club
overhaul
THE DRAMATIC OVERHAUL OF A FAILING PUBLIC ACCESS, POOL-ONLY
SITE IN GERMANY RESULTED IN LIFE-NESS – A FULLY-FLEDGED HEALTH,
EUROPE
FITNESS AND WELLBEING CENTRE. LAURA BLACKLAWS REPORTS
FOCUS
A
€6.7m investment has transformed a tired public
access swimming pool in Radevormwald, Germany,
into a complete health, fitness and wellbeing centre.
Owned by the City of Radevormwald but run
under private limited company Bader Radevormwald, the
refurbished centre re-opened to the public in July 2009 after
20 months of work.
four-pronged offer
The centre, now known as life-ness, started out 20 years ago as
Aquafun, an indoor and outdoor swimming centre that offered
little else to its members. Swimming pool facilities were
complemented only by a children’s fun pool and a dedicated spa
section with saunas, tanning booths, a secluded outdoor
chillout zone and massage treatments available on request. Until the recent refurb, little had changed at Aquafun
However, until the recent refurbishment, very little had (above) since it originally opened to the public in 1989
changed in terms of the offering, product innovation or décor
since the centre opened in 1989. As a result, thanks to the
competitive nature of the leisure industry, visitor numbers had Fit-ness, the new gym area, focuses on fi tness and health
fallen dramatically and Aquafun was no longer profi table. In a enhancement for all adults over the age of 16. It’s been equipped
bid to appeal to a wider audience and attract new members, the with high-end cardio, strength and Spinning
®
equipment from
supervisory board opted to completely revamp the site – both Star Trac, which also advised on the layout and design of the
its facilities and its brand identity – and broaden its services. fi tness suite. Around 40 group exercise classes are held each
Aquafun therefore closed its doors to the public in October week, including Body Pump, Body Balance and Spinning. Water
2007, with the opening of the new facility scheduled for aerobics and water jogging classes are also offered in the
October 2008. Delays set the programme back nine months, swimming pool, adding extra variety to the class schedule.
pushing the opening to summer 2009. However, the new-look Three tiers of membership are available: Fitness Membership
life-ness complex fi nally opened its doors in July, offering the for fi tness and group exercise only; Club Membership, including
local community four distinct health and wellbeing sections: fi tness, group exercise, swimming and sauna; and Platinum
fi t-ness, wet-ness, well-ness and happi-ness. Membership, with a discount for fi ve years’ fees paid upfront.
Before and after: The Aquafun pool (left) and 25m training pool and kidney bean-shaped learning pool at life-ness (right)
60 Read Health Club Management online january 2010 © cybertrek 2010
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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