SAN JOSE — A company that describes itself as an “athletic country club” has signed a lease for a prime spot at the Santana Row neighborhood in San Jose, saying it hopes for more Bay Area spots.

Life Time plans to open a fitness- and health-oriented country club at the destination Santana Row mixed-use restaurant, shop, housing, hotel, office, and entertainment destination center in west San Jose.

“Santana Row is a great location,” said Meghan Akradi, a vice president of real estate with Life Time. “It’s hard to do better than Santana Row in terms of iconic properties.”

Life Time has leased a building within Santana Row at the southeast corner of Stevens Creek Boulevard and South Winchester Boulevard, according to documents filed on May 28 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.

The building that Life Time leased totals 60,000 square feet and is currently occupied by a Best Buy consumer electronics store at 3090 Stevens Creek Boulevard. The building is two stories, according to the Property Shark commercial real estate database.

The initial term of the lease is 15 years, the Santa Clara County property documents show.

“This is a market where we’ve wanted to be for many years,” Akradi said.

The only Bay Area location for Life Time at present is in downtown Walnut Creek at 1315 Broadway Plaza.

The future San Jose location is expected to feature an array of amenities, according to Life Time.

“We will have great fitness areas, fitness studios, personal training sites, yoga, pilates, cafe, work lounges, a sauna, and hot tubs,” Akradi said. “We will have a kids’ academy.”

Minnesota-based Life Time takes a different approach to fitness than is the case with typical health clubs in the United States, according to company executives.

“Members are calling us a country club without the golf,” said Natalie Bushaw, a spokesperson for Life Time.

In March of this year, Fast Company placed Life Time at No. 23 on its list of the 50 most innovative companies of 2025.

“It goes much further than a typical gym,” Bushaw said. “Life Time takes a holistic approach to health, wellness, recovery and fitness. People can literally spend all day at Life Time, and they do.”

Life Time operates at least 175 athletic country clubs that have an average size of 100,000 square feet, according to the company’s website.

“It’s like a Four Seasons resort every time you walk into one of our country clubs,” Akradi said.

The company has 1.4 million members and 41,000 employees. Life Time also has at least 150 kids’ academy locations.

“We hope to open our San Jose location during the first half of 2027,” Akradi said. “It depends on how quickly we can get permits.”

The coronavirus outbreak unleashed an array of shifts in how people view their personal health. Life Time executives believe the company’s approach can capitalize on the new post-coronavirus attitudes.

“We were steadfast about building a business that was more than just about staying healthy,” Akradi said. “It was about community and about a healthy place for our members.”

It appears efforts are paying off, if the company’s primary financial metrics are any indication.

“Our company has come back stronger than ever,” Akradi said. “We are exceeding our pre-COVID member engagement, member satisfaction and member attention.”

Over the one-year period that ended in March, Life Time posted a profit of $207.5 million, an increase of 182.3%, or nearly triple, the profits over the similar 12-month period the year before.

Revenue over the year-long period ending in March totaled $2.73 billion, an increase of 18.6% from the same period the prior year, according to the Finance Charts website.

“People are clearly emphasizing their health and wellness,” Akradi said. “We feel well positioned to continue to serve those people.”