Snap Fitness, the Minneapolis-based franchisor of 24-hour express fitness centers, says it plans to flex more muscle in the Inland Northwest over the next few years.

Eight Snap Fitness outlets operate in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area, and the company recently announced in a press release that it plans to double its presence here.

Jeff Spencer, of Spokane Valley, who with his wife Shelley, owns part or all of six of those outlets, says he's eyeing potential locations to expand in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area.

Spencer says he's looking for sites that are close to residential areas rather than in urban retail centers.

"We want to go in to be part of a neighborhood, rather than a destination gym," Spencer says. "We want to become the neighborhood gym for people within a two-mile radius of the club."

The Spencers' current Snap Fitness franchise outlets are in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Mead, Cheney, Coeur d'Alene, and Hayden Lake.

Spencer says Snap Fitness has an aggressive plan to grow companywide in coming years.

A Snap Fitness outlet will open in Clarkston, Wash., in May, although Spencer says he's not involved in that franchise. He adds that he's hearing other interested franchisees are looking at Moses Lake and elsewhere in the Inland Northwest.

Snap Fitness outlets typically occupy 3,500 to 6,000 square feet of floor space, Spencer says.

Snap Fitness aims to keep its outlets affordable because it doesn't include large amenities such as swimming pools and racquetball courts that tend to make fitness centers more expensive, he says.

"We have really good cardio equipment, circuit weights, and free weights," Spencer says.

Some centers also have projection systems, which are used to display prerecorded exercise routines.

The Spencers' current franchise stores have a combined total of 20 employees, and another 25 personal trainers work as independent contractors.

The typical cost to belong to a Snap Fitness club is $40 a month, although Snap Fitness offers discounts for longer commitments and advance payments, Spencer says.

Two Snap Fitness outlets on Spokane's North Side—one in the Indian Trail neighborhood and one at Northtown Square—are owned by other franchisees.