Ready to build a healthier you: The Body Shop Athletic Club

The Body Shop Athletic Club at the UAW Hall

Joe Carter says the Body Shop Athletic Club was the first gym he visited when he first moved to Spring Hill from Michigan, so he was excited to take over as manager a little over two years ago. Since then, he and his staff have worked hard to make improvements, add classes and equipment, and boost membership. 

“We have great members, we have a great community here in Spring Hill, and I want to get as many people to join as possible because I think we have a great facility,” Carter says.

The club is owned by the United Auto Workers, so union members get a discount on membership, but it is open to the entire community. 

To bring the facility up-to-date, Carter helped oversee a significant overhaul with the addition of a new roof, new ceiling tiles, and the replacement of old flooring. There have been other changes, too, including the addition of a boxing room.

“We had a room that was literally just a junk room,” Carter says. “If something broke down, that’s where they’d put it. I got tired of the space not being utilized, and I really wanted to have boxing here, because it’s great cardio, and it’s something we can offer our members that not every gym has.”

He and his team cleaned out the room, painted it, added lights, bought stands that bolt into the ground, bought hanging boxing bags, then added a few finishing touches. 

“I did some graffiti, my assistant manager did some graffiti in there, so it has a pretty cool vibe. I’m certainly happy with how it turned out.”

Carter says they also offer a TKO Total Knockout class that has proven to be very popular.

“They don’t actually box in there, but they go through the boxing motions. There’s a lot of interest in boxing here.”

It’s just one in a long list of classes offered. There are spin classes, several different types of yoga classes, Zumba classes, and more. The goal is to offer something that appeals to everyone. 

To better serve members, the gym also offers childcare and is open 24 hours a day, with a minor exception on the weekends. (The Body Shop Athletic Club opens at 4 am every Monday and remains open through 10 pm the following Saturday. It opens again on Sunday from 7 am to 9 pm. It remains fully staffed when it’s open.)

Membership for an individual is $30 per month with an additional one-time yearly enhancement fee of $29. However, the enhancement fee is waived if the member pays for an entire year in advance at the reduced rate of $250 per year. There are discounts for family rates, too. They vary depending on the number of people. 

Carter says he has seen the positive health benefits of gym membership in his own life and wants to make it available and affordable to others.

“I always feel better when I work out; it’s therapy for me,” he explains. “The goal is to be healthy and live a longer, better life, so we can spend it with the people we love.”

He says one of the other positive aspects of belonging to a gym, especially this one, is getting the chance to socialize with others in a place where you are greeted with a “hello” as soon as you walk in the door, and always feel welcome.

“We have a whole array of people in here that almost makes it feel like family. And that’s something I really enjoy. I’m very grateful to be here, and I want others to feel that way, too.”

The Body Shop Athletic Club

931-486-2545125 

125 STEPHEN P.YOKICH IN SPRING HILL

AT UAW LOCAL 1853 UNION HALL