Aug. 22, 2015 By Michael Florio
An Astoria gym expanded last month to accommodate its growing list of members.
Sage Fitness, which specializes in fitness classes and personal training, moved to 23-17 31st Street in July, to accept more members and provide more space for classes, according to owner, Danny Suarez.
Sage Fitness originally opened in December 2012, on the fourth floor of 29-20 23rd Ave, but the space was only 850 square feet, which limited the gym’s growth.
The gym is not a convention health club, where people go to work out at will. Instead, members just do cardio, strength and endurance classes.
“We were at the point where we were going to have to turn new clients away,” Suarez said.
The new space, which is 2,750 square feet, provides plenty of room for new members without causing classes to be cramped. The gym now has 250 members, with nearly 60 signing up since moving to the new location.
Residents are drawn to the new location since it is on the ground floor, Suarez said. People walking by notice the energy level during classes and are attracted to it.
“We had like 10 people looking in the window the other day,” he said. “It is a lot easier now to get noticed.”
“Our classes teach proper form and technique and allow people to work out at a high intensity,” he said.
Suarez tries to limit each class to a maximum of 15 members, but will go up to 18 per class if necessary, he said. Originally he limited classes in the old location to 10 members a class, but as his clientele grew that number got pushed to 12 and then to 15.
“The classes were cramped with 15 people at the old location,” he said.
Suarez wants members to receive quality workouts and limits class sizes to no more than 18 members. He prides himself on his gym’s customer service.
“Every instructor knows every members name,” he said. “You do not get that at other gyms.”
With small classes people often forge relationships during the workouts and make friends.
“It doesn’t mater if you are a CEO of a business or a waitress at a local bar, everyone here works together here,” he said.
A membership costs $189-per-month and grants access to any of the classes. Interested residents can also pay-per-class or purchase a class package.
The classes, which are each an hour, are offered in the morning at 6 am, 7 am, 9 am, and 10 am, and at night, at 5 pm, 6 pm, 7 pm and 8 pm.
Suarez is looking to add classes during the day as membership increases.
He also plans on starting a children’s class after school, from 3 to 5 pm.
The gym is currently open six days a week, Monday through Saturday. However Suarez aims to introduce a yoga class in the near future, on Sunday.
Suarez, who currently lives in Bayside, is likely to be moving to Astoria this fall. He also owns Sage Fitness in Whitestone.
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One Comment
I think I need to pick my jaw up off the floor after reading that it’s $190 a month! I honestly didn’t realize people were THAT rich in Astoria. Holy cow.