Update on New Gym to Replace Spa for Women
Gary, the new owner (who owned the Spa for many years before Monica and George took over), recently gave me a tour of the new fitness club under complete renovation at the Spa site. Here’s an update. Please note that these are my own personal impressions, and I hope I got the details right. Gary should be sharing more announcements with you himself soon.
Right off the bat I will address three main points . . .
1. The remodeled gym under new ownership will have a new name and will offer new and improved features that should please most former Spa members. A few changes might not fit everyone’s needs, but you should consider the new place when making a decision on where to go for a new gym.
2. Gary is going to make a special offer to former Spa members based on how much each individual lost out to former owners of the now-bankrupt Spa. He will be contacting individual members to let each know what her offer is. You will have a limited time (about a month) to decide whether to take advantage of the “charter member” offer. The offer will include basic membership plus free access to classes.
3. The final decision on whether and when to re-open the gym will depend on several factors including permits from the city and making sure he meets all city, county and federal codes; how the weather affects construction; and how former Spa members respond to Gary’s charter membership offer.
OK, now for some observations . . .
All weight machines, treadmills, step machines etc are now in the one big room in three rows. Classes will no longer be held in that room.
Zumba, bokwa and yoga will be held in a separate room. This room is smaller (holds about 20), and members will sign up to reserve a spot in the class. (Bokwa is a dance exercise based on South African dance, sorta of like Zumba.)
Another room will be the Spinning room with about 20 new bikes. You also reserve a spot in the class.
There will be a third area for new pilates machines.
There is now an outdoor area for step classes, tai chi and some similar classes. The idea of having “Step Into Nature” classes outside in a zen garden setting is novel. The boot camp areas outside will be refurbished and used for outdoor training as well. All the trees have been trimmed and the grounds manicured. He plans to wrap lights on the trees. The track will be resurfaced and drainage improved so that when it rains it does not flood.
A big plus is the addition of the spinning bikes and pilates machines and the new bokwa offering. I also like that yoga will not have to be done in a room with treadmills etc. A potential concern is that classes at the Spa were popular, and I hope that they can work out a way to offer enough classes so that you can get a spot in the class you want.
The women’s locker room will be in a new area. It will have three bathrooms, but it will not have showers. The pool area, however, will have three outdoor showers that will be solar heated. For many of us, the outdoor showers will be sufficient because we just went home to shower after working out unless we went swimming. If you really want to shower at your gym, though, you should take into consideration the lack of showers in the locker room. (I think showers were left out, at least for now, because of requirements that everything meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and restraints on budget and space.) The pool and the jacuzzi will be kept and cleaned.
To make room for some of the new features, the Kids Club was eliminated. To try to mitigate this loss, Gary has talked to some members who do childcare nearby and is arranging a discount rate for fitness club members.
The area that formerly housed On Cloud Nine will feature a luxury nail spa that includes footbaths, and a separate area for waxing and facials among other things. He plans to install a big screen TV. The tanning beds are being moved to a separate area.
The lobby area will be renovated and redecorated. The check-in system will be computerized and people can reserve classes from online at home. The building is getting a new roof, so no more leaks in the rainy season. If all goes as planned, Gary will be interviewing and hiring staff and may hire back many of the employees we grew to appreciate.
Former Spa members have many choices now to find a new home for working out. Some have already signed up at the Upland Y and the Claremont Club and some are looking at other options. I think the new club under new ownership at the site of the old Spa will be something most of us will want to consider, especially if you want an all-womens gym with a supportive atmosphere. The regular rates will more closely match what is being charged by other gyms. No more three years for $300. That model was not sustainable. However, as I said, Gary will be extending a limited-time introductory offer to former Spa members. So if you join as a “charter member” you will get a better deal. He will be letting us know more details of the offer soon. He has also extended an invitation to former Spa members to let him know in advance what is important to them and what they want in a new club. So if you have suggestions or concerns, I suggest you contact him by email. If you click on his profile on the Facebook Bummed About the Spa for Women in Upland Closed group, there is a link to email him.
Thank you to Gary for giving me the tour and keeping the lines of communication open. Let me know if you need me to correct any of the info here. I hope this helped to keep former members of the old Spa informed about what is going on. Please continue to work out someplace! I walked the wilderness trail at end of Mills in Claremont today. It was beautiful out.
UPDATE
Jan 3, 2012
Just an update: the showers are back! Yea! And the class room is larger! Also, Shirlees Fitness Club for Women now has its own website shirlees.com. So for the lastest update and for contact info visit that site.
Related posts:
Spa for Women to Re-open in January
Spa for Women Shuts its Doors . . . Now What?
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