A local club is looking to create a niche in an ever-expanding fitness market.
Sturgeon Valley Athletic Club is attempting to differentiate itself from other fitness providers in the city by bringing in new technologies and a spa.
“We are creating more of a niche market, in terms of the boutique environment the club offers,” said club manager Christine Rawlins.
“We are narrowing our focus to better serve the demographic coming here.”
Rawlins said the local fitness facility generally attracts a mature demographic, mostly women between 40 and 70 who prefer an intimate setting as opposed to the bright lights and loud music found in other clubs.
Come March, the club will partner with True Balance medical spa. That business will move into a space in the same building that’s currently occupied by Leading Edge Physiotherapy, which will relocate to a new facility on Carleton Drive in Campbell Business Park.
True Balance, a company based out of Sherwood Park, offers medical esthetic services, such as Botox treatments, bio-identical hormone replacement, massage therapy and laser hair removal.
Rawlins said the spa partners with the club in that it will discuss a member’s health and possible exercises to improve it.
“People can receive treatments and the spa will discuss what they do with their health and refer them to some classes and do some testing,” she said.
“It will be a full 360 degree health and wellness approach and that concept is very unique.”
While the club is adding the spa it will also improve its own facility.
Rawlins said they are starting up a “mix it up” class format where club members can choose to participate in different classes instead of sticking to only one.
The club will also offer a new heart monitoring system called My Zone, an exercise-tracking device worn on a belt.
Rawlins said the technology allows users to set goals and see how and when they are achieving them.
“We would be the first private club to have this system,” she said.
“It’s still a very new technology and provides a life feed in the class so participants can see how hard they are working out and what their efficiency is.”
Other additions are a laboratory type fitness test called Fitmate Pro, which measures a person’s heart rate, oxygen levels, metabolic rate and daily calorie usage.
Rawlins said the changes have been in the works for nine months, beginning long before potential competitor GoodLife Fitness announced it was moving into a location on St. Albert Trail.
“We are aware of it but we feel they will probably impact other facilities more than ourselves,” she said.
“We already weathered the storm with Servus Place but a lot of feedback we received from club members is that they like the environment and the social experience we offer.”
