Life Time
Gym chain · 195+ locations · US: 32 states; Canada
Life Time is an NYSE-listed luxury gym chain with 190-plus clubs. Its founder has stayed CEO for over 30 years. Separately, the company carries three wage settlements on its labor record.
The Big Picture
Life Time went through a leveraged buyout valued at more than $4 billion in 2015 and re-IPO'd in 2021, and its wage record includes three settlements: $976,000 to the DOL in 2016 over claims that roughly 16,000 workers were underpaid via uniform deductions, $750,000 to instructors in 2019, and a $1.25 million California class settlement approved in 2025. Founder Bahram Akradi has stayed CEO throughout. Separately, its 190-plus clubs — with pools, saunas, and steam rooms — carry one of the largest per-location energy footprints in fitness, with only self-published ESG reporting behind it. The company answers to public shareholders and a 14-club-per-year growth plan.
The Dirty Details
Ownership
Leonard GreenPrivate Equity
Leonard Green & Partners is a Los Angeles PE firm with roughly $85 billion under management, known for consumer and retail buyouts. On Ferret it owns the majority of both PureGym (which absorbed Blink Fitness) and Crunch Fitness. It also took Life Time private in a $4B-plus buyout in 2015 alongside TPG, then sold most of that position down after the 2021 relisting. Its remaining stake was just under 5% as of June 2026, but two Leonard Green partners still sit on Life Time's board, including lead director John Danhakl.
Assets under management: ~$85B (December 2025)
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Company data last updated August 2026
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