Auto Aerobics : Not All the Workouts Are Inside Posh Gym; Valet Car Parkers Also Sweat

Cesar Galvez gets an eight-hour workout at his gym without lifting a barbell or setting foot on a treadmill.

He gets his exercise at a West Los Angeles physical fitness center by doing the running for others who have come to use the health spa’s exercise machines.

Galvez, a trim and athletic 22-year-old, sprints up to seven miles a day parking and retrieving cars for members of Sports Club/LA so they do not have to walk to or from their cars.

“There are days when we’re on the run all day long,” Galvez said. “All I want to do is sit back and relax with the TV when I go home.”

17 Hours a Day

Valets are on duty as long as 17 hours a day. They race between four parking lots outside the gym while inside the club members use such equipment as electronically controlled exercise bikes and a special jogging track.

The sight of the club members standing around in designer sweats, gym shorts and training shoes while the shirt-and-tie clad valets run back and forth fetching cars sometimes draws guffaws from passers-by along Sepulveda Boulevard.

But many of the 20 parking attendants say their unusual workplace in front of the club gives them the last laugh.

Spa patrons who have just worked off the effects of a big meal are better tippers than the usual valet parking patron: the customer at the fancy restaurant.

“These people are totally different from a restaurant crowd,” said valet Carlos Ponciano, 32, of Tarzana, who was worked as a valet at some of the most posh eateries around.

“This is a young crowd that wants to feel good. They may be grumpy when they go in, but they feel better when they come out.”

On the busiest days at the gym--Mondays and Tuesdays--an unending line of Porsches and sporty Mercedes-Benz convertibles pulls up carrying doctors, lawyers, entertainment executives and others eager to neutralize the excesses of the weekend.

Other times, some seem more interested in visiting the spa’s conference rooms, bar and dining room than its weight room, rowing machines and sauna booths.

“Sometimes you don’t see many people walk out sweating,” said Galvez, of Culver City. “Some people come here to socialize, not exercise.”

Gym members spend up to $1,900 to join and $135 a month to use the 2 1/2-year-old West Los Angeles club.

Several of the parking attendants go to less-expensive, rival workout centers on their days off to build up their arms and chests, said valet Teofilo Wilson, 25.

They skip the running exercises, however.

Gym patrons who swear by the curb-side service say it’s not just that walking to your car is . . . well . . . pedestrian.

They say the idea has merit for a host of reasons.

“Time is money,” said Reja Sabet, a Century City stockbroker. “If you only have an hour and a half to work out, you don’t want to spend 15 minutes walking to and from your car.”

Nanette James of Bel-Air agreed.

“If you’re late for a private training session and are paying the guy 50 bucks an hour, a dollar or so for valet parking is not much,” James said.

David Limor, a real estate investment company owner from Sherman Oaks, said he lets valets park his white Porsche because he does not want to deal with the regimen of searching for his car after his workout.

“After an hour and a half of cardiovascular work, weights and stretching exercises . . . you’re thinking about getting home, and that’s all,” he said. “If all you want is exercise, you could run around your house.”

For those who choose the park-it-yourself route there is the club’s garage.

Somewhat of a Workout

But maneuvering through that structure, with its tight twists and turns, is somewhat of a workout by itself, noted Brentwood lawyer Pat Delchop as he waited for his black BMW.

Not all visitors walk away enthusiastic about the gym’s pampering, however. Not even those who use the valet service and do not have to actually walk away.

“This wouldn’t go over in San Diego where we live, I’ll tell you,” said Susan Lapidus as she waited for 22-year-old valet Juan Jose to bring her car around front.

Lapidus, who visited the club as a perk that came with her stay at a Bel-Air hotel, said she found the parking service a bit excessive.

“It’s L.A., I guess,” added her husband, attorney Robert Lapidus.