MILLBROOK — Iron Harbor Fitness confirmed Tuesday that 94 percent of the 1,212 members who joined in January have ceased to exist in any physical sense and now survive exclusively as a recurring monthly charge, a development the gym’s general manager described as “the healthiest retention numbers we’ve ever seen.”

“These are our most loyal, quietest, and least sweaty members,” said general manager Dale Pruitt, gesturing toward a bank of treadmills that have not recorded a footstep since the second week of February. “They never wait for a squat rack. They never leave a towel on the floor. They have never once asked me to fix the water fountain. Frankly, they are the ideal customer.”

According to gym records, the members in question last appeared in person between January 2 and January 19, typically for a single orientation session, one 22-minute elliptical workout, and a photograph taken beside the free-weights area for social media. Since then, each has maintained a continuous and punctual presence on the first of every month.

“Physically, a January member is a fragile thing,” said Dr. Marguerite Opalsky-Venn, senior researcher in Post-Resolution Attendance Dynamics at the Lakeshore Institute for Behavioral Cardio. “Around day nineteen, the body dissolves into a billing relationship. It’s a natural process. What remains is a credit card number, a vague sense of guilt, and a key tag that is still, technically, on a ring in the kitchen drawer.”

Pruitt said the gym has made accommodations for its ghost members, including a 24-hour spirit of the gym that he described as “a vibe.” Staff continue to greet absent members by name at the front desk each morning, a practice Pruitt said “costs nothing and keeps the energy right.”

The gym has also reportedly drafted a cancellation policy that requires members to appear in person, in writing, and by certified mail to end their membership, a process that, in the words of the member agreement, “can only be completed by a living person, which as of the data above is a problem.”

Pruitt acknowledged that a small portion of January members, roughly 6 percent, continue to show up regularly and use the equipment. He called them “a logistical headache.”

“They sweat. They use the good dumbbells. One of them asked about a locker,” Pruitt said. “We value every member, but I’d be lying if I said the ones who actually come in aren’t slightly harder on the margins.”

“They never wait for a squat rack. They have never once asked me to fix the water fountain.”

Iron Harbor says it plans to expand the program next year with a new “Phantom Tier” at $14.99 a month, which will formally recognize members who do not intend to attend, saving them the trouble of pretending.

At press time, Pruitt was reportedly reviewing a spike in cancellation requests from members who had been mistakenly sent a notice telling them to “come in and see us sometime.”