Wow! Fitness Club location will close its doors permanently at the end of the month

The Corvallis Wow! Fitness Club will close its doors permanently at the end of the month after being in business downtown for 32 years.

Rick Bennett, who has owned and operated the club at 327 S.W. Third St. since 1981, sent an Aug. 14 letter to members, announcing the decision. It read, in part:

“As many of you know, my health is not the greatest and continuing to be owner/manager is taking its toll on me physically … Another major factor … is our landlord. She will not let us operate our spa facility with a hot tub or steam room. Her decision to force us to close this area of the club has been a financial burden on our club’s success.”

Bennett said Tuesday that the club closed its spa in May, and that has caused the business to lose more than $5,000 a month.

“That was the straw that broke the health club’s back,” he said.

Bennett also wrote that he had arranged to transfer prepaid memberships to the Timberhill Athletic Club, where members can use the facilities until their membership with Wow! would have expired. The Wow! Fitness Club members who were on a monthly membership plan will have free use of Timberhill during September.

“Everything has been really positive,” said Bennett. “99 percent of our members understand.”

Bennett declined to address the concerns of one member who sent an email to the Gazette-Times, wondering why prepaid members were not simply offered a refund. He said that the details of the agreement he reached with Timberhill were something both businesses were keeping private.

However, he said that he feels giving the club’s members access to Timberhill represents an upgrade for them.

“I could have easily closed the doors and walked away, but I took the high road,” he said.

Bennett added that Timberhill will be taking some of Wow! Fitness Club’s equipment, and will be hiring some of its former employees.

Bennett also owns a Wow! Fitness gym in Lebanon, and it will remain open. He did say he would consider giving prepaid Wow! Fitness Corvallis members access to his Lebanon club if any of them asked.

In addition to the Lebanon fitness center, which is in a building he owns at 2225 S. Main Road, Bennett owns the Wacky Indoor Bounce, a play facility at 202 N.W. Third St. in Corvallis.

He added that the closure wasn’t the way he had planned it, but he wishes the owner of the property well.

The owner of the property, Nancy Wike, could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

“I have no hard feelings toward the landlord,” Bennett said.

Bennett said that he is proud of what the club has accomplished but added that operating the Corvallis location took up 80 percent of his time. He said he is looking forward to having more time for his family and his other businesses.

“It’s been a fun ride; I have phenomenal memories.”