Gym Towel Programmes: Towel-Per-Visit Cost and Loss Control

Short answer: the cost of a towel service is mostly laundry and loss, not the towel. Cost per visit = towel price divided by washes survived, plus laundry cost per wash, plus loss. In the example below it comes to about 25 cents a visit, of which the towel itself is about 1 cent.

The formula

Cost per visit = (towel price / number of washes it lasts) + laundry cost per wash + (yearly loss cost / yearly visits)

A worked example

Our gym towel band is $1.20 to $1.70 FOB at 400 to 450 GSM. Other inputs are assumptions. Replace them with yours.

Add a second towel per visit for the shower and the figure nearly doubles.

What the sum tells you

• Laundry dominates. A lighter towel that dries faster saves more than a cheaper towel does.
• Durability is nearly free. Paying 30 percent more for a towel that lasts twice as long barely moves the total.
• Loss is controllable. In this example it costs as much as wear.

Choosing the towel

A hotel-weight 600 GSM towel in a gym is money spent on drying.

How many to stock

Stock = towels used per day x days until laundry returns x 1.25.

600 towels a day, with next-day laundry return, needs 600 in use and 600 at the laundry, plus a quarter: about 1,500.

Five ways to cut loss

• Issue at the desk, return at the desk. Self-service piles disappear fastest.
• A distinct colour or a woven club name. A towel that is obviously the club's is less likely to go home in a bag.
• Return bins at every exit point, including the car park door.
• Count weekly. You will see which shift or which day the losses happen.
• A small size for the gym floor. Nobody steals a towel that is too small to use at home.

Colour

Dark or mid-tone colours hide sweat and marks from equipment. White shows everything but takes a hot wash and bleach. Grey with a woven stripe is a common compromise. Each colour is its own SKU.

Charging for towels

Some clubs include towels. Some charge per visit or sell a towel membership tier. Now that you know the cost per visit, you can price either with confidence.

Ordering

Trial runs start at 500 pieces and wholesale pricing at 2,000 pieces per SKU. A club stocking 1,500 towels is close to the wholesale tier, and a group of clubs is well past it. Our volume curve gives 15 to 20 percent off list at 2,500 to 4,999 pieces.

See our page for gym and fitness chain towels, and run your numbers in the cost per wash calculator. Then send us your visit numbers and we'll suggest a spec and quantity.