SEATTLE — There's a weight lifted off the shoulders of gym owners and employees throughout Washington.
"With the vaccine requirements being lifted, with the mask mandate being lifted, I think the sky's the limit for us here," said Chris Spencer, a personal trainer at NW Fitness in Seattle.
Despite the optimistic outlook, Spencer said it's been a tough couple of years for the gym industry within the state and nationwide. According to the Global Health and Fitness Association as of July last year, 22 percent of the 40,000 gyms and studios in the country that were open in 2019 nationwide have now permanently closed, along with countless jobs lost.
However, Spencer is eager for gyms to remain open with loosened restrictions, and more people feeling comfortable working out in a gym setting.
"We as a gym, are really excited to get our membership numbers back up,” said Spencer. “I think membership numbers across the state or at least in this area are going to go up."
At NW Fitness, they're no longer checking for vaccination status, and are giving members the choice to wear a mask inside their facility. Spencer said he'll keep his mask on for the time being. But for Mikhal Snovel and other members at the NW Fitness, they're glad to ditch the mask.
"I am vaccinated and boosted, I'm not too concerned for myself, but again if someone were to ask me to or if it was required for entry, I'll put it on, I have no problem," said Snovel.
Snovel is grateful for NW Fitness and the remaining gyms that have been able to stay alive during these uncertain times, and hopes gym-goers will continue to support these types of businesses no matter what the future holds.
"Honestly kudos to everybody that was able to keep their doors open and hopefully, I hope that if people have to go back to wearing masks it won't cause people to leave gyms or give that up," said Snovel.