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NORTH ATTLEBORO -- Lou San Antonio was just a teenager when he first began dreaming of owning his own gym.

`` I started training in the 60's before anyone was really into it and when I was 17 years old, a friend of mine and I actually drew up plans for the gym we wanted to own one day,'' he said.

San Antonio and his wife April fulfilled that lifelong dream three months ago when they became the owners of Fitness Plus, located on Route 1 at 749 South Washington St. They said the full service facility, which offers everything from weight training and cardio equipment to yoga classes, has always felt a little like home.

In fact, Lou and April San Antonio, who currently live in Attleboro, first met on the floor of the gym in 1998.

`` April started working out here in 1998 and I ended up dating her and now we've been married for two and a years. So in the last couple of years, we got married, bought a house and bought a gym. It's kind of been a wild ride,'' Lou said. While Lou San Antonio worked in the music business until 1985, he shifted gears at that time to become a Nautalis instructor and personal trainer, working at 10 different gyms during a 20 year span. In 1995, San Antonio began working at Fitness Plus, which was then known as Gold's Gym.

Recently, San Antonio noticed that the gym owner had been talking about selling the facility and moving to a warmer climate for sometime. He mentioned to April how great it would be to buy the gym.

`` It was actually April who said, if he's talking about selling maybe you should mention you're interested in buying. So, I told him when you're ready to sell, we're ready to buy. He turned around and said I'm ready to sell now,'' Lou said.

Although they have owned the gym for about three months, the transition has been intentionally kept low-key. The former owner still works at the gym and all of the staff have remained the same -- so many members didn't even realize there had been a change in ownership until recently.

April San Antonio's full-time job in human resources at a software company has provided her with some of the business experience needed to run the gym, while her husband's experience as a trainer means he knows plenty about the equipment the facility needs.

`` We were lucky the workout equipment was in very good shape so we're really working on the aesthetics like putting in new floors and adding a new sauna to the locker rooms,'' he said.

San Antonio said the atmosphere of the gym will not be undergoing any changes, despite the new ownership.

`` We like to think of ourselves as a community gym. Someone said to me recently that this is like the Cheers of gyms -- everyone here knows everyone's names. We want to make sure that doesn't change,'' April San Antonio said. `` I went to a seminar that said gyms are really good at keeping fit people fit. We have programs for people with all levels of fitness. We design programs for real people to help people with diets, nutrition and exercise.''