LV Valley gyms vary on timing to reopen
Not all fitness buffs eager to return yet
When gyms begin to reopen Friday, those itching to get back can expect a variety of changes from workout reservations, closed saunas and increased cleaning efforts.
The state-ordered closure of gyms March 15 impacted an estimated 6,000 workers in 334 establishments, according to data from the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Gov. Steve Sisolak said they may reopen Friday with capacity limits, social distancing and their locker rooms and communal spaces closed.
But not all gym rats will be scurrying to the treadmills. And not all gyms will be ready to welcome fitness enthusiasts back.
“I don’t trust my government right now to take care of me, and I don’t trust a business to take care of me. The only person I can trust right now is me,” said Cathie Grodecki, 72.
In the year or so she has held a membership at Planet Fitness, her fellow gymgoers weren’t great about wiping down equipment, Grodecki said. She said she probably won’t feel comfortable until infections drop nationwide and there’s a viable vaccine.
Meanwhile, fellow Planet Fitness member Carol Luehrman-stempel,
31, said she’s considering getting another gym membership to one that will open Friday. Planet Fitness hasn’t announced a reopening date, and she misses her gym.
“I’m incredibly excited,” Luehrman-stempel said. “Endorphins make people happy.”
Who’s opening?
Some smaller fitness centers like Crossfit Apollo, 6535 N. Buffalo Drive, and The Gym, 7165 S. Buffalo Drive, plan to reopen Friday, but it doesn’t appear the bigger gym chains in Las Vegas will reopen the first day they can.
Las Vegas Athletic Clubs will be the first of the big chains when it reopens all seven of its locations on Saturday. EOS Fitness and Orange Theory announced they will reopen their Nevada locations Monday and Wednesday, respectively. Others like Planet Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, Anytime Fitness and Life Time did not give an official reopening date.
EOS will require members to schedule workouts in advance to
ensure locations abide by social distancing and capacity limits, according to its website. 24 Hour Fitness also will operate by reservation only and limit its hours to 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., closing for overnight cleanings. LVAC members won’t need a reservation, but they may have to wait in line if the location is at its maximum of 50 percent capacity.
Gyms are encouraging their members to stay home if they are not feeling well, at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 or uncomfortable returning. LVAC is allowing members to freeze their memberships, marketing director Emily Hamill said.
Life Time brought in an epidemiologist and an industrial hygienist to guide its reopening practices,
Vice President of Member Experience Kevin Siegel said. He said the company is excited to open up in Nevada, but it is gauging member and employee feedback to decide an opening date.
Who’s going?
A national survey by shoe review site Runrepeat found just over half of the 6,636 respondents said they won’t be returning to gyms after they
reopen. Over half, at 55.74 percent, shared that plan in Nevada, where only 168 responded to the survey.
Asking people like Luehrman-stempel, the 31-year-old woman, to return requires little effort.
She bought a gym membership a few months before the pandemic and began working out four or five times a week.
“You know, you hit 30 and you think, ‘Maybe I should try a little harder,’” Luehrman-stempel said.
Her hiatus from cardio sessions at the gym has been frustrating, and she is raring to get going, she said. She isn’t worried about cleanliness or capacity limits now that they can reopen. She said she trusts that gyms will thoroughly clean their facilities and sees fewer total people as an incentive.
“Honestly, either way I’m gonna go,” she said.
For 72-year-old Grodecki, her Youtube “Zumba Gold” workouts suffice for now.
“It’s for us old fogies who have balance issues,” Grodecki said.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.