"The cure for anything is salt: water, tears, sweat and the sea," reads the mission statement for SALT Fitness, a new fitness studio coming to Divisadero. In the next few weeks, SALT will open its doors at 327 Divisadero St, formerly home to The Other Shop, which closed, along with Yoga Loft, after a 2013 fire. The building is undergoing a lively reinvention, as SALT will also be joined by an Arthur Murray dance studio upstairs in the former Yoga Loft space.
SALT owner Melissa Boyd has spent the past six months converting the 2,085-square-foot location into a studio, with an interior designed by Nick Roberto and Colby Thompson of VerSacrum Design. You may recognize their work from Trick Dog, where Boyd worked as a bartender for several years. She also tended bar at Beretta and Cotogna.
Though Hoodline has yet to get a peek inside the space, a press release describes the reception area as having "a flowing poplar installation along the entrance wall, and a watercolor canvas by local SF artist Melanie Getman." A retail area will sell branded SALT merchandise, Ohana jute yoga mats, reusable aluminum water bottles and protein bars.
SALT owner and instructor Melissa Boyd. (Photo: SALT)
As for its fitness offering, SALT plans to offer fast-paced, 45-60 minute sessions, utilizing a mixture of cardio and strength training. They include the 55-minute Barre Fight, described as "flexibility training to develop strong joints, high intensity interval kickboxing drills for caloric burn, and isometric strength movements using resistance bands and ballet barre to build lean muscle in strategic places," and the 60-minute 7x7 Conditioning, which consists of "seven circuits of seven sports conditioning exercises for ultimate fat burn and strength building."
The 45-minute Sand Barre, a smaller class limited to 15 students, utilizes barre work and sandbag weight training, while SALT Bump is "a challenging 60 minutes of full-body prenatal workout for fit mothers-to-be."
Drop-in classes will cost $20, while an unlimited monthly pass will run $180 ($150 for the first month). SALT is aiming for a late August opening, but an exact date is still being decided. In the meantime, the studio is seeking instructors who have enthusiasm, a background in dance or fitness, and the ability to stay on beat; here's the job posting on Craigslist.
Keep an eye out for a follow-up with shots of the finished studio and more from owner and fitness instructor Melissa Boyd, as well as the official opening date.
