Local chiropractor
Tara Watson is making space for an
Anytime Fitness gym at West Broadway and Penn Avenue in North Minneapolis, in the same building where she runs her practice.
The gym will be open 24 hours a day, with cutting-edge "zero gravity" machines, a shower and locker area, and room for classes, she says.
Watson, the franchise owner, hopes the place will appeal to a range of people, from the elite athlete to weekend warriors. “It’ll have something for everyone,” she says.
Usually, people who want to work out have to go outside of the community, she points out.
She chose Anytime Fitness in part because it has so many health and wellness initiatives in the works. Looking at the big picture, she hopes the gym will help lower obesity rates in the community while also providing a healthy outlet for adults.
The space will require an extensive build-out inside and out, with equipment that needs to be built on site. The project comes with a price tag of a couple hundred thousand dollars. Adding new flooring accounts for much of the work that has to be done, according to Watson.
With over 5,000 square feet, “It’ll be one of the larger clubs” like this, she says. “It should be able to accommodate the community.”
It means that she’ll be able to provide group fitness classes, which is especially important to her, along with personal trainers and massage and tanning services. “I can put a lot in there and do a lot,” including “things not found in the community,” she says.
She aims to open the gym in early 2013.
“The community deserves something state-of-the-art,” she says. “People are interested and want to see it happen.”
Source: Dr. Tara Watson, franchise owner, Anytime Fitness
Writer: Anna Pratt