You Can Find Me in the Club: D.C.'s Newest Gyms

THE ECONOMY IS NOT WORKING OUT so well these days, but you might be, considering the number of gyms sprouting up (two — a new Vida and Results — opened just last week). Top-of-the-line equipment should help take your mind off financial crises. And if you invest your membership money wisely, you're sure to get a solid return no matter what happens on Wall Street.

» Vida Fitness Metropole

"It's not just a gym," clarifies David von Storch, owner of Vida, indicating Bang Salon and Aura Spa. Located on the entrance level of the 28,000-square-foot space in Logan Circle, that's where folks can get blown out and body-wrapped before descending into the three floors of fitness downstairs. Sound cavernous? An open design means huge windows on the street level are visible from two floors (and 50 feet) below. "It feels urban and sexy without feeling sexual," von Storch says.

It starts with a cardio area, featuring a D.C. exclusive: Real Ryder stationary bikes that shift from side to side to create more of a core workout. TVs are mounted on virtually every piece of equipment, but the real show may be downstairs, where the weights and machines are; they're divided by body part rather than grouped into circuits. Locker rooms lead to the Zen Spa, with two endless pools and a steam room.

1515 15th St. NW, 202-588-5559, Vidafitness.com.

» Results Gym Mount Vernon

There isn't a pool here, but there is pool. It's just the kind with an eight ball. A pingpong table completes the quirky game room that greets all visitors to Results' digs at City Vista, which were designed to maximize natural light. Think wraparound, floor-to-ceiling, southern exposure windows -- providing quite a view of the developing neighborhood.

But there's plenty to see inside, too. The abs area has TVs loaded with class content, so you can be guided through a core workout. Peek through an aquarium to spy on the co-ed Jacuzzi. A disco ball winks from the ceiling of the cycling studio. And there's a low-tech but clever innovation: "express" lockers on the fitness floor for people who want to lock something up quickly but have no need to change or shower. Owner Doug Jeffries seems almost giddy about the new Hoist line of weight equipment, which makes you move your own body in addition to the traditional weights. "It's more fun because the body rocks. Anyone who does this has a smile on their face," he says.

445 K St. NW, 202-234-5678, Resultsthegym.com.

» Rockville Life Time Athletic

Of all of the wonders packed into this 67,000-square-foot facility, manager Ken Corbett says the biggest draw in the month it has been open has been a person: Robert Sherman, the group exercise director. After 15 years of running F.I.T. in Bethesda, the master trainer closed his studio this summer to join Life Time. At one point last week, the club had 375 members participating in simultaneous group exercise classes.

The vast spa "is like something you'd see at the Bellagio in Vegas," Corbett boasts. As for the gym, there's a functional training area, room for one-on-one Pilates, two projector TVs in the cycling studio (they show clips from the Tour de France to motivate riders) and three brands of equipment "to suit everybody's taste." The child care center has 10 computers and a jungle gym.

1151 Seven Locks Road, Rockville, Md., 240-314-7022, Lifetimefitness.com.

» Fitness First Arlington

Construction is still under way, but general manager Devin Maier promises the 20,000-square-foot club — the largest in the local chain — will open by Nov. 1. The bigger footprint allows the club to have plenty of cardio and weight equipment while also devoting significant space to a functional training area, with pull-up bars, kettlebells and other gym toys. And since it's smack-dab in the office-heavy Courthouse area of Arlington, the club is planning to woo the lunchtime crowd with free parking (although it's just two blocks from the Metro) and two 45-minute "express" classes every weekday between noon and 2 p.m.

Currently, enrollment is an even better bargain than the club's already reasonable rates at other locations — $31 per month for a yearlong contract. Did we mention that includes free personal training?

1310 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, 703-276-0000, Fitnessfirstclubs.com.

» Washington Sports Clubs Columbia Heights

Even Sen. Barack Obama has checked out the newest Washington Sports Clubs location, on the third floor of the DC USA complex above Target. It's no wonder. Besides the usual amenities of cardio equipment, weights and various exercise studios, the mega-gym boasts a four-lane, 75-foot-long pool and a basketball court (which can also be set up for volleyball and soccer — general manager Gonzalo Perez-Tamayo says to look for leagues for all three sports in the future). It's particularly kid-friendly, with a playroom for child care, along with a swimming program. There's also a party room that can be rented for birthdays. Best of all for parents is the family locker room, which offers private clothes changing areas and showers so moms and dads can stay with their children en route to and from the pool.

3100 14th St. NW, 202-986-2281, Mysportsclubs.com.

Photo by Lawrence Luk for Express