Luxury fitness chain, Equinox, makes play for Downtown location
Equinox.com
The Equinox on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Westside lavishness continues to creep eastward, as a new upscale gym, Equinox Health and Fitness, is slotted to appear on Flower Street between 4th and 5th streets.
If Equinox gets approved at its January 25 hearing, it will become the beautiful, wealthy stepsister to Gold's Gym and 24-Hour Fitness. It's location will also be a stones throw away from the Ketchum YMCA, a three-story gym located on Bunker Hill.
According to the L.A. City Planning Department, Equinox will face a zoning hearing on January 25 for a "change of use," that would allow 32,516 square feet of restaurant and office floor area to be converted to a full-service fitness health club that includes accessory spa, juice bar and retail uses. Operating hours would be Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Brigham Yen reports that Equinox initially expressed interest in Related’s Grand Avenue Project on Bunker Hill, across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but because that project has been stalled indefinitely Equinox continued to look elsewhere.
The national chain currently has 13 locations in Southern California. Most of its fitness centers reside on the Westside, with one in Woodland Hills and one in Pasadena. The centers typically offer yoga classes, pilates, water workouts and a genre of exercise they call "conscious movement," which they say combines science-based research with mental engagement and breath work.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on January 12, 2012, at 08:19PM – #1
Related Company owns Equinox. That's why they were supposed to be a part of the Grand Avenue project. But Equinox is not exactly an example of "Westside lavishness" as it is a New York based company with branches in every major downtown, soon to include Los Angeles.
bill on January 13, 2012, at 08:11AM – #2
Interesting choice for location. They're obviously not aiming for the downtown resident with that location. Apparently their target is the upper income commuter who works downtown.