Mark Wahlberg has founded several businesses and invested in many more, but he says the gym he plans to open in December excites him more than any other venture in his career. The first Municipal Gym will occupy a 32,000‑square‑foot site just outside Las Vegas and will offer blood work, epigenetic testing, recovery gear, compression therapy, cold plunges and a café that serves protein muffins, among other amenities. Wahlberg positions the club as a low‑cost alternative to the high‑priced longevity centers that can charge tens of thousands of dollars a year for comparable services.
The concept builds on a venture that began seven years ago with a casual sportswear line. The Municipal clothing brand launched during the COVID pandemic, a time Wahlberg admitted was “not a good idea” because the apparel market was struggling and retailers such as J.Crew and Brooks Brothers were filing for bankruptcy. He saw the brand as a stepping stone from his work as a celebrity fitness spokesperson. After collaborating with various brands, he noticed that most offers focused on selling T‑shirts and sneakers, and he wanted to make a broader impact on people’s nutrition, supplementation, training and recovery. “We figured, okay, we’ll start in the apparel space, and then we’ll build from there,” he said.
Wahlberg says he only pursues projects that align with his passions and reflect who he is. Despite the harsh realities of the clothing industry, he believes the gym fits his vision because it gives customers a chance to “actually feel and touch the clothes” before buying and because exercise is a major part of people’s lives.
Most players in the longevity space target affluent clients. Fountain Life, co‑founded by Tony Robbins, raised $18 million last year to expand its centers, with a full subscription costing $21,500 annually. The Estate, also co‑founded by Robbins and hospitality executive Sam Nazarian, is planning $35,000 memberships for its wellness locations. Equinox is building a waitlist for a $36,000 longevity add‑on that would sit on top of a standard gym membership. Wahlberg says Municipal aims for the same level of service at a fraction of the cost. For $99 a month, members would receive three rounds of blood work and an hour with a doctor to identify health predispositions, as well as access to supplements and hormone therapy. When asked if the gyms would also showcase his supplement brand, he answered “kind of.” He described the project as a “health and wellness ecosystem” that will provide “everything there, soup to nuts.” He did not specify a target number of locations but called the expansion plan “aggressive,” noting that landlords and developers who toured the Las Vegas site have offered prime locations with generous tenant‑improvement allowances.
Wahlberg’s earlier foray into the gym business involved a deep investment in the fitness chain F45 in 2019. He bought into the company at a $450 million valuation; the brand went public in 2021 and was delisted from the NYSE in 2023 after its stock collapsed. He said the experience taught him the importance of partnering with people who share his approach. He also expressed a preference for the big‑box model, wanting members to linger at Municipal for hours rather than follow the “join up but don’t show up” pattern he sees elsewhere. “I can’t understand that philosophy,” he said.
The name Municipal is intentional and reflects Wahlberg’s upbringing in Boston, where he grew up poor as one of nine children, playing on public basketball courts and golf courses. “You learn a lot on the blacktop,” he explained. “You learn to win, to lose, to compete, and hopefully to get back up and do it again.” He has never hidden his rough youth, noting a teenage assault conviction that resulted in a two‑year sentence, of which he served 45 days. Earlier on Thursday at TechCrunch Disrupt, he credited Father Jim Flavin, a Boston parish priest who has known him since he was 13, for helping turn his life around. Wahlberg wants his gyms to embody that same spirit of community and support. “It’s a place to work, but have fun and support each other and create community and really challenge people to be better versions of themselves,” he said. “I’ve come from next to nothing to being in an amazing position, and I try to constantly remind myself that I can inspire other people growing up in similar situations.”