Fitness SF Opens in Polk Gulch Nov. 1: What San Francisco Job Seekers Should Know
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The old Lombardi Sports building at Polk and Jackson, dark since the sporting goods store closed in 2014, is about to have its lights back on. Fitness SF opens its new Polk Gulch club at 1600 Jackson Street on Sunday, November 1, and a gym open from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday needs people on every shift.
A locally owned gym chain is opening a two-story club on the edge of Russian Hill. Here is what's confirmed, what isn't, and where to point your search now.
Ready to search? Skip straight to the gym and fitness job links →
| Business | Fitness SF Polk |
| Opens | Sunday, November 1, 2026 |
| Address | 1600 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 (corner of Polk and Jackson) |
| Hours | Mon–Thu 5 a.m.–midnight; Fri 5 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sat–Sun 7 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Concept | Full-service gym with strength floor, two group studios and a recovery area |
| Owners | Fitness SF, a San Francisco-based, locally owned chain |
| Industry | Fitness and wellness |
| New jobs | No headcount announced |
📍 What's Opening at Polk and Jackson
Fitness SF struck a deal for the former Lombardi Sports property in 2024, and the club's own location page now lists a November 1 opening, with a presale office already open daily. The building is a roughly 44,000-square-foot, two-story box that sat vacant for about a decade.
The gym promises what it calls the largest weight floor in San Francisco, an 18-piece Keiser circuit, two group fitness studios, infrared and traditional saunas, red light therapy and hydro-massage beds. Add a coworking area, a dog room and more than 70 parking spaces, rare on Polk. It sits on the 19 Polk, 47 Van Ness and 49 Van Ness/Mission Muni lines.
When the San Francisco Standard first reported the deal, Fitness SF president Zsolt Jackovics called the site "a great opportunity." It becomes the chain's ninth club, joining the Castro, Fillmore, Embarcadero, SoMa, Mid-Market, Transbay, Marin and Oakland locations.
💼 The Jobs a Club Like This Runs On
Fitness SF has not announced how many people it is hiring for Polk, and as of this week the Fitness SF careers page does not yet list Polk as a separate location. So treat this as a heads-up, not a hiring call: get your resume ready and watch for postings.
What the careers page does show is the chain's standing roles at its other clubs, which is a good preview of what Polk will need:
- Certified personal trainers, part-time or full-time, paid hourly, with pay that varies by service type and tier.
- Customer service representatives, part-time, hourly plus commission. This is the front desk and membership side.
- Customer service managers, salaried with commission and bonus eligibility.
Applications run through the chain's online career center, linked from that same page. A club open 19 hours on weekdays will also need early and late desk coverage, but nothing Polk-specific has been posted yet.
💵 What the Pay Floor Looks Like in the City
Fitness SF has not published pay figures, and commission plays a real part in membership roles, so we won't guess at a number. The legal floor is clear, though: San Francisco's minimum wage has been $19.61 an hour since July 1, 2026, per the city's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. The address where you actually work decides which floor applies, so a shift at Polk and Jackson is covered by the city rate no matter where you live.
🔎 Where to Aim Your Search Now
If you want in on opening season at Polk, apply to the chain directly and widen the net to fitness, front desk and wellness roles around the city while you wait.
Start here:
- Fitness SF jobs in San Francisco
- Personal trainer jobs
- Group fitness instructor jobs
- Gym front desk jobs
- Membership sales jobs
- Fitness and club manager jobs
- Spa and recovery attendant jobs
- Customer service jobs
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Fitness SF Polk open?
Sunday, November 1, 2026, according to the club's own location page. The presale office is open before then.
Where is the new gym?
1600 Jackson Street, at the corner of Polk and Jackson in Polk Gulch, in the former Lombardi Sports building.
Is Fitness SF hiring for the Polk location?
No headcount has been announced, and Polk is not yet listed separately on the careers page. The chain is advertising trainer, front desk and manager roles at its other clubs.
What is the minimum wage at a San Francisco gym?
$19.61 an hour since July 1, 2026, under the city's minimum wage ordinance.
Get Ready Before the Doors Open
Openings move fast once postings go live. Create your free LocalJobPage profile so your resume is ready to send, and browse the San Francisco Career Center for more ways into steady work.
Employers: Staffing up a new location? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach San Francisco job seekers directly.
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- San Francisco Jobs Report: Hotels and Health Care Keep Hiring as Tech and Finance Shrink
A decade of vacancy at Polk and Jackson ends November 1. If you've been meaning to get back into fitness work, this corner of Russian Hill is worth watching.
