A Topeka-based health club is coming to Lawrence.

Maximus Fitness & Wellness, which has three locations in Topeka and another in Leavenworth, plans to open its first Lawrence location by Oct. 1 at 2339 Iowa, in the Hollywood Plaza shopping center.

“We’re in it for the long haul,” said Scott Huston, the chain’s owner. “This will be our first club in Lawrence. It more than likely won’t be our last.”

Maximus is moving into 23,000 square feet of space formerly occupied by a Jazzercise center and, before that, another health club: Total Fitness Athletic Center.

Huston said he would hire 20 to 30 trainers, instructors and other staff to operate the Lawrence club.

Hours will be from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

It’s a nearly $1 million project, from tackling renovations to adding equipment – treadmills, ellipticals, strength machines and free weights – that all will be outfitted with flatscreen monitors offering cable-TV programming, he said.

Class offerings will include aerobics, cardio kickboxing and yoga. Maximus does not require long-term contracts, instead offering members monthly rates that can be paid up to a year in advance – for a discount – if desired.

“We’re confident we’ll run a good operation and give Lawrence good service,” said Huston, who intends to have up to 800 members signed up by October, and then have 2,000 on the roster by early January. “It’s one thing to have a health club, but it’s another to service a health club.”

Huston doesn’t intend to use all 23,000 square feet of space for Maximus. He plans to sublease 3,000 square feet to a tanning salon, one looking to open its second Lawrence location.

The salon won’t be in place Oct. 1, he said, but it should be up and running by the end of the year.

Maximus plans to open its sixth location Oct. 1, when it completes its planned acquisition of Wood Valley Racquet Club in Topeka.