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Virgin founder Richard Branson has opened Virgin Active South Africa’s first Collection Country Club in Green Point, a R100 million ($6.2 million) investment the company is pitching as a new kind of premium social wellness destination.
The 5,500 square metre redevelopment sits on the site of the former Point club and opened to the public on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Virgin Active says the upgrade is meant to move the brand beyond the traditional gym model by combining training, recovery, nutrition, health services, co working and community spaces under one roof.
Branson, who attended the ribbon cutting with Virgin Active global CEO Dean Kowarski, linked the moment to the brand’s long South African history. He said South Africa has played a major role in Virgin Active’s story since Nelson Mandela called him more than 20 years ago to ask if Virgin could help rescue the Health and Racquet Club business.
Kowarski said the company is reimagining its clubs as hospitality led spaces where recovery and social connection carry the same weight as workouts. He described the Green Point site as a holistic, preventative wellness offering designed to fit modern lifestyles rather than a stop in, get out gym experience.
The new club’s facilities read like a menu aimed at members who want variety and convenience in one address. Virgin Active says the site includes an expanded gym floor and strength areas, five studios offering formats such as Reformer Pilates, hot yoga, boxing and sound bath sessions, and a 25 metre training pool that will host the Chad Le Clos Swim Academy.
Recovery is built into the layout, with hot and cold contrast options including a sauna, steam room, spa pool and cold plunge, plus tools such as compression boots and other assisted recovery equipment. The club also adds padel, pickleball and tennis courts, an outdoor pool, and a dedicated HYROX training area, reflecting the wider surge in hybrid fitness competitions.
Food and work are part of the pitch. Virgin Active says the club includes a NÜ Health Food Café, co working areas, boardrooms and social spaces intended to keep members in the building longer, turning wellness into a day part, not a single session.
The Green Point opening is part of a wider upgrade programme Virgin Active is rolling out across South Africa through 2026 as it chases higher value members and responds to growing demand for wellness services beyond the gym floor.
