Gym Profile: SweatShop

Since 1982, SweatShop’s mission has remained the same: Help people to reach their highest potential in health, fitness, and wellness. And though it might not house the latest big-box-gym fitness equipment or the swanky locker-room amenities of modern spa-fitness centers, SweatShop does offer an inviting and intimate gym setting like no other venue in the metro. Founder and president Gayle Winegar says she and her staff don’t just know members by name, they know their birthdays and their kids’ names, they visit them in the hospital, and when a family member passes away, they show up for the funeral.

Photo courtesy of SweatShop

“We have a great sense of community,” Winegar says. “When someone new walks in, they’ll meet both staff and members, and they’ll get a custom-tailored fitness plan. Our machines aren’t set up in lines; they’re set in circles to build that community.”

SweatShop opened in the early ’80s to meet the growing demand for aerobics and step, but it has transformed throughout the years to offer a full range of classes, including spinning, cardio boxing, kettlebell, yoga, power weights, Nordic walking, and even Gyrokinesis. Yet SweatShop’s specialty, Winegar says, is its contemporary approach to Pilates.

As a Stott Pilates-licensed certification center (one of only forty-four in the world), Winegar’s club comes fully outfitted with the best equipment for Pilates, including V2 Max Plus Reformers and Pilates Cadillacs. The exercise attracts a primarily female audience—in fact, SweatShop’s clientele consists of 75 percent women—but men are seeking the core-strengthening benefits of Pilates as well. “Men come here with their wives or girlfriends,” Winegar says. “Then they take Pilates and realize how much it improves their golf game.”

In addition to its focus on Pilates, SweatShop’s customized training programs have long been an important part of its menu. Personal, one-on-one training is most popular, but semi-private or group training sessions are also well liked for the camaraderie and support among members.

Other SweatShop amenities include:
+ Free weights
+ Resistance machines
+ Free intro sessions to most classes
+ Retail space stocked with fitness apparel, yoga mats, kettle balls, and Stott Pilates DVDs
+ Babysitting services throughout the week
+ Stott Pilates Teacher Training Certification (the only place to get certified in the Upper Midwest)

Like everything else at SweatShop, memberships are based on individualized needs, Winegar says, and non-members can sign up for any of the class sessions or training programs. “We’re not a one-size-fits-all gym.”

Make an appointment by calling 651-646-8418 to tour the club and learn which SweatShop fitness options are best for you.

Sweatshop Health Club, 167 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, 651-646-8418