Gym Dandies
What do Irvine, Elkhart, Ind., and New York City have in common?
Each is home to not just a health club, but a health club that’s considered to be among the hottest around.
In Irvine, it’s Sports Club / Irvine; in Manhattan, it’s Equinox (there are four branches--we scoped out the one on 19th Street and Broadway); and in Elkhart, which is 110 miles east of Chicago, it’s City Fitness Club / Nautilus on Main Street in downtown.
These are the gyms where the Beautiful People--and the Regular People--go to be seen, and to work up a good sweat.
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Gym Dandies
Club: SPORTS CLUB / IRVINE
Location: Irvine
Opened: 1990
Square Footage: 130,000
Membership: 6,500
Male / Female Ratio: 50/50
Members Who Work Out in a Single Day: 1,000
On Mondays, Doors Open at. . .: 5:30 a.m.
On Sundays, Doors Close at . . .: 8 p.m.
Initiation Fee: $750
Membership Fee: Standard $88 a month; Executive $137 a month
Most Popular Item at Snack Bar: Smoothie
Food/Drink Options: Smoothies, Pasta, salad bar, juices, energy food.
Staff: 250
Personal trainers: 40+
Treadmills: 35+
Stationary Bikes: 45
Recumbent Bikes: 45
Stair-Climbing Equipment: 44
Weight Equipment: Polaris, Body Master, Cybex, Nautilus, Flex
Circuit Line: Yes
Pool: Yes
Track: Yes
Rock-Climbing Equipment: Yes
Protocol for Signing Up: Must sign up for spinning
Cell Phones Spotted: One
Pagers Spotted: Fairly common. Lots of doctors and lawyers
Fashion Flair: Mossimo, Everlast, semi-trendy sweats, leggings, crop tops
Number of Aerobics Classes a Week: 75+
Most Popular Class: Total body conditioning
Longest Class Name: Step, Sculpt ‘n’ Abs
Valet Parking: $2.00
Other activities/ special events: Complete spa for men and women, beauty and body salon
Celebrity sightings: Dennis Rodman
*
Club: CITY FITNESS CLUB / NAUTILUS
Location: Elkhart, Ind.
Opened: 1986
Square Footage: 15,700
Membership: 1,200+
Male / Female Ratio: 45/55
Members Who Work Out in a Single Day: 325
On Mondays,Doors Open at. . .: 5:30 a.m.
On Sundays, Doors Close at . . .: 2 p.m.
Initiation Fee: None
Membership Fee: $395 a year
Most Popular Item at Snack Bar: Dyna Carb Shake
Food/Drink Options: Coffee, Carbo and protein shakes, juice, bottled water, Power Bars
Staff: 17
Personal trainers: 3
Treadmills: 6
Stationary Bikes: 11
Recumbent Bikes: 6
Stair-Climbing Equipment: 6
Weight Equipment: Nautilus, Body Master Hammer
Circuit Line: Yes
Pool: No
Track: No
Rock-Climbing Equipment: No
Protocol for Signing Up: Must sigh in for step class, Nautilus and aerobic equipment
Cell Phones Spotted: Not many (courtesy phone provided)
Pagers Spotted: Yes (all belong to doctors)
Fashion Flair: Bike shorts, tights, T-shirts, leotards, sweats
Number of Aerobics Classes a Week: 12
Most Popular Class: 5:30 p.m. step
Longest Class Name: -
Valet Parking: No, but there’s a free municipal lot out back
Other activities/ special events: Massage therapy, New Year’s Eve party, indoor rowing competition
Celebrity sightings: U.S. Olympic rowing team
*
Club: EQUINOX
Location: Mdtown Manhattan
Opened: 1991
Square Footage: 34,000
Membership: 5,000
Male / Female Ratio: 45/55
Members Who Work Out in a Single Day: 900
On Mondays,Doors Open at. . .: 5:30 a.m.
On Sundays, Doors Close at . . .: 9 p.m.
Initiation Fee: $395
Membership Fee: $1,050 a year
Most Popular Item at Snack Bar: Sport Shake
Food/Drink Options: Oatmeal w/apples, pears w/raisins, baked apples, potato salad w/egg white, capers and shallots
Staff: 300
Personal trainers: 60
Treadmills: 35
Stationary Bikes: 15
Recumbent Bikes: 15
Stair-Climbing Equipment: 26
Weight Equipment: Cybex, Icarian, Paramount
Circuit Line: Yes
Pool: No
Track: No
Rock-Climbing Equipment: No
Protocol for Signing Up: Must sign in for spinning. After all there are only 50 bikes
Cell Phones Spotted: None (it’s considered uncool)
Pagers Spotted: See above
Fashion Flair: Black, gray sweats, shorts ot T-shirts. Very little spandex or peacock colors
Number of Aerobics Classes a Week: 120
Most Popular Class: Cardio Moves Funky Low Urban Jam
Longest Class Name: Cardio Moves Funky Low Urban Jam
Valet Parking: Parking in Manhattan? Be serious
Other activities/ special events: Caloric evaluations, nutritional counseling, hypnosis for smokers, visits from famous athletes
Celebrity sightings: Nicole Miller, Billy Baldwin, Julia Robert, Elle MacPherson, Denizel Washington