The owner of Games People Play has bought Excel Fitness in Austin and plans to adjust business to attract a wider diversity of clientele.

Current Excel Fitness owner Mike Lewis will continue to operate Lewis Physical Therapy out of Excel Fitness and plans to spend more time focusing on his physical therapy practice.

Despite rumors, Lewis contends he’s not retiring.

Games People Play and Excel Fitness are both located at 701 18th Ave. N.W.

Lewis and Lance Pogones, owner of Games People Play, have co-owned the building for about 14 years.

“Any change, I think, is going to be for the better,” Lewis said. “I think Lance has got some good ideas for updating equipment and utilizing some space more.”

The business will officially change hands Jan. 1.

“About six months ago, I thought about just focusing on the physical therapy part, and wanted somebody to take over the Excel Fitness part,” Lewis said. “I didn’t want to close it up. I didn’t want to hand it over to somebody who wasn’t going to handle it the right way. So that’s when Lance came into the picture.”

The businesses are side by side, and the two share a doorway. The close proximity of the businesses made the move a good fit, Pogones said.

The physical therapy practice has long used utilized the services of Excel Fitness for rehabilitation, and that will likely continue into the future.

Partially due to its location and the physical therapy office, Lewis said Excel Fitness has traditionally attracted an older client base.

“This is a great building because it’s so accessible,” Lewis said. “We filled a niche for a lot of seniors that have a hard time climbing stairs and walking long distances.”

However, Lewis said some people incorrectly view the fitness center as being only for physical therapy patients. Pogones hopes to attract a larger variety of customers, including high school age teens.

Customers have to be 15 or older to be a member at Excel Fitness.

Rates will stay the same for the foreseeable future, and many of the deals featured at Excel Fitness will still be offered. One popular feature offered at Excel Fitness is a membership freeze. This means customers can freeze their memberships when they go on vacation or contract an illness, so they’re time isn’t used up when they can’t use the facility.

A deal to waive joining fees for physical therapy patients will also remain in place.

Some minor remodeling will be done to remove a few interior walls and free up some space. Some equipment could also be replaced, Pogones said. However, Lewis has commonly replaced and updated equipment since the business opened.

“Fourteen years ago we were pretty state of the art, but that was 14 years ago,” Lewis said.

All current Excel Fitness employees are welcome to stay with the business, Pogones said. Some employees could work at both Excel Fitness and Games People Play, he said.