Grand opening of LA Fitness in Clarence

Buffalo-area residents were invited to the Grand Opening Event today of a fitness chain new to the Buffalo area. LA Fitness in Clarence held its ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday morning that proceeded into the afternoon with different events and activities for their guests to enjoy.Starting bright and early, the doors opened with complimentary workouts including a free Zumba class, fitness assessments, healthy snacks, club tours, face painting, and a radio event with Kiss 98.5 FM.Amenities at the gym include top-of-the-line cardio equipment, free weights, a cycling room, group fitness rooms, basketball courts, spa and sauna, three-lane lap pool, a babysitting area, and much more.Charles Huyler, the General Manager of LA Fitness in Clarence said, “We’re completely different than any other health club in the area due to no contracts. We feel that we need to earn your business each month.  We need to earn our members’ business. We need to make sure our facility is clean.  We need to make sure everything is up to par, because if not, we’re going to lose our members.”There are three other LA Fitness clubs in upstate New York including one in North Buffalo.

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LA FITNESS OPENING IN OCEANSIDE

A former Mervyn’s department store in an Oceanside shopping center is being converted into a vast fitness center with an indoor swimming pool, basketball and racquetball courts and a yoga studio along with more traditional exercise equipment.Construction of an LA Fitness Club in the El Camino North Shopping Center at 2335 Vista Way is well under way and expected to be finished by spring.The goal is to be open for business by April, said Bill Horner, LA Fitness senior vice president and chief real estate officer.The building has been vacant since Mervyn’s went out of business in 2009, senior city planner Russ Cunningham said in a report to the Planning Commission.The former department store has been gutted and is little more than a shell, with workers installing heating and air conditioning ducts this week.“It will be a wonderful addition, not only to the city but to that center in particular,” City Manager Peter Weiss said.“It’s pretty impressive what they’re going to have in there,” Weiss said. “It’s more than a bunch of treadmills, bicycles and weights.”At 75,360 square feet, the Oceanside club will be one of LA Fitness’ largest.“It’s going to be a statement club,” Horner said. “I guess we super-sized it.”Horner said typical LA Fitness Clubs in San Diego County are between 38,000 and 40,000 square feet. He said LA Fitness has 568 clubs in the United States and Canada, including 11 in San Diego County, with clubs in San Marcos, Vista, Escondido, Encinitas and several San Diego neighborhoods.The company opted for the larger size in Oceanside in part because of the shopping center’s location along state Route 78 near the interchange with Interstate 5.“To be able to get something at the convergence of two major freeways with a great on- and off-ramp right next to it, with the great field of parking we have, those are hard to come by,” Horner said.“We’re all about convenience in our business. To be able to find a site like that, that has such great road structure and access in all directions, we’re excited.”According to Cunningham’s report, the club will have 451 parking spaces, far more than the 302 required by city zoning ordinances.When finished, the Oceanside club will have a five-lane lap pool, an aerobics studio for group fitness classes, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a free weight section, eight racquetball courts that will be used for tournament play from time to time, two full basketball courts that will be used for leagues and open play, a sauna and whirlpool spa, and a juice bar.The club also will have a heated yoga studio and stadium-style cycling studio, with 62 stationary bicycles arranged in four tiers.“Each row of bikes is in a row that’s higher than the row in front of it, so everyone can focus on the instructor,” Horner said.The club also offers baby-sitting in a special children’s section.“This should be a neat, neat club,” Horner said.

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LA Fitness Grand Opening Party

LA Fitness will celebrate the grand opening of its new club in the North Central area (Loop 410 and Blanco Road) with a community health and fitness event on Saturday, Jan. 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Former San Antonio Spurs great George “Iceman” Gervin and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce will participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:15 a.m. Gervin will be onsite from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to meet guests, take photos and sign autographs.San Antonio-area residents are invited to experience the new state-of-the-art club and enjoy complimentary workouts, fitness assessments, a sample ZUMBA® class, a racquetball event and an Apple iPad grand prize giveaway.  The event will also feature a live DJ, the MIX 96.1 street team, club tours, kids train rides, face painting and complimentary healthy snacks.