“Dear PoPville,
I used to be a member at Washington Sports Club and canceled my membership when they reopened in June. I just got a voicemail from the manager at the Columbia Heights location and it said they are under new ownership and have revamped their cancelation policies and have special alumni rates. Anyone know about the new ownership?”
Ed. Note: In September we posted that the “Parent Company of Washington Sports Clubs Files for Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code”.
Photo by Bekah Richards
From the DC Office of the Attorney General:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that Urban Athletic Club, a District gym chain, has agreed to comply with emergency COVID-19 health and safety requirements. The interim agreement comes after the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) filed suit against the chain for noncompliance at its Shaw location, following an OAG investigation. In its lawsuit, OAG alleged that Urban Athletic endangered District residents by allowing customers to exercise at its Shaw location without masks, adequate distancing, or proper equipment sanitization. After OAG filed suit, the company immediately entered into an interim agreement requiring compliance with Mayor Muriel Bowser’s COVID-19 public health emergency orders, pending trial or other final resolution of the case.”
From
From Urban Athletic Club:
“Since opening over seven years ago, Urban Athletic Club has repeatedly promoted health and fitness as the foundation to a long and prosperous life. We have offered free community classes and free trials, we have made countless donations of time and money to local charities, and we have grown from one location to four due to our commitment to our members.
Like the Attorney General, we believe the health and safety of our community is of paramount importance and have voluntarily affirmed to the Attorney General that we intend to comply with the Mayor’s coronavirus orders, as has always been our intent.
-Graham King
Founder”
More from the office of the DC Attorney General: (more…)
650 F Street, NW
“Dear PoPville,
I was wondering if you or anyone in the community knows what happened to BYNDfit that was supposed to open in Chinatown in March but obviously was delayed due to COVID. Their social media is dark but was curious if they are still in business or ever planning to open. They have a prime location and it was supposed to be super cool.”
Ed. Note: Given the current phase two status they very well could just be waiting until things improve.
Update from BYNDfit:
“The BYNDfit team delayed our launch indefinitely in March when the pandemic began its first surge in the region, while also remaining watchful to all COVID-related updates from the Mayor’s office. We’ve always been hopeful that the scientific community would be able to create a vaccine at a record pace, and it turns out our faith was well placed in these heroes. With light at the end of the tunnel, we would be foolish to jeopardize anybody’s health (either that of our members or staff) in an effort to rush our grand opening.
We’ve always prioritized health and safety above all else and will continue to have this be our guiding ethos during this time.
We can’t give an exact date of when we will open our doors, but our plans are steadfast to launch BYNDfit sometime in 2021 and we hope (like the rest of the world is hoping) the future will be brighter for everyone with regards to COVID.
All the best,
The BYNDfit Team”
Ed. Note: Last week we shared their letter stating that despite new Phase Two restrictions they had “made the decision to stay open.”
Thanks to all who passed on the latest letter from [solidcore]:
“To our valued DC [community],
Effective tomorrow, November 28th, we regret that we will be temporarily closing our DC studios. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to get clarification on DC’s new “Phase Two” Restrictions allowing gyms, restaurants and bars to remain open, but requiring fitness classes to shut down.
We maintain that we should be able to operate in the same phase as traditional gyms, given that we have adhered to the exact same mandates as our counterparts. While we are disappointed, we remain committed to advocating for our industry and demonstrating our ability to keep our [community] safe. (more…)
Thanks to all who passed on the letter from [solidcore]:
“To our valued DC [community],
As you know, we’ve adhered to local regulations and increased safety protocols since we re-opened our studios in June. We are proud that over the last six months of operating in studios all over the country, we haven’t had a single documented instance of COVID community spread within our spaces. Your safety always has been and continues to be our number one priority.
With the new Phase Two restrictions announced by Mayor Bowser, which allow traditional gyms to stay open, but require group classes to close, we have made the decision to stay open. We continue to adhere with all Phase Two safety measures such as capacity restrictions, mask requirements, and physical distancing. (more…)
From Mayor Bowser’s Coronavirus Situational Update:
“Phase Two Adjustments:
-25 person limit for outdoor gatherings
-10 person limit for indoor gatherings
–Restaurants open until 12 am. Alcohol sales, service, and consumption must end at 10 pm except carry-out and delivery. Indoor capacity: 25%” (more…)
1108 H Street, NE
Thanks to Anna for passing on the sad news: “ElectionCycle on H Street is closing. So incredibly sad, it’s such a great, inclusive fitness community. Great instructors and great rides.”
“To our all loyal riders –
We have made the tough decision to close the studio. Though your unwavering support has kept us going through much of the pandemic, we’ve reached the end of our ride. We can even begin to describe what your well-wishes and support have meant through this trying time and over the past 2 plus years.
We have absolutely loved getting to know all of you and being a part of the H St. community. We are so thankful for this journey.
The studio will officially close on November 30th. (more…)
Susanna asks:
“it’s been a while since we’ve discussed gyms. I know the big players are open, but any idea which smaller studios have opened back up (cycling classes, barre studios, other boutique classes)? Would love to know what is open/what’s permanently closed”
Some initial responses: (more…)
Apparently not just Washington Sports Clubs…
“Dear PoPville,
has anyone else had trouble canceling a golds gym membership in DC? I’ve been trying since July to cancel and every month they tell me my membership is canceled yet I keep getting charged.”
Some initial responses: (more…)
Photo by Phil
Reana asks: “and I am definitely not going back in person yet. Anyone have recommendations?? Is there a PoPville hive mind list out there maybe? (bonus if the classes are also offered via ClassPass)”
Here are the initial replies: (more…)