IV Fitness to open in former home of Joe’s Powerhouse
E L CENTRO — Gym and fitness enthusiasts in the Imperial Valley were left with somewhat of a void after the location that formerly housed Joe’s Powerhouse Gym and its predecessor Jacques ‘n Jills Health Club at 220 Wake Ave. was vacated about 10 months ago.
Once the facility closed, former Joe’s Powerhouse members and Valley natives Daniel Vasquez and Juan Sanchez, who was also a Jacques ‘n Jills member during its existence, teamed up and took it upon themselves to reopen the facility.
“It just has amenities that you can’t find anywhere else,” Velasquez said. “And to us, it really hit home when it closed, and we didn’t want this place to go away. So we got together and we talked the whole process of negotiation. It took a while, and once we got to where we need to get, we came to an agreement on the lease, and we’re here now.”
The two Valley natives, along with three other silent partners, purchased the facility in April and, after four long months of renovations, are set to rechristen the Wake Avenue facility as IV Fitness Club. A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 29.
“It’s been hard, but I believe it is going to be worth it,” said Sanchez on the renovation of the facility, which for about six months leading up to its sale had no alarms or security and was burglarized and vandalized frequently.
“We had to do a lot of gutting of electricity and gutting of everything,” Velasquez said. “It was just trashed in here. A lot of copper was stolen. They gutted all 21 of the air conditioners. It was a really big undertaking.”
With brand new air conditioning, LED lighting, workout equipment and completely renovated rooms, the co-chief executive officers are ready to welcome the Valley back into the facility with a fresh new focus on a family-oriented environment.
“We want our front staff to know members by their first name and greet them by their first name,” Velasquez said. “We want our members to be comfortable in this facility. This facility was state of the art. It offered amenities no other gym had and, still to this day, no other gym in the Imperial Valley can offer, not even in Mexicali.”
IV Fitness members will have access to a renovated swimming pool, racquetball court, indoor basketball court, CrossFit training room, workout room as well as saunas and Jacuzzis in the men’s and women’s restrooms.
Velasquez and Sanchez plan to bring new features to the facility such as an indoor soccer and beach volleyball court.
“We kind of want to not only focus on weights, but focus on everything else this facility has to offer,” Velasquez said.
The two also plan for their new club to host fitness classes for senior citizens, racquetball classes for youths and self-defense classes for women, to name a few.
“I think the Valley is growing so fast, and there’s only a certain number of places where you can take your kids,” Velasquez said. “I catch myself taking my kids to Ricochet all the time or maybe StrikeZone, but, you know, there needs to be more places where you can take your kids for a class.”
IV Fitness is now accepting members and offering a discount for early membership registration.
Velasquez stated he is eager to see what former Joe’s Powerhouse and Jacques ‘n Jills members think of the new renovations once they step foot into IV Fitness later this month.
“I’ve been seeing it upgraded the whole time, and it makes me happy,” Velasquez said. “I can only imagine when somebody sees it, and they knew what it was.”