The founders of Phoenix-based marketing and public relations firm Serendipit Consulting plan to bring a fast-rising fitness trend to the Valley with three new electro muscle stimulation fitness studios.
Melissa DiGianfilippo and Alexis Krisay have signed on to lead development of Ohm Fitness locations in Arizona. The first corporate location opened in Scottsdale in June at 15029 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy.
The Serendipit founders, who have worked with other fitness franchises including Orangetheory Fitness, Modern Acupuncture and Perspire Sauna Studios, will open three new locations themselves and sell franchise licenses for dozens of new locations across the state. Each studio will total about 1,500 to 2,000 square feet.
“In over 13 years, we’ve supported a lot of franchises,” DiGianfilippo said. “We’ve seen the secret sauce of what makes a concept really stand out with the franchising space. It’s a mixture of the founder, the founder’s vision and experience and the concept being different enough to stand out but approachable enough to get people excited to try it.”
EMS technology has existed for decades but has in recent years grown as an option for low-impact fitness training. Through a wireless suit, electrical impulses are sent to specific muscles significantly faster than the body’s central nervous system can. This also reduces the length of a workout from a couple of hours to about 25 minutes.
Ohm Fitness features small group workouts using the wearable EMS technology with a wetsuit called EMPower, which can be controlled through a mobile tablet device to target specific muscles. DiGianfilippo said they were convinced the concept would be successful after trying it themselves.
Ohm Fitness said it is one of the first fitness franchises to use the technology wirelessly and in a group setting.
“This is going to the next big thing,” she said.
The new franchise concept was founded by longtime franchisors who have assisted in growing Massage Envy, European Wax Center and Orangetheory Fitness including co-founders Dough Payne and Eric Hamann. Jason Sani is director of Ohmgevity, while Hogan Zinn is director of franchise development.
“We have been working … behind the scenes for 18 months or so,” said Payne. “What we wanted to do at Ohm Fitness was make this elite level of training accessible to everybody.”
Serendipit also plans to hire a team to manage the Arizona operations for Ohm Fitness and oversee the region as more franchises are developed.
An initial franchise fee is $39,000, while the total estimated initial investment ranges from $107,150 to $328,000, according to Ohm Fitness, which can be reached at hogan.zinn@ohmfitness.com for franchise opportunities.
Memberships for Ohm include $90 a month for four classes, $250 a month for 12 classes or $360 a month for 20 classes. Group and private sessions are also available, while suits can be borrowed or purchased.
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