
Pictured: Addison Reserve Country Club
For this group on the Top 50 list, the fitness and wellness centers and programs are profiled for Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club in Palo Alto Hills, Calif.; Addison Reserve Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla.; Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla.; Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif. and Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach, Fla.
Club + Resort Business’ capital expenditures study, conducted at the end of 2020 about clubs’ spending plans for 2021 and coming years, indicated that developing fitness and wellness centers and programs would continue to be a major priority. C+RB’s inaugural Top Ranked initiative for Fitness and Wellness highlights the club and resort properties with the Top 50 Fitness and Wellness facilities and programs, as judged independently by a panel of General Managers from several of the industry’s top clubs.
The full rankings can be viewed a on the main Top Ranked Listing Page. Here are profiles of the Top 5 Ranked Private Clubs in the Fitness and Wellness category.
#1 Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club (PAHGCC) opened its Wellness Center in November 2010. Fitness-minded and family-oriented, the two-story building raised the bar within the private club industry and remains known as a cornerstone of activity at one of the most welcoming, diverse, and family-friendly clubs in the U.S.
The state-of-the-art Wellness Center at PAHGCC is a “mini-club within a club,” complete with a variety of cardiovascular and strength-training equipment, two exercise rooms to accommodate a weekly schedule of over 30 fitness classes, personal trainers, and more.
An infinity pool that is heated year-round and three tennis courts round out the recreational options for members. The pool setting offers opportunities for families to wine and dine poolside while enjoying sunsets among the hills for a picture-perfect dining experience.
PAHGCC’s Acqua Spa is a sanctuary for relaxation, with a full menu of spa services. Use of steam, sauna and jacuzzi complement the spa journey. In addition to massage and skin-care services, acupuncture treatments and a recovery room for members are offered, including the opportunity to utilize Hyperice devices post-workout or after a round of golf.
To complete a wellness visit, members can enjoy “retail therapy” at the club shop while waiting for their car detailing to be completed.
Youth activities and wellness programming have also been a key to PAHGCC’s membership growth. In addition to the Youth Room, which provides a dedicated space where kids can enjoy time with their peers, the club offers a variety of events and programs, including Parent’s Night Out, Junior Tennis, Kidz Fit Classes, Swim Team, Swim Lessons, Tween Events, Cooking Classes, Kidz With a Cause, and Camping on the Golf Course.
In all, over 70 youth and family events are listed in PAHGCC’s annual Family Guide. PAHGCC also partners with KECamps to run its summer camp programs, which continue to gain in popularity and have had consecutive weeks of maximum participation. “When you have kids begging not to go home, we know we have exceeded the kids’—and parents’—expectations,” says Pilar Spencer, PAHGCC’s Director of Wellness.
“We want our members to walk out of our doors after a workout, spa service or a simple conversation, and feel like they are a better version of themselves,” Spencer adds. “We want to position our club as a sanctuary of relaxation—a place to escape the hustle of Silicon Valley and enjoy a stay-cation or use as a second home.
“It is not just the scientific sum of calories, workouts and weight that keeps our members returning, or our cutting-edge equipment and technology,” Spencer notes. “Our team encourages every member to take advantage of our amenities to fulfill a happy, active lifestyle.
“After 11 memorable years, we continue to offer innovative experiences and have truly made the Wellness Center a premier destination for the entire future of the club.”
#2 Addison Reserve Country Club (Delray Beach, Fla.)
Addison Reserve’s state-of-the-art Lifestyle Complex opened in the fall of 2019 as a complement to the clubhouse. Members now enjoy the benefits of resort-style amenities, excellence in service and the convenience of fitness, spa, tennis/pickleball, basketball, green space, casual indoor/outdoor dining,,a luxurious pool, children’s aqua area and game room, all in their own “backyard.”
The club’s commitment to security and to members’ health and wellness enhances their experience. The two-story Fitness Center provides an indoor aerobic studio, a TRX circuit studio, large cardio/free weight area, Peleton studio, Kinesis Wall room, three Pilates studios and a stretching area.
Over 20 Fitness Classes are offered “on the green” on a weekly basis, in addition to offering water aerobics seven days a week. Professional trainers, Licensed physical therapists and a registered dietician round out the Fitness Center staff.
The Addison Reserve Spa features five massage rooms, a salt therapy room and his-and-her serenity areas, complete with steam showers, saunas and regular showers. Members also enjoy the availability of manicures, pedicures, facials and hair salon services.
The adjacent tennis/pickleball area features 11 Har-Tru lighted tennis courts, four lighted pickleball courts and a full basketball court.
The Grill offers indoor/outdoor seating under cover or adjacent to the nearby waterfall. The restaurant features an indoor/outdoor bar as well as indoor table dining. The large video wall provides entertainment during the dining hours. Enhancing The Grill’s dining experience is a six- days-a-week lunch and dinner delivery service to members’ homes.
#3 Ocean Reef Club (Key Largo, Fla.)
The Ocean Reef Club’s Spa, Salon & Wellness Center is an innovative fusion of spa and wellness. The 28,000-sq. ft. facility, a project executed with Peacock + Lewis Architects and Planners, LLC, is set amid the property’s 2,500 tropical acres.
The Spa is located on the first floor of the center, and offers 10 treatment rooms, an experience shower, dry sauna, men’s and ladies’ steam rooms, relaxation lounge, retail boutique and a couples’ suite.
The Spa Menu offers an array of massage, energy, body, and ayurveda services, along with customized healing rituals, beauty treatments and personalized services designed to heal, balance, restore and replenish.
The second floor of the Wellness Center includes a 20,000-sq. ft. fitness center and Fitness Café that sells and promotes healthy and delicious food and drink options, giving members the opportunity to stop in for a smoothie or healthy snack before and after their workout.
The fitness center has various offerings ranging from programs to develop muscle tone, strength and balance to breathwork, myofascial release, posture correction and meditation. Over eighty group classes are hosted per week, and over thirty special events each month during season.
The Ocean Reef team has an established connection with the Medical Center and Physical Therapy clinic that is also located within the club, creating an optimal circle of care for members.
The club’s fitness retail shop includes top brands such as Lululemon and On Running, and its Spa Boutique carries an array of high-end, luxury brands for hair, skin and body care needs, including Biologique Rechere, Babor, Oribe, Skinceuticals, Living Proof, Aromatherapy Associates and more.
Since reopening after its COVID-related closing, Ocean Reef has extended services beyond the walls of the Wellness Center, by creating an outdoor training center and gym and making trainers and therapists available to visit members in their homes.
“Our staff is highly trained in customer service and member relations, and our top mission is to help our members live a strong and healthy life,” says Spa Director Jill Barron. “We come to work every day aspiring to make a difference in the way our members feel, move and perform.”
#4 Blackhawk Country Club (Danville, Calif.)
Blackhawk Country Club’s new Fitness and Wellness Center boasts 10,000 sq. ft. of vaulted ceilings, with floor-to-ceiling windows along the cardio deck. It is conveniently located in the club’s Sports Complex, along with the pool, tennis, pickleball and bocce courts, and the Hawk’s Nest Bar & Grille
Features of the Fitness and Wellness Center include:
– 1,200 sq. ft. outdoor exercise patio
– 1,200 sq. ft. exercise studio
– Welcoming lobby
– Men’s and women’s locker rooms
– Steam rooms
– Three inviting wellness rooms with massage therapy
– Free classes, including spin, yoga, barre and more
– A Kids’ Club
Outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, the facility offers the latest in fitness technology. Natural elements of wood and stone are found throughout, bringing the beauty and zen of Northern California’s environment inside the gym.
Members enjoy a wide variety of popular Group Fitness classes, including youth, adult, and sport-specific programs that prepare them to be competitive on the golf course, tennis court or swimming pool.
There is also the opportunity to work with one of the club’s certified personal trainers, enjoy the eucalyptus steam room, and be treated to a luxurious CBD massage.
Post-workout, members enjoy a warm cup of coffee with friends in the club’s lobby lounge.
#5 Lost Tree Club (North Palm Beach, Fla.)
“With rehabilitation services available right through dieticians’ personal training, group classes and many varying spa services,” Lost Tree Club’s Spa and Fitness facility is “the second-most utilized amenity we have on campus, behind only our food-and-beverage operation,” according to Chief Operating Officer Rick Bayliss, CCM, CCE.
“It has served as the model for many spa and fitness centers built following our opening, and has been a tremendous sense of pride for our membership,” Bayliss adds. “The amenities and classes are surpassed only by our terrific team and the member utilization of the facilities.”
The Lost Tree Club worked with Peacock + Lewis Architects and Planners, LLC, to plan and execute the Spa and Fitness facility project.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.