CreatingaClean
ClubCulture
Managing Cleanliness
It is important that the philosophy of
cleanliness pervades the business, which
is a standard that club operators can up-
hold through proper employee manage-
ment. It’s not essential to hire a special
“hit squad” to eliminate slime, grime, mold
and mildew, says Stephen Tharrett, a prin-
cipal at Club Industry Consulting in High-
land Village, TX, and co-editor of ACSM’s
Health/Fitness Facility Standards and
Guidelines. “Great clubs have a mission, a
vision and a value system,” he adds. “If
cleaning is a part of that value system, tied
in to your mission and vision, you know your
club is going to be clean.” All employees
take part in the upkeep and maintenance
Table8. Heavy club users of additional services assess the environment in 25% more
of the club; even managers will pick up a
places. Showers are the number-one place members look to assess cleanliness.
towel to wipe up a spot. “It’s everybody’s
responsibility,” reports Tharrett.
Where do you look when assessing the overall cleanliness of the health club or gym you cur-
Tharrett recommends that clubs keep a
rently use? checklist of cleaning chores and maintenance
Which of the following services do you participate in for an additional fee at the health club or that must be done daily (See Appendix
gym you currently use?
#1). A supervisor should follow up to make
Which areas of the health club or gym you currently use do you feel is the cleanest and the dirtiest?
sure that each task has been completed.
To keep the process honest, another
FREQUENT CLUB USERS OF ADDITIONAL SERVICES ASSESS CLEANLINESS
department head or, in the case of chains,
the club maintenance director, should
No Additional 3+ Services:
Area Assessed Services
3+ Services conduct an independent surprise audit
(n=336)
(n=54)
Rate Cleanest
(n=54)
once a month and compare the results to
the daily checklists.
Showers 57% 80% 4% It is apparent that keeping a club clean
Pool area 25% 50% 9%
is not a simple task. Success requires
planning, execution and constant attention
Childcare area 10% 33% 9%
to detail. Owners, managers and staff
of health clubs were asked to share their
Food-service area 8% 31% 7%
perceptions of their club’s cleanliness. The
following are the key findings.
Multiple mentions allowed; may add up to more than 100%; only responses with significant difference reported.
Areas where club operators and mem-
bers believe their club is cleanest include
The Cleanliness Assessment Test: chase additional services. These terminated the front lobby and equipment sections of
Know Where “Core” Members Look members would not only result in a loss the club. Operators must be listening to
Members purchasing additional services may of membership revenue, but also income their members, as this exchange is an
be exposed to more areas of the club than associated with the additional services pur- important part of the evaluation process
members who do not purchase additional chased by such members. Keeping showers, for members’ sense of cleanliness in a club.
services (see Table 8). With knowledge of the pools, childcare and food-service areas along Of interest is the difference between areas
10% risk operators incur in losing members with other major profit centers impeccably of evaluation and average “clean score.”
due to an unclean club (see Table 3), main- clean is an opportunity and a challenge for The front lobby, as an example, is among
taining cleanliness is of utmost importance club management and staff in efforts to the most judged areas of the club, but only
to operators in retaining members who pur- maintain a healthy bottom line. 20% of members consider it to be the
2008 IHRSA’s Guide to Health Club Cleanliness 9
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