24/7 workout Beverly fitness club offers around-the-clock access

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March 17, 2010

By Paul Leighton The Salem News Wed Mar 17, 2010, 12:25 AM EDT

BEVERLY — When Luke Deschamps woke up at 3 in the morning recently and couldn't fall back to sleep, he didn't count sheep, watch TV or read a book.

Instead, he packed his gym bag and headed for the Beverly Athletic Club.

"It was definitely weird because I'd never done that before," said Deschamps, a 24-year-old Beverly resident. "But it was great. I love the fact that I can go there anytime."

The Beverly Athletic Club is one of the first local fitness centers to jump on the growing trend of providing around-the-clock access. At its Cummings Center location, members can use their key cards to get into the club after it closes at 9 p.m. and before it opens at 5 a.m.

Owner Ed Soul said the 24/7 availability is a response to a work environment that is no longer defined by the traditional 9-to-5 schedule.

"The world is becoming more global and more people are working (over the course of) 24 hours," he said. "I think it's definitely going to help a lot. It adds a whole different dimension for us."

The concept of 24-hour access to fitness clubs has been popularized by such national franchises as Snap Fitness and Anytime Fitness, said Kara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

The organization did not have figures on how many independent clubs have gone 24/7. Soul says it's common in Florida and California. He also knows a man in New Hampshire who runs three fitness clubs with no employees — he sells all his memberships online, and members let themselves in.

Soul said he's not worried about customers being in his club with no employees around to keep an eye on them. There are security cameras, and most of the exercise equipment is too heavy to steal anyway, he said.

Soul acknowledged that men might feel more comfortable than women visiting the club alone in the wee hours of the morning. But he said Beverly Athletic Club is safer than most because it is located at the Cummings Center, an office park with its own security.

Soul said not many people have been showing up between midnight and 4 a.m., but members have been taking advantage of the 9 p.m. to midnight and 4 to 5 a.m. hours.

Keeping the lights and heat on all day and night incurs extra costs, but Soul is hoping the added hours will attract members and more than compensate for the expense.

"Especially in an area that doesn't have a lot of 24-hour fitness, people will go four or five miles for something like that," he said. "It adds a whole different dimension for us."

Deschamps isn't sure how many times he'll be making 3 a.m. trips to Beverly Athletic Club. He's just glad to know it's an option.

"If you wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning every day you might as well just bang out a workout and go to work," he said. "That's my mind-set."

Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by e-mail at pleighton@salemnews.com.