Valley Health Closes Luray Gym

~ Tim Mossholder (free use via Pexels)

LURAY, Va. – The only full-service fitness center in Luray has closed its doors for good.

The Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center has been temporarily closed since October 13 due to fire damage from the adjacent Dollar Tree store. However, in a November 7 letter, Valley Health's Corporate Director of Fitness Services, Jeffrey Jeran, advised members that the closure is now permanent.

The fitness center, located in East Luray Shopping Center, provided the use of state-of-the-art professional machines and equipment, and offered fitness classes, personal training and massage. Stating Valley Health's reasons for the closure, Jeran cited not only the fire damage, but also a decline in membership since the initial COVID-19 pandemic. A similar post was made to the Valley Health and Fitness Luray Facebook page.

Based in Winchester, Valley Health owns and operates Luray's Page Memorial Hospital as well as five other Virginia fitness centers in Woodstock, Winchester and Front Royal. In West Virginia, Valley Health operates fitness centers in Romney and Berkeley Springs. As of press time, the Valley Health Fitness Center website did not indicate the closure of any additional fitness centers in Virginia or West Virginia.

Jeran went on to assure Luray customers that they will receive a 50% refund of October's prepaid membership fees. He noted that because of the uncertainty surrounding the center's status since the fire, membership fees were not collected for the month of November. Additional member questions may be addressed by calling 540-743-8110.

The Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center has occupied the East Luray location since 2007. Prior to that, the space was occupied by a privately-owned gym.

Luray's other longtime full-service gym, the privately-owned Luray Fitness Center on West Main Street, permanently closed in 2019.

With the closing of the Valley Health Fitness Center in Luray, the only remaining full-service fitness center in Page County is the Shenandoah Gym, located at 507 First Street, Shenandoah. Downtown Studios Unlimited in Luray remains open and offers martial arts, fitness and cycling classes.

RELATED STORY: Luray firefighters battle Dollar Tree blaze

If you enjoyed this article, consider leaving a “like” or a comment. For more Page County, Virginia stories, follow me on NewsBreak.