Downtown Tulsa is now home to a new fitness facility, smoothie shop and co-working space all in the same building.
Tulsa Fitness Club is the brainchild of Josiah Wiens, a local entrepreneur and owner of Catalyst Coworking. He took over the former Lounge 88 building on 314 E. 3rd St. in the Blue Dome District in May. In the four months since, Wiens has transformed it into a 1970s-inspired gym.
“(The 70s) built this culture. They built a wellness culture that was all focused on being the best version of ourselves … that is what we’re after,” Wiens said.
He doesn’t want a modernized, sleek space.
“I want there to be rough edges. I want there to be a little bit of that grit, a little bit of that grunge,” Wiens said.
The gym is 13,000 square feet with two floors. It includes treadmills, dumbbells, barbells, leg equipment and more. The walls are decorated with framed photos of storied body builders like Frank Zane and Lou Ferrigno.
The second floor, expected to house the office space and personal training rooms, is still under construction. Wiens is planning for the entire building to be complete by the end of the year.
The gym will also include a smoothie shop called the Fuel Bar, selling low-calorie, protein-dense drinks, and feature office space on the first floor.
Gym memberships are separated into three tiers, which all come with different levels of access. The cheapest option, $47 per month, is solely for gym entry. For about $300 a month, you’ll get access to semi-private training groups of up to three people and a personal trainer to help with accountability.
So far, 200 people have signed up as members. At full capacity, Weins believes the gym can service 1,500.
Leasing to the office space is separate, and will range from $500 to $1,800 per month depending on office size. University of Tulsa students will be able to rent space for $55 a month.
Wiens moved to Tulsa from Kansas in 2009 with his family. He bought an ownership stake in a gym in Broken Arrow a few years later and soon fell in love with fitness training. He started several other business ventures along the way while attaining a certification in fitness instruction.
Now his goal is to build a wellness ecosystem downtown. He plans to partner with different athletic and wellness businesses to either create clubs, or sponsor local events catered around community, fitness and nutrition.
“A majority of our problems today are solved by exercise, fitness and nutrition,” he said.
Tulsa Fitness Club will host its grand opening from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Harvester lot next to the gym. The block party will include 40 vendors and a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
