New Gym Coming to Corner of Haight and Gough

New Gym Coming to Corner of Haight and Gough
Ryan Curran White
Published on July 24, 2013
That vacant space at the intersection of Haight and Gough (across the street from Espetus) has finally been leased.

Cardio Barre, a gym/dance studio, recently put up a sign on the storefront's gates.
This location will be Cardio Barre's debut in the Bay Area. The relatively small franchise has 14 other fitness centers in California since opening in 2007, but none in NorCal until now. The Hayes Valley addition will be locally-owned by SF resident Nick Wen, who will also act as the manager. Nick told us it will take about four months to complete the renovations; he's shooting for an October debut date. That is, after they do some minor updates to the existing space. “It’s going to be somewhat of a dance studio,” Nick said. “We’re adding mirrors, flooring, carpets--it’s going to be quite a bit of work. We’re also punching through some windows [on the Gough side].” Nick mentioned he is very enthused about opening a shop in this prime spot in the heart of the city. “[The location] is just so central. You really get a mix of everyone,” he said. Nick clarified that while the gym will be locally owned and operated, “the workout [has been] tremendous in its popularity” in its other locations. He mentioned there are other gyms in SF that also teach dance inspired workouts, but they don't yield the same results as Cardio Barre. “The closest thing to Cardio Barre is like the Bar Method or The Daily Method, but we have a cardio element to it,” Nick noted. “People don’t have to spend an hour doing the toning workout, then an hour running just to get a good workout. Cardio Barre will be different from other professional [gyms] in the city.” Nick will open the doors as soon as he gets the all clear from the franchise. Once it's up and running, you can expect grand opening specials and deals. In the meantime, if you know anyone with dance experience, it appears Cardio Barre is also hiring instructors. You can email sanfrancisco [at] cardiobarre {{dot}} com for more information. As per usual, we’ll keep you updated on the finite opening date as it gets closer.