New Fitness Center Opens
by January 30, 2006 12:00 am 95 views
Charles “Chuck” Morgan opened Fuse, a 28,000-SF fitness center, on Jan. 23 in The Shops at the Forum on Walton Boulevard in Bentonville.
Morgan invested $3.5 million in the new facility, which in addition to fitness equipment and classes, will offer a restaurant, spa services, personal training and child care.
The business has 65 full- and part-time staff, said Melyssa St. Michael, chief operations officer for Fuse.
Fuse will use TechnoGym equipment, which St. Michael discovered while consulting on a resort project in Italy. The Italian equipment costs run from $5,000 for weight machines to $9,000 for a treadmill. Out of 65 pieces of equipment, 45 are “key-enabled.”
Using a USB Flash drive “key,” the machines can track everything from bicep curls to calories burned and heart rate. Essentially, the machine gives the user feedback on what the body is doing and how it is performing. From there, personal trainers can monitor progress and customize a program based on users’ goals, St. Michael said.
“The key system allows them to have a personal trainer at very little cost,” St. Michael said. A person pays $129 for six-week session with the key program, which is also the initiation fee. Monthly memberships sell from $79 for individual membership.
The center will also offer group conditioning training for athletes in the form of Parisi Speed School.
Non-members can also use Fuse services for a fee. Diners can eat in Fuse’s restaurant and drop the kids off at PlayCare.