Fitness

Pampered Perspiration

Walk into a workout experience in Davol Square

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There are gyms and there are premier health clubs. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys state-of-the-art equipment, ambient and inviting atmospheres, stellar customer service and country club amenities (and frankly, who isn’t?), Providence’s Synrgy Health & Fitness is for you.

When I first walked through the doors of Davol Square’s Synrgy, I immediately noticed how large the space was. The 25,000 square foot facility, which spans over two floors, impressed with their beautiful vintage chaise lounges in the waiting area, friendly greeting staff behind the juice bar, ceiling to floor glass walls, sleek cardio and circuit equipment (each cardio machine has its own computer, fitness apps, TV, games and Internet service), modern weightlifting equipment (even the plates were pretty), multiple stretching areas and low, soft lighting (also known as “not those bright fluorescent lights that showcase every hangnail”). I felt like I’d walked right into the latest downtown hotspot, but one where you wear gym clothing and kick some serious ass.

Greeted by everyone from owner Michael Owen, to Group Fitness Director Marcianne Andreozzi, to members of the marketing and sales teams, I made my way with them around the stunning facility as I learned about all of the unique features that Synrgy had to offer. Michael, having been a personal trainer and consultant in the fitness industry for over ten years, wanted to create a health club environment that got people excited when they first walked through the door, before they even stepped onto a treadmill. He had a vision for an experience, rather than just a gym, and, upon my first few glances, I’d say he successfully pulled it off.


As I made my way toward the group fitness room, where I’d be taking the Fusion Focus class, I took notice of other fine details that set this gym aside from the rest. The chilled eucalyptus infused towels for gym-goers, the full service women’s and men’s rooms, which boasted beautiful wooden lockers, an enormous gorgeous ornate wall mirror (these mirrors were everywhere and I may have thought about stealing one every time I passed by) and full showers with plush towels and all necessary bath and body products. There were two luxurious steam rooms, which include aromatherapy, chromatic therapy and relaxing music and a full-service concierge desk that is available to members who want to book travel arrangements, make restaurant reservations, order car service or do just about anything that someone might need help with. I’m pretty sure I could have walked out of the gym and onto a private jet to Hawaii if I wanted to.

I took my spot in one of the three group fitness rooms and chatted with the super friendly and helpful instructor, Maureen, and other participants as they entered for class. Fusion Focus is a half-hour full body workout that focuses on one muscle group at a time and works it until exhaustion before moving onto the next. In other words, it’s gonna burn. Class began and after we stretched, and we jumped right into leg exercises.

From various squats to lunges to jumps and calf movements, we moved through slow, steady and controlled positions so that every muscle in our legs were shaking by the end of the exercise. For someone like me, who is used to primarily focusing on using her legs to lift nothing but heavy weight, it felt great to confuse my muscles by incorporating the slow, controlled burn, using my own body weight. Once our legs were taxed, we moved onto abs. Varied planks, v-ups and sit-ups worked our core to the point where I knew it would be difficult to sneeze the next day. Thirty minutes flew by quickly, but my body felt the workout in every minute that we spent on those mats. While I think a great class will leave you wanting more, I admit that I judge a lot of fitness classes by their instructors. If the class is good but the instructor isn’t someone who takes the time to be sure everyone is in correct form or someone who pushes you to your max or someone who smiles, then it’s not a class for me. It was clear that Maureen was more than all of this by the love she got from everyone in the room. She was the type of person whom you felt you already knew for years, and she kicked our butts in the happiest of kickbutting styles out there. I was a big fan.

I took one of the bajillion classes Synrgy hosts in their extensive exercise programming, but the options are endless. They don’t just provide the typical gym fare, but pride themselves with unique class offerings like Internal Inferno, Revolution, JUMP, Body Blast, Insanity and SynBurn, to just name a few. Their SPINergy indoor cycling studio is equipped with 36 bikes and a projection screen with virtual roads, to give you the feeling that you’re actually riding the Appalachian Trail. And the health club offers salsa dance classes – something you don’t often see at a gym.

The team at Synrgy created a space for those who wanted a modern, luxurious home away from home. A place where someone could enjoy a workout and a peaceful and pampering moment to his or herself all at the same time. A reason to want to shower.

Providence’s Synrgy Health & Fitness, providence monthly

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