Montana Athletic Club

What Montana Athletic Club does

Montana Athletic Club (MAC) is a privately-held, single-location full-service fitness facility operating from a 32,000-square-foot site at 850 Holt Drive in Bigfork, Montana. Founded in 1991 as a partnership between Doug Mahlum and Jack Tawney, the business started at 17,000 square feet with 600 members and has since grown to approximately 2,500-3,000 individual consumer members served by a staff of 11-50 trainers, instructors, and support personnel. The club's offering spans traditional strength and cardio equipment, group fitness (Les Mills programming, spin, yoga, Pilates, mind/body), personal training, swim lessons, aquatic training, massage, tanning, locker and towel services, and on-site co-location with Elysian MT, a medical spa partner described as Montana's only full-service medical spa.

The underlying technology stack is composed entirely of third-party licensed systems rather than proprietary MAC-developed platforms. Equipment-layer technologies include the InBody 570 body composition analyzer, MyZone wearable heart-rate tracking, the Hex vertical tanning system, and the Human Touch Novo XT2 massage chair. Content and class delivery are powered by Les Mills programming and Fitness on Demand, a digital on-demand class system deployed across MAC's studio locations. There is no mobile application, no public API, and no AI/ML component in the technology estate. Operational management of class schedules, swim lessons, and guest passes runs through the Smart Health Clubs platform, and gift card distribution runs through Yiftee.

MAC's commercial model is overwhelmingly subscription-based and direct-to-consumer. The core product is a flexible monthly gym membership with no long-term contracts and discounted annual plans available; all Les Mills classes are included with the membership. Recurring revenue is supplemented by a set of monthly add-on subscriptions (towel service at $8/month, locker rental at $5/month, massage membership at $9.95/month for 150 minutes, tanning membership at $9.95/month, and a combined massage-plus-tanning bundle at $14.95/month), each with a three-month minimum commitment and monthly caps. Transactional revenue comes from personal training sessions, swim lessons, gift cards, and pay-as-you-go massage and tanning sessions priced at $7 per 10-minute unit. Marketing is primarily local and digital, combining a content blog on health and fitness topics with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn presence, plus the Smart Health Clubs guest-pass channel for non-member acquisition. Customer type is exclusively individual consumer/SMB with no enterprise or corporate wellness contracts disclosed, and the geographic footprint is a single owned site in Bigfork augmented by reciprocal membership agreements with partner facilities for traveling members.

Name

Montana Athletic Club

Legal name

Montana Athletic Club

Website

https://montanaathleticclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Montana Athletic Club is a privately-held, single-location full-service fitness facility in Bigfork, Montana, serving approximately 2,500-3,000 individual consumer members with gym access, group fitness, personal training, swim lessons, and recovery amenities since 1991.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fitness Center Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strength & Conditioning Bootcamps (HSADABAB)

Keywords

• Fitness center services
• Personal training
• Group exercise classes
• Swimming instruction
• Wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bigfork

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Gym Membership Fees: Monthly and annual gym membership fees providing access to fitness equipment, group classes, pool facilities, and recovery amenities. Flexible monthly memberships available as well as discounted annual plans. No long-term contracts required.
2. Towel and Locker Rental: Monthly rental fees for towel service ($8/month) and locker rental ($5/month).
3. Massage Services: Monthly massage membership ($9.95/month for 150 minutes with 3-month minimum) or punch cards ($29.95 for 10 punches) and single sessions ($7 for 10 minutes).
4. Tanning Services: Monthly tanning membership ($9.95/month with 3-month minimum) or punch cards ($29.95 for 10 sessions) and single tans ($7).
5. Personal Training: Fees for personalized training sessions with certified personal trainers for customized workout programs.
6. Swim Lessons: Swim lessons taught by Miss Ione White, taught individually and through swim club programs.
7. Gift Cards: Gift cards available for purchase through Yiftee platform.
8. Discounted Guest Passes: Discounted guest passes available through Smart Health Clubs integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Montana Athletic Club operates a 32,000 SF full-service fitness facility in Bigfork, Montana, providing gym equipment access, group exercise classes, personal training, swim lessons, Pilates, yoga, and recovery amenities under flexible monthly and annual memberships. The club also houses Montana's only full-service medical spa (Elysian MT) on-site and offers complementary add-on services including body composition analysis, fitness tracking, massage, and tanning.

Product overview

Montana Athletic Club is a full-service fitness facility offering a comprehensive suite of health and wellness services. The club operates on a core gym membership model supplemented by specialized programs including personal training, group exercise classes (Les Mills, Spin, Yoga, Pilates), swimming lessons, and aquatic training. Add-on services include InBody body composition analysis, MyZone fitness tracking, Hex tanning, massage chair access, and towel/locker rental. The club partners with Elysian MT to provide on-site medical spa services. Fitness on Demand technology enables on-demand class access across all studio locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gym Membership
• Personal Training
• Les Mills Group Exercise Classes
• Swimming Lessons
• Pilates Studio
• Mind/Body Classes (Yoga)
• Spin Classes
• InBody Body Composition Analysis
• Hex Vertical Tanning
• MAC Massage Room (Novo XT2)
• Towel and Locker Rental
• Health and Nutrition Coaching

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 members served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Les MillscoreTechnology or IntegrationLes Mills is a world-renowned group fitness programming provider. MAC includes all Les Mills classes with membership, featuring popular formats like BodyPump, BodyCombat, RPM, and other international fitness programs.
• InBodycoreTechnology or IntegrationInBody provides the InBody 570 body composition analyzer used at MAC for measuring muscle mass, bone mass, fat mass, body water, and calculating metabolic rate. The same technology used in hospitals and clinics.
• Fitness On DemandcoreTechnology or IntegrationFitness on Demand provides a state-of-the-art digital fitness system available at all MAC studio locations, offering hundreds of on-demand fitness classes for members.
• Smart Health ClubsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSmart Health Clubs platform provides discounted guest passes and class schedule integration for MAC, allowing non-members to purchase access to club services.
• Clean EatzminorOthersClean Eatz provides meal planning and dinner options available at MAC for health-conscious members seeking nutrition support alongside fitness programs.
• Elysian Medical SpaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontana's only full-service medical spa, Elysian Medical Spa, is located within the MAC facility, providing integrated wellness and aesthetic services alongside fitness.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gold's Gym: Iconic global fitness club chain offering group fitness, personal training, and recovery amenities. Comparable as a full-service fitness club operator competing for similar members in regional markets.
• Crunch Fitness: National fitness chain offering diverse group fitness programming, personal training, and recovery services. Comparable as a competitor targeting fitness consumers seeking full-service club experiences with diverse class offerings.
• EōS Fitness: Growing fitness club chain with multiple service tiers, group classes, pools, and recovery amenities. Comparable as a mid-market full-service fitness operator targeting similar demographics to MAC's membership base.
• Life Time Fitness: Large publicly-traded premium full-service fitness club operator with comprehensive amenities (pools, spas, group fitness, personal training, kids' programming). Comparable as a benchmark for the full-service premium fitness club model that MAC operates at a smaller scale.
• Planet Fitness: Largest fitness franchise by member count in the US, offering low-cost memberships. Not a direct competitor (different price tier), but represents the value-oriented threat that could draw price-sensitive members away from MAC in Montana markets.

Direct peers

• Chuze Fitness: Regional fitness club chain operating primarily in the western US offering group fitness, personal training, and recovery amenities at premium pricing. Comparable as a full-service fitness club model similar to MAC's positioning.
• Edge Fitness Clubs: Mid-sized premium full-service fitness club chain in the US Northeast. Directly comparable as a regional full-service fitness club operator offering pools, group classes, personal training, and recovery amenities to community-based members.
• Anytime Fitness: Largest 24-hour fitness franchise with global presence including Montana locations. Comparable as a competing fitness membership model targeting similar community-based fitness consumers, though operating at much larger scale and via franchising.
• YMCA: Non-profit community fitness organization offering memberships, group classes, swim lessons, personal training, and family programming. Comparable to MAC's community-driven membership model and broad service mix, including swimming instruction.

Others

• National Fitness Partners (NFC): Franchise operator of Planet Fitness and other fitness brands across multiple US states including underserved markets. Comparable as a market consolidator that could acquire or compete with independent regional clubs like MAC in the Montana market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MontanaAthleticClub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-athletic-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montana Athletic Club