The Future of Leisure Centres

Consumer needs are always evolving, and the wellness industry is no exception, with rapid shifts in behaviour and attitudes towards health. How do leisure centres evolve to meet these needs? With such a diverse range of facilities available, leisure centres are uniquely positioned to offer a complete wellness service, which, if cleverly planned, can easily align with and adapt to changing trends.

Redefining the Traditional Leisure Centre Experience

The phrase "leisure centre" often conjures images of dated buildings and somewhat basic facilities. However, through strategic design, leisure centres can transform into modern wellness destinations, reshaping public perception and creating spaces that reflect current and future fitness needs. Luxury wellness is on the rise, with more people opting for boutique-style experiences. With the right investment, leisure centres can offer this to the masses without the high-end membership prices that typically accompany them.

A leisure centre image split in half with a yellow line to show before and after.

Creating Synergy Between Services

While leisure centres tend to have diverse offerings, they rarely provide every type of health and fitness service to members. Therefore, it's crucial that available facilities complement one another effectively. For example:

For centres focusing on NHS-prescribed health and rehabilitation plans, consider consultation rooms with direct access to the gym floor for guided exercises, plus a café supporting recommended meal plans.
If junior swim sessions are a priority, provide adjacent café and coworking spaces for parents or aligning adult fitness classes.

People lead increasingly busy lives, making habit-stacking essential. Creating a versatile space that addresses multiple user needs encourages greater engagement with facilities.

Thoughtful design enhances multi-facility functionality. With careful space planning, we can create intuitive pathways that guide users naturally between different areas. Strategic lighting and material palettes provide subtle wayfinding without excessive signage, ensuring spaces feel connected yet distinct. Carefully planned circulation can also prevent congestion, especially around popular equipment zones.

A leisure centre functional zone with bespoke sled track, technogym equipment and immersive lighting.

Leisure Centres and Social Wellness

As community-focused fitness providers, leisure centres can leverage the growing trend toward social wellness, reinforcing their role as spaces for shared experiences. People increasingly seek wellness activities for social connection, not just physical health benefits. This shift is primarily driven by Gen Z and Millennials, who often prioritise wellness-oriented activities with friends over traditional social outings.

Ways to foster this sense of community:

Developing café and coworking spaces that support coworking for personal trainers and members alike
Creating flexible studio spaces that are designed to easily transform into community venues and function rooms
Designing comfortable waiting areas that double as casual meeting spaces

Ultimately, it’s key to talk with the local community to find out what’s important to them. Armed with this knowledge, leisure centres can ultra-personalise their offering and better meet community requirements, driving engagement and membership.

A social space at a leisure centre gym, with orange table, black booth seating, plants and reed diffuser.

Planning for Sustainable Success

True future-proofing means creating spaces with built-in adaptability for evolving health trends. Leisure centres can maximise their unique advantages through multi-use spaces that adapt to different activities throughout the day and, if properly designed, evolve with changing wellness preferences over time—an advantage specialist studios often lack. By partnering with experienced design specialists like Layrd, leisure centres can transform into dynamic, community-centred wellness destinations that meet today's needs while remaining flexible for tomorrow's trends.