How REITs Are Fueling the Fitness and Wellness Boom

How REITs Are Fueling the Fitness and Wellness Boom

As an Exercise Physiologist, I’ve watched the rising tide of the fitness and wellness movement shift from niche interest to mainstream lifestyle. Alongside this cultural change, an unlikely but powerful player has emerged: Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). These organizations, traditionally known for investing in commercial and residential properties, are now becoming key contributors to the growth and accessibility of fitness and wellness spaces.

In an era where holistic health is more important than ever, REITs are uniquely positioned to meet market demand. In this blog post, we’ll explore how REITs are driving the fitness and wellness revolution, contributing to community health, and shaping the future landscape of wellness real estate.

The Intersection of Real Estate and Wellness

Before we dive into how REITs fit in, it’s important to understand the current state of the wellness industry. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy is projected to reach $7 trillion by 2025. This includes everything from gyms and yoga studios to wellness clinics and preventative healthcare centers.

To support this growth, spaces that promote movement, mental health, nutrition, and recovery are in high demand. But these initiatives need more than personal trainers—they need infrastructure. This is where REITs come into play.

What Are REITs?

REITs are investment vehicles that own, operate, or finance income-generating real estate. Investors buy shares, and share in the profits of the underlying properties. Types of REITs include:

• Retail REITs: Invest in shopping centers and stand-alone retail stores
• Healthcare REITs: Own hospitals, clinics, and senior living centers
• Specialty REITs: Target niche investment sectors such as data centers or cell towers

Now, we’re seeing the rise of REITs that emphasize experiential and wellness-based real estate.

Why Wellness is a Strategic Investment Focus

Traditional brick-and-mortar real estate sectors—especially retail—have faced challenges with the rise of e-commerce. This has sparked a strategic shift toward experiential spaces, such as gyms, spas, and wellness studios. These are not easily replaced by online alternatives, making them more resilient to digital disruption.

More importantly, consumers are prioritizing experiences over products. From a business standpoint, tenants that promote fitness and wellness drive consistent traffic and community engagement — essential elements for commercial real estate success.

Top Drivers Behind REIT Investment in Wellness

• Post-Pandemic Wellness Boom: COVID-19 heightened awareness around physical health, mental wellness, and immune resilience.
• Hybrid Work Culture: People now expect flexible access to gyms, recovery lounges, and wellness offerings integrated within their daily routines.
• Rising Health Consciousness: Generations Z and Millennials are deeply invested in their well-being — from fitness to mindfulness.

How REITs Are Shaping the Future of Fitness Spaces

Let’s take a look at how REITs are actively contributing to the exponential growth of wellness spaces across the U.S.

1. Urban Gym Integration

Several retail-heavy REITs are leasing space to popular gym and boutique fitness brands like:

• Planet Fitness
• LA Fitness
• Orangetheory
• F45 Training

These fitness centers are being built into mixed-use developments — giving residential and commercial tenants convenient access to health resources without leaving the premises. Some REITs have even acquired or developed entire fitness-centered properties as anchor tenants within shopping centers, drawing steady foot traffic and boosting adjacent retail sales.

2. Medical and Health-Oriented Real Estate Growth

Healthcare REITs like Healthpeak Properties and Welltower have widened their portfolios to include lifestyle-focused wellness centers. These often combine:

• Primary care clinics
• Rehabilitation spaces
• Physical therapy and yoga studios
• Nutrition and preventative health services

This shift recognizes the convergence between medicine and wellness, treating not just illness—but cultivating long-term, sustainable health behaviors in built environments.

3. Wellness-Oriented Residential Developments

REITs in the residential space are adopting design philosophies grounded in wellness. That means properties with active lifestyle features like:

• On-site fitness centers
• Walking trails
• Bike storage and repair stations
• Mindfulness and meditation rooms

These extend beyond luxury; today’s renters and owners are seeking spaces that align with their values of balance, self-care, and movement.

Global Case Studies of REIT-Led Wellness Properties

Across the globe, forward-thinking REITs are establishing benchmarks for what the future of wellness real estate could look like.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW)

URW, a leading retail REIT, has significantly expanded its focus beyond shopping malls. In recent years, it has worked with major fitness operators to integrate movement-based and holistic health experiences into their centers across Europe and the U.S.

Physicians Realty Trust

This healthcare-dedicated REIT has invested in outpatient and medical wellness centers inclusive of physical therapy, fitness training, and preventive medicine.

These facilities bridge the gap between the healthcare system and lifestyle modifications — a key philosophy in the field of exercise physiology and modern medicine alike.

What This Means for the Future of Community Wellness

REIT-backed investments are helping to make wellness more accessible, inclusive, and embedded into the communities people live and work in. Traditionally, wellness has been a luxury. But now, economically viable real estate development can bring fitness to:

• Affordable housing developments
• Workforce neighborhoods
• Suburban shopping centers
• Senior living residences

This democratization of wellness services is good for public health and good for the economy — reducing healthcare burden, improving longevity, and creating long-term value for investors and tenants alike.

Opportunities for Professionals in Fitness and Health

As an Exercise Physiologist, I see tremendous opportunity for allied health professionals to collaborate with REIT developers, property managers, and healthcare systems.

Whether it’s designing movement-friendly facilities, consulting on exercise integration, or developing corporate wellness programs within mixed-use developments, our expertise can ensure these fitness-forward properties deliver measurable outcomes.

At the end of the day, effective infrastructure builds healthy people — and when the real estate industry gets that right, everyone wins.

Conclusion

The fitness and wellness boom is not slowing down, and real estate is playing a more critical role than ever before. REITs are stepping up as active players in a wellness-driven economy, investing in the spaces we need to live longer, more active lives.

Through strategic placement of gyms, integrative healthcare spaces, and wellness-focused real estate, these investment vehicles are shaping healthier, more sustainable communities across urban and suburban landscapes alike.

As someone who's devoted to improving health outcomes through movement science and lifestyle change, I’m excited to see this convergence of real estate and wellness grow—and even more excited to be part of the journey ahead.

Wellness is no longer a trend—it's a foundational pillar. Thanks to REITs, it's also becoming a fixture of the built environment.