my members into advocates for the gym?

Here’s my thinking: when a member brings in a friend, that friend is likely to feel more comfortable and motivated than they would during a cold tour with me. They’re working out in a familiar environment, alongside someone they trust. This positive experience increases the chances of them purchasing a membership.

So, I made an outside-the-box decision—one that might make some gym owners nervous. I created a policy allowing members to bring a guest as often as they’d like. They could bring the same guest every time or a new one for each workout.

It sounds overly generous, but I believed (and still do) that the marketing value of exposing someone to my facility through a trusted friend outweighs the risk of it being abused.

How It Works

  1. Waivers: Members sign a waiver before using the gym that clarifies the guest policy and transfers liability to the member.
  2. Limitations: Members can only bring one guest at a time. Bringing two or more without prior permission is against policy and will be treated as trespassing and theft.
  3. Responsibility: The member is fully responsible for their guest and must stay with them during the visit.

Results

This policy has been a bit of a game-changer. With minimal promotion on my website and clear signage in the gym, members understand the rules and tend to take them seriously. I’ve never had a member let in a guest and then leave them unattended—at least, not to my knowledge. And with cameras installed throughout the gym, I have peace of mind.

More importantly, this approach has resulted in new memberships without requiring much effort on my part. Members act as unofficial tour guides and salespeople, and their enthusiasm is far more convincing than any "join-my-gym" sales pitch I could make.

Final Thoughts

If you’re running an unsupervised gym and struggling with members bringing in guests, consider turning it into an opportunity rather than a problem. By setting clear boundaries and empowering your members, you can create a win-win situation that drives growth while maintaining the integrity of your gym.

It’s worked for me, and I’ve found that people respect the rules when they’re clearly communicated and paired with a positive experience