A round of closings among franchise women's gyms is throwing a curveball into members' workout routines.
Curves health clubs in Beverly and Peabody shut their doors in July, and the Middleton gym closed Aug. 31, according to Curves spokeswoman Becky Frusher.
The Danvers Curves started its closing process Sept. 4 with corporate headquarters but has yet to complete the paperwork, Frusher said. She could not confirm its status this week.
Curves, which touts itself as the largest fitness franchise in the world, opened its first club in 1995 and within 10 years operated 9,000 locations, according to its Web site. The company claims to have 10,000 locations.
These days, local members have fewer options.
Margaret Melanson is giving up on Curves.
On Sept. 15, she went to the Danvers franchise on Holten Street, across from McKinnon's Market, and found a dozen or so people waiting outside for their workout.
"We go over and they say, 'We are closed for good,'" said Melanson, owner of Margaret's Place consignment shop.
She had already switched to the Danvers Curves after the one in Middleton closed.
The Danvers gym did not give a reason for the closure.
"The answer is, it's personal," Melanson said. "We could've gotten some notice."
The Curves spokeswoman chalked up the North Shore closures to the normal cycle of business, especially among franchises.
Frusher said the company steps in if a club appears to be closing, Frusher said.
"Typically, what happens is we try to get somebody in there to buy it as soon as possible," she said.
Often, a club member or staffer comes forward to purchase the operation.
Even if a club closes for good, members can transfer to another nearby Curves gym, she said.
Her goal was "for ladies to be exercising."
"When the economy rebounds, the other clubs will be in a really good position," Frusher said.
Curves members in Topsfield pay between $29 and $44 per month, depending on their program, according to owner Anne Tarvin.
Curves operates on a "circuit" model. Women alternate between hydraulic machines for muscle building and jog-in-place cardio stations called recovery boards. The entire workout is designed to take just 30 minutes.
The repetitiveness of Curves might be part of the problem, said Lynda Johnson, who owns Ladies Workout Express in Peabody.
She opened her women's gym five years ago with a circuit model only, but later added cardio equipment like treadmills and elliptical trainers, flat-screen TVs and, most recently, classes.
"As a woman, I knew I needed something more than the circuit," said Johnson, a former Curves member. "It gets boring."
Johnson's fees vary by program and run between $19.95 and $39.95 per month. She also has a $25 senior rate and allows walk-ins at $5 for 30-minute classes and $10 for hour classes.
Johnson has worked to keep her gym relevant by offering new features yearly. She started heavily promoting the classes in January and now offers about 60 a week, including a dance workout called Rhumba and cardio drumming classes.
"An instructor is going to push you a lot further than you're going to push yourself," Johnson said. "Some people want somebody cracking the whip."
Topsfield Curves' Tarvin couldn't speak to the reasons other franchises closed but said she offers her members extras like wellness fairs and topical speakers.
Tarvin said her members get called when they have not been to the club in a while and receive reminder cards.
After six years of the 30-minute workout, the Topsfield Curves hasn't lost its stamina.
"I'm doing great," Tarvin said. "I'm in the club a lot. I have a passion."
Tarvin said she opened her gym to help women live healthy lives. Her mother died at age 50, she said.
"I'm doing this for her and other women out there," Tarvin said.
The Topsfield owner learned about the franchise while on vacation with a friend. When she returned, she learned a club was available.
"I snatched it up," Tarvin said. "In six months, I had my own business. I haven't looked back."
She said she has several hundred members, enough but not too many. She picked up a few members from nearby gyms that closed.
Tarvin understands some members might not travel to another Curves if their home gym shut down.
"Being a 30-minute workout, women don't want to travel," she said.
