The buffed and the beautiful
Looking more like a chic hotel than a gym, Equinox fitness club is designed to inspire
Few gyms could be mistaken, at first glance, for a small boutique hotel. How could they, what with the usual florescent lights and whiff of chlorinated lap pool?
But designer Paul Boardman has crafted a luxe urban retreat at the new Equinox fitness club, using materials, lighting, and accessories more likely to be encountered at a chic restaurant or hotel than a neighborhood gym.
"We want people to say 'wow' when they come in," said Boardman, chief design officer for Equinox, which has 40 locations nationwide. "It should be a visceral connection."
That begins with the check-in area, where tiny iridescent tiles pave one wall, serpentine light fixtures coil against the ceiling, and a comfy, melon-green banquette beckons. To the left is the gym's circular WiFi lounge, the walls smoothed with mocha-colored Venetian plaster.
Every Equinox gym is designed to reflect not just the city where it's constructed but the neighborhood that surrounds it. So the gym on New York's Upper West Side has a decidedly different flavor than the one in the West Village.
So, too, with the Back Bay location, where the design team looked to Boston's history and future for inspiration. The use of rougher flooring in some areas recalls the area's cobblestone past, Boardman says, while stainless steel and glass motifs echo the office towers that rise above the city.
The rounded bay windows of the South End are also mirrored in the design, not just in the circular patterns found throughout the space but in a huge, curving interior wall that encloses the gym's yoga studio. It took four months to come up with just the right texture for the wall and another month to perfect its warm russet color.
"You might think it's a little neurotic," Boardman says, "but it takes a lot of effort."
And, oh yes, you can work out at Equinox, too. Dozens of machines line the gym floor, and giant flat-screen TVs keep everyone's mind off the fact that they're sweating and breathless on the road to good health.
Once that's over with, spa-like lockers rooms offer a retreat within a retreat, with pedestal sinks, sleek tile, and warm lighting. The hope is that members emerge refreshed and perhaps even exhilarated.
"We don't design to be in the gym business," Boardman said. "The design is there to inspire people." 