Health scare: IG-Fit closes on 14th Street

So much for making your 2023 fitness goals any easier. 

The IG-Fit Health Club closed at the end of 2022 at 244 E. 14th St. near Second Avenue.

A sign on the door for IG-Fit members states that the gym lost its leases after a "protracted litigation with our landlord originating from COVID-mandated closure." (There isn't any mention of the closure on the gym's website or Instagram account.)

In a sliver of a silver lining, management apparently struck a deal with GYM NYC at 155 E. Third St. just east of Avenue A for IG-Fit members to "immediately continue your fitness routine." 

And "for those who work or live further north, we also made arrangements with Synergy Fitness" at 1781 Second Ave., which is pretty far north of here at 96th Street.

Exercise options and at-home workouts from East Village-based fitness providers

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

Interested in isolation yoga or some quarantine pilates? Dancing wildly while sheltering in place? Maybe some HIIT while adhering to the mandate to stay at home and observe social distancing?

Here are some ways you can do just that, and support the hard-hit fitness industry. Included are links to some free, low-cost or donation-based local services as well as more formal price structures for private virtual classes.


[Image via the Flying Squirrel website]

• Flying Squirrel Studios, the cozy pilates space on Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, is offering virtual mat classes (and virtual private sessions) via Zoom. Mat classes are $15. Find more details at this link.

• The Pilates Local in Union Square has some Vimeo-based free beginner and intermediate mat workouts here. There is also a 15-minute spinal stretch class.

• East Village resident, personal trainer and Avea Pilates instructor Sabrina Castro is offering livestream classes via Zoom, including a 50-minute “Pilates and Chill” class on Fridays at 11 a.m. for $15. You can learn more about her classes here. She also offers 30-minute free coffee-break classes from time to time to get you off the couch.

Meanwhile, Avea Pilates on Avenue A at Seventh Street (second level) is offering virtual classes. Details at this link.

• If you like a bit of dance mixed in with your Pilates, then check out Bianca Falco’s private and semi-private online classes at this link while her Rivington Street space is closed.



• Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy has online group classes or private lesson trial class for $19 (available via Zoom, Facebook Messenger and other apps) for first timers, or a two-month special for $199. More here.

• Now Yoga has hourlong online yoga offerings, including yin and mindfulness/mediation and discussion classes, and well as traditional vinyasa and stretch and restore.

The studio also offers always-free Yoga 4 Cancer (for survivors or those currently in-treatment). All classes are by donation if you so choose, and are done via Zoom. You can see the schedule here. Studio owner Renata Dibiase says she hopes to offer downloadable classes for rent via Vimeo platform soon.



• Stanton Street Yoga is offering $5 at-home drop-in classes for both beginners and more seasoned yogis, with additional yoga nidra, breathwork and meditation classes available. Classes are conducted via Zoom, and you can register and see the current schedule here. You will need to have a (free) Mind Body account to participate.

• Body Evolutions Studio East Village has at-home chair and mat exercises via Zoom, FaceTime or Facebook Messenger with a suggested rate of $40/private session. Gyrotonics master teacher and studio owner Billy Macagnone says, “Motion creates emotion, so the way we move can very much dictate the way we feel.” You can email info@bodyevolutions.com (attention Gloria) to set up a session.

• Blink Fitness, which has a location on Avenue A and Fourth Street at Lafayette, is doing free live and on-demand Facebook videos for at-home workouts, like this one that uses Tide bottles and a suitcase!

• Planet Fitness is offering free live via Facebook at-home 20-minute workouts to relive stress and keep mobile daily at 7 p.m. here.

• Union Square’s 305 Fitness has free twice-daily (at noon and 6 p.m.) YouTube-based live dance digital events, including classes like Hump Day Hot Mess with Ana and Country Hoedown. There’s also a 30-minute kid-friendly dance class on Sunday evenings at 6.

• If Qi Gong is your thing, then you can move energy and promote balance and adaptability at home with LES resident and Abrons Arts Center instructor Ilona Bito, who has sliding scale classes available. More info here.

• Sky Ting Yoga, which has a studio down on Allen Street, is offering online yoga classes daily. Find more info at this link.



Some other options include solo running, biking or walking, an especially nice path is along the East River Park. There are a few outdoor gyms and tracks but the city has closed them to group fitness activities and encourages you to observe strict social distancing of at least 6 feet between yourself and others.

NYC Parks Department has these strengthen and tone handouts for legs/glutes, back/core and arms/shoulders, most of which you can do at home. If you do not have lightweight dumbbells at home, then you can use milk jugs, water bottles or detergent containers instead.


[Click for a bigger view]

Gym moves: IG-Fit replaces Synergy on 14th Street

The Synergy Fitness Club at 244 E. 14th St. near Second Avenue has closed (members — was there any warning?) ... and signage is now up for its replacement — IG-Fit.

IG-Fit looks to be offering an array of services, including infrared sauna and cryotherapy. Although they bill themselves as NYC's No. 1 health club, we can't find any web or social-media presence (not even Instagram!) for them. So no word on rates, etc.

Hopefully it will be an upgrade from Synergy. Through the years, several EVG readers noted sketchy practices and unreliable hours of operation at this Synergy branch.

And as seen outside the gym a few years back...

A new era of Bowery bums, plus more workout choices

Over the weekend the Post checked in with a feature on the boutique gyms and studios that continue to pop up along the Bowery and various side streets.

The article, titled "Bowery, once gross, now bursts with boutique gyms," provides an overview of the new spaces, such as New York Pilates, who use some butt sidewalk signage for their studio at 262 Bowery.

Meanwhile! There are more gyms on the way ... coming-soon signage has been up since November for Rumble, which will offer boxing-inspired, group-fitness classes on Broadway at Fourth Street (there's a location on West 23rd Street)...



Also on Broadway... the new Equinox Fitness at Bond Street looks close to opening is now open (thanks commenters!)... (the entrance is on Bond)...

Take heart, the Orangetheory Fitness is now open on Astor Place

Oh, a belated post to note that Orangetheory Fitness is now open at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star. (It opened on Jan. 2 in time for the High Gym Season.)

About their workout via the OF website: "Orangetheory Fitness offers 60-minute workout sessions split into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training with heart rate monitors to track intensity and maximize metabolic burn. Increase energy, get visible results and burn more calories, even after leaving the studio. That's the Orange Effect!"

A CNBC report on Orangetheory last Friday noted that "participants can get unlimited classes for about $160 per month." (The Astor Place OF is considered a "premium location," meaning "This studio location is subject to pricing that is higher than our standard rates. A visit surcharge will be applied to workouts taken at this studio.")

Orangetheory, which has 570 locations worldwide, including three in Brooklyn and one in Chelsea, is right next door to Flywheel Sports, the cycling studio ... and a block away from the now-closed David Barton Gym.

[Updated] David Barton Gyms abruptly close

[Image via]

Gymgoers heading over to the David Barton Gym on Astor Place (and other locations) were surprised/shocked/pissed to learn that the facility is permanently closed.

The sign for gymgoers notes that they "ceased operations due to competitive market conditions."

Gym members received an email in the middle of the night, per one EVG reader:



An EVG reader shared this email that sent to members of Cyc Fitness, which had a studio inside the Astor Place David Barton...



David Barton, who opened the clubs in the early 1990s, reportedly stepped away from the business in 2013.

The Astor Place location opened in 2009. The space was previously a Barnes & Noble.

David Barton Gyms have yet to make any official announcement about the closure, per NewNowNext.

Here's the official statement via the company website:

“DavidBartonGym has discontinued operations at its locations in New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, and Bellevue, Wash., effective immediately. All affected employees and clients are being notified.

However, all DavidBartonGym facilities in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and the Island Club & Spa in Honolulu will remain open and operating as usual. These locations are owned by a separate legal entity, Meridian Sports Club, LLC, and are in markets that are more favorable to the company’s business model. Clients and staff will see no changes.

The company deeply regrets this final action, but due to severe competitive pressures, particularly in New York, it has become impossible for these locations to continue. DavidBartonGym greatly appreciates the past patronage of its clients and support of its staff and training professionals.”

Reps for rival gyms were outside the Astor Place location today offering deals to now-former Dave Baron members, per DNAinfo.

Updated 10 p.m.

The Post reports that the closure left 369 gym employees without jobs in the city.

Switch Playground now open on 12th Street 'for the body and soul'

Switch Playground, a South African-based group fitness concept, has just opened its location on 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. (It's in the New York Central Art Supply's former warehouse space at No 130.)

Per its website, "Switch combines carefully selected aspects of cardiovascular training, functional training, boxing, plyometric training, core stability and power-flow yoga to create a perfectly balanced playground for the body and soul."

You can find more details and book classes here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYC's 'first playground' coming to 12th Street

NYC's 'first playground' coming to 12th Street

There's been work going on inside the New York Central Art Supply's former warehouse space on 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Yesterday, the signage went up for the new tenant: Switch, described as "New York's First Playground." (Also, "Forget the gym. Come play.")

There's a website where you can sign up to receive more info.

According to the Commercial Observer, Switch Playground is a South Africa-based group fitness concept. The company is opening a location in Soho too.

Its website says that Switch "combines carefully selected aspects of cardiovascular training, functional training, boxing, plyometric training, core stability and power-flow yoga to create a perfectly balanced playground for the body and soul." They have two locations in South Africa.

Here's a sneak preview of Switch life...



And we need to add this to the list of EV gym options...

Looking at some East Village gym options

[Reader photo from last week]

The coming soon signage for Blink Fitness arrived last week at 98-100 Avenue A.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, expected to be open this fall between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, has advertised fees "as low as $15 a month." Blinkers can pay $10 extra a month for a premium membership that includes access to any location. (Updated: This Blink location will be $25 a month, per a rep.)

After our post last week we heard from several readers who say they'll sign up for Blink, the low-budget sibling in the Equinox family ... mostly because of the price and also due to a lack other neighborhood gym options. (This is not taking into account more specialized places, such as Mile High Run Club on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette, CrossFit East River on Ninth Street near Avenue C or Nimble Fitness on St. Mark's Place. And SoulCycle on Lafayette and FlyWheel Sports in the Death Star.)

The Dolphin locations abruptly closed on both East Fourth Street and, several years earlier, on Avenue B.

One reader expressed frustration with the summer hours recently posted at the basement-level Iron and Silk on Third Street near Avenue A...



They are only open for four hours on Saturdays and closed on Sundays, two key days for people who work during the week...



There's the Synergy Fitness Club on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue that, despite the sign saying they are open 24 hours, isn't open 24 hours...



Several members have described this gym to us as "sketchy" with random opening hours... then there was this flyer campaign that someone recently launched nearby... claiming "Synergy Fitness will send your account to Collection without ANY NOTICE"...



There's also the newish New York Sports Club on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street. (Their website advertises a $39.99 single-club rate with multi-club access rates of $64.99 and $74.99.) Meanwhile, the 14th Street Y has multiple membership packages, though the prices aren't listed online.

Of course there's East River Park and the jungle gym at Tompkins Square Park. You can also get creative and take advantage of a stationary Citi Bike.

Another local Equinox is on the way

[196 Orchard photoshopping]

The Equinox that will be part of Ben Shaoul's incoming development on East Houston and Orchard will have some company in the area.

Per a media announcement via the EVG inbox yesterday...

Equinox continues to make history in Manhattan with three new locations on Bond Street, Gramercy and East 92nd Street. The opening of locations in Dumbo and Williamsburg celebrates Brooklyn’s growing popularity as the new epicenter for culture, business and lifestyle.

The closest of these to this neighborhood is at 670 Broadway (entrance on Bond), which opens this fall. Here's more from the Equinox Bond Street website:

Perched on the corner of a trendsetting lower Manhattan intersection, Equinox Bond Street is an icon in the making. With quintessential New York attitude, the club infuses historic urban architecture with a boundary-pushing downtown vibe.

Housed in a former manufacturing building, Equinox Bond Street creates a true fitness temple with a soaring 18-foot ceiling, exposed brick, arches, and Corinthian columns. The club’s awe-inspiring span showcases four heroically-scaled studios, one of our most expansive fitness floors ever, a spacious home for our luxury amenities, and energizing street views alive with the pulse from Noho’s streets.

There's room for your own gym in this East 9th Street loft

[Image via Douglas Elliman]

There's a new listing for 735 E. Ninth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Per Douglas Elliman:

Rare to the market, this quintessential downtown artist loft in an historic East Village building is now available! This magnificent 3,300-square-foot loft is a celebration of light and spaciousness with soaring 12' ceilings, double exposures, abundant oversized windows, and striking original architectural details such as cast iron beams and original wooden columns, and century-old maple flooring.

There's actually no mention of the gym in the listing, so the current owner must be taking it along.

So maybe you'll have to drag your ass over to the incoming New York Sports Club on Avenue A. (Reminder: The Citi Bike stationary workout is free!) Or bring your own gym to the building, which the ad notes "is now filled with resident artists."

Price: $3.3 million.

Crossfit East River coming to East Ninth Street and Avenue C

A Crossfit gym is opening at 647 E. Ninth St. near Avenue C ... in space that, I think, previously housed the Mud truck.

If you don't know what the CrossFit brand is (like me!), then let's cut-n-paste this from the website:

CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability, making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.

The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree, not kind. Our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.

Also per the website:

CrossFit is also a community of more than 4,500 gyms worldwide. Those are all local, small businesses that share the philosophies of CrossFit and legally license the CrossFit name.

So, it's not like a gym where you go and putter around some elliptical thing and watch "Law & Order" repeats or those shouty guys on "Around the Horn" ... then stare at some weights, sneaking a few glances of yourself in all the mirrors, then leave. It's all about trainers and classes and stuff. Learn about the two East River trainers here.

Thanks to EVG reader Jeffrey Richman for the photo and tip.

Crossfit East River opens on Monday.