For more than five years, Landon Helm has operated Club Fit and Salon, a fitness center he founded in Russell Springs. Now, Helm is branching out as the operation has opened a second location in Somerset and will, in mid-January, take both Club Fit locations 24 hours a day, seven days a week just in time for all those New Year's resolution.

The Somerset location, which opened Dec. 6th, is already 24 hours a day, Helm said.

"The cool thing is the door system is biometric fingerprinting," he said. "In doing this it can tell if the membership is active and unlock the door by their fingerprint."

The Russell Springs location on Russell Drive behind the Maple Car Wash provides the most to do as of now. Helm said the original location provides tanning packages, a batting cage, weight and cardio equipment, tae-bo, sauna, MMA training with Ron Bertram, volleyball and basketball leagues, a kid's room, Amber's salon and on-site showers. The Somerset branch, in which Helm partners with Dr. Aaron Belcher, provides gym equipment, tanning and a sauna. Personal training is also available from Ace-Certified trainer Jamie Roy. Roy charges $15 a day for personal one-on-one sessions and also runs a boot-camp every eight weeks which costs $70 per person for the full eight-week session.

Helm said if you sign up for the VIP yearly membership, corporate and VIP corporate memberships or paid in full memberships you are entitled to both locations.

The new staffed hours for Club Fit's Russell Springs location will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday while the Somerset location will open with staff from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"Between these times you'll have to pay for your membership or come in to sign up," he said. "After those hours the fingerprinting will get you into the building."

He said he expects the weekends to be busy as the new format begins and folks come in after hours.

"We've also got a full line of vitamins and supplements at both locations," Helm said. "If we don't have it we can order it for you at wholesale prices."

He said he and Belcher are going to attempt to franchise Club Fit 24 Hour Fitness out and expand to several more locations around the state.

"At one time we've had as many as 1,300 members and a total of over 4,000 people have been members before," he said. "We've got two locations now and we're hoping to expand more in the future."

He said many people, from children to the elderly, keep coming back because of the welcoming environment and good equipment the facility has. New machines appear regularly to go with LCD televisions, satellite radio and Dish television service.

"We've got over 25 pieces of cardio and we've got over 55 machines along with free weights and four tanning beds," he said of the Russell Springs location.

The popular VIP rate is $25 per month for a person and to add an additional person is $15 extra per month. Each addition after that is $5 per month

Lastly, Helm said he had special corporate rates for businesses of 10 or more people that provide health insurance. He said companies may be allowed tax breaks or wellness credits for enrolling employees in a fitness club.

"It will benefit the company in the long run and a healthy employee is a happy employee," he said.