16 Supremely Stylish Gyms from Around the World
It’s not just about the workout. Gyms around the country are stepping up their aesthetics by tapping leading designers to create their spaces. Here are AD's top picks.
Photo: Courtesy of TMPL1/21Hell’s Kitchen’s brand new multilevel TMPL Gym features striking architecture designed by National Design Award winner William Sofield of Studio Sofield. TMPL’s amenities include a 25-meter saltwater pool (the only one of its kind in any NYC gym) with dedicated aqua classes, digitally programmed equipment, a virtual-reality cycle studio with immersive 30-foot video wall, a steam room, and a sauna. With soaring 25-foot ceilings supported by illuminated linear columns and over 40,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment, TMPL is a modern-day escape, straight out of a sci-fi film. tmplgym.com
Photo: Courtesy of La Belle Equipe2/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-01.jpg
Finding motivation to exercise might be easier if you were a member of one of these beautifully designed fitness facilities. Paris’s La Belle Equipe, pictured here, is a stylish Thai boxing center in the city’s 10th arrondissement. Beyond the sun-drenched reception area, the gym takes on an industrial-chic feel, with plenty of open space for an active workout. labelleequipeparis.fr
Photo: Courtesy of the Class by Taryn Toomey3/21With gorgeous marble slabs, striking crystal accents and light fixtures, and a soft pink-and-gray color palette, The Class by Taryn Toomey’s first-ever Tribeca studio is more like a boutique hotel than a fitness studio thanks to architect Michael Constantin. Founder and instructor Taryn Toomey (who teaches the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Naomi Watts) collaborated with interior designer Elizabeth Kohn of Elizabeth Kohn Design and interior designer and crystal healer Rashia Bell to create features like the tourmaline-and-hematite-lined floors (which clear the energy and renew balance). Healing clear-quartz light fixtures by Kelly Wearstler and metal lighting by Christopher Boots sit alongside earthy art and photography curated by Trove Art. taryntoomey.com
Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Café Royal4/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-04.jpg
Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre at London’s Hotel Café Royal is a state-of-the-art facility offering 3,230 square feet of exercise space. The flooring is a unique rubber composite¬–great for softening the impact of high-intensity exercise–made by the Italian company Poliform.
Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Café Royal5/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-05.jpg
Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre’s members can also swim in the spa’s 60-foot-long lap pool or relax in the sauna or Jacuzzi. hotelcaferoyal.com
Photo: Courtesy of Tracy Anderson6/21Situated where San Vicente meets Montana, the Tracy Anderson Brentwood studio occupies an 8,500-square-foot, Windsor Smith–designed space. Anderson’s signature dance cardio and strength-training classes, beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Richie, and Jennifer Lopez, are offered in multiple studio rooms, which feature advanced sound systems and highly specific temperature and humidity controls. In addition, the studio offers Anderson’s custom apparatuses, such as the Iso-Kinetic Band System and The Super G Floor (a studio signature that dramatically minimizes impact while enhancing results with its shock absorbent capabilities). Luxe locker rooms, a blow-dry bar complete with organic skin and hair care products, and a curated retail space round out the offerings. tracyanderson.com
Photo: Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group7/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-06.jpg
At the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Las Vegas, a good workout comes with a great view. The hotel’s fitness center and yoga studio both overlook the city, providing a sanctuary away from the bustling strip. mandarinoriental.com
Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Active8/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-07.jpg
The three-floor, 33,000-square-foot Virgin Active Raffles Place in Singapore is packed with an array of exercise options—spinning, yoga, and personal training, to name just a few.
Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Active9/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-08.jpg
The spacious gym at Virgin Active Raffles Place is also equipped with a café and a relaxation and recovery zone, where members can unwind using sleep pods, saunas, and a salt-inhalation room. virginactive.com.sg
Photo: Courtesy of Equinox10/21Equinox Bond Street, the brand’s 30th NYC location, is a 29,000-square-foot club that occupies four floors at the corner of Broadway and Bond Street, a former manufacturing building that dates back to 1873. The club also features details that amplify key architectural elements of the space, including brick archways in the reception, exposed brick, an original façade, and soaring 18-foot ceilings. For the first time, the brand engaged architect Kara Mann to create these spaces. equinox.com
Photo: Courtesy of the Los Angeles Athletic Club11/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-09.jpg
The historic Los Angeles Athletic Club was one of the first private membership athletic centers in the city. The sprawling 80,000-square-foot facility offers yoga, squash, and personal training, as well as a basketball court and an Olympic-size pool.
Photo: Courtesy of the Los Angeles Athletic Club12/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-10.jpg
Since it opened in 1880, the Los Angeles Athletic Club has expanded to include a stylish boutique hotel with 72 rooms and suites. A stay at the hotel comes with complimentary access to the fitness center, including the private spa and club restaurants. Rooms starting at $239/night; laac.com
Photo: Courtesy of Y7 Studio13/21The new 3,200-square-foot, bi-level UES flagship of Y7 Yoga was designed by husband-and-wife cofounders Sarah and Mason Levey. The brand’s sixth and largest studio offers spaces for retail apparel, showers, locker rooms, and two yoga studios. Candlelit, infrared-heated yoga classes in all-black rooms with no mirrors give clients the ability to practice yoga in a judgment-free zone. One room is named “Biggie” and the other is “Smalls” as an ode to Y7’s hip-hop yoga heritage, and the brand counts various models, athletes, and celebrities (Zosia Mamet is a longtime client) as devotees. y7-studio.com
Photo: Earl Carter14/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-11.jpg
Built by Australian firm Rob Mills Architects and Interior Designers, One Hot Yoga is a contemporary studio in Melbourne’s South Yarra neighborhood. Founded in 2012, the space was designed with a connection between architecture and yoga in mind, creating the ultimate space for relaxation and reflection.
Photo: Earl Carter15/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-12.jpg
Just next door is One Hot Pilates, an extension of the yoga studio that opened last year. The space features beautiful exposed brick and concrete floors. onehotyogaandpilates.com.au
Photo: Courtesy of ModelFIT16/21ModelFIT, the New York–based boutique fitness studio, has just opened its doors in West Hollywood. The 1,400-square-foot space features the brand’s signature minimalist and sleek design elements and light color palette. A gallery wall of original prints and photography, some by local artist Austyn Weiner, is on display at the reception desk alongside lush plantings, cacti, and flower designs by Plant Ground Bloom. Lily Aldridge, Karlie Kloss, and Chrissy Teigen can’t get enough of the classes. modelfit.com
Photo: Courtesy of IMAXShift17/21IMAXShift has built out an 1800s warehouse on Plymouth Street in Brooklyn that used to house one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of the first self-propelled torpedoes during WWI. This immersive group cycling workout is powered by IMAX’s cinema-grade giant projection-and-sound technology. Riders in the 7,000-square-foot space can feel as though they are pedaling through the solar system, over the coasts of Hawaii, through the streets of Japan, or next to Beyoncé via the larger-than-life visuals. imaxshift.com
Photo: Kevin Clark18/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-13.jpg
Rugged athleticism meets progressive design at Vancouver’s Studeo55. Devised by BOX Interior Design—a firm that specializes in restaurants and hotels—the colorful space is outfitted with cutting-edge equipment, offering CrossFit, spinning, and other classes.
Photo: Kevin Clark19/21dam-images-architecture-2015-05-high-design-gyms-high-design-gyms-around-the-world-14.jpg
Post-workout, members can recuperate in the studio’s psychedelic lounge. studeo55.ca**
Photo: Courtesy of Body by Simone20/21Body by Simone has opened two studios in Los Angeles. In West Hollywood, the airy two-story, 3,500-square-foot space boasts beachwood sprung floors and beautiful natural light thanks to a patio that abuts the studio. In Brentwood, the 2,500-square-foot building features exposed beams, dark-colored wood sprung floors, natural light, and clean lines. Both spaces were designed by the brand’s Australian founder Simone De La Rue, who trains the likes of Taylor Swift, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Anne Hathaway. bodybysimone.com
Photo: Joshua Bobrove / Courtesy of Barry's Bootcamp21/21Barry’s Bootcamp Venice occupies an 8,000-square-foot, bi-level industrial building on Lincoln Boulevard. Along with the usual offerings, the studio features a GIF photo booth for instant sharing, “Stretch Lounge” (a designated area for clients to warm muscles both pre and post-workout), and an interactive street-art mural by famed artist Kelsey Montague on the building’s exterior. You can expect to catch Amanda Seyfried, Kim Kardashian, and Jessica Biel training at the brand’s newest outpost. barrysbootcamp.com
