Freddy Bailys put a new spin on his life, moving on from a longtime job with his family company to setting up a Jacksonville franchise for Full Psycle.
Full Psycle is an indoor cycling studio and Jacksonville will be its first Florida franchise location.
“We move to the beat, tone your full body and monitor your performance in real time,” Bailys said.
Bailys expects it will open in April. The studio will be next to Retro Fitness in Harbour Village at Atlantic Boulevard and San Pablo Road.
Bailys, 54, is a 23-year triathlete and left 1-800-Flowers.com and the Jacksonville-based family company it partnered with, Napco Marketing, to follow his interests.
“I’ve always been a fitness enthusiast and thought it would be great to bring something like this to Jacksonville,” he said.
Bailys, a 32-year employee and global buyer for the marketing company, said it was time.
He said Napco Marketing, based in Baymeadows, was bought by 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. about nine years ago. He was part of the family that ran Napco.
BloomNet, a subsidiary of 1-800-Flowers.com, announced in 2009 that it was offering more products and services after a partnering of 1-800-Flowers.com and Napco Marketing Corp.
Napco is a division of BloomNet Inc. and a member of the 1-800-Flowers.com family of brands.
Founded in 1939 in Cleveland, Napco Marketing is an importer, developer and distributor of products for the floral and gift industries.
Napco was described as a third-generation family-operated company. It moved to Jacksonville in 1984 and operates a corporate office, showroom and distribution center in Deerwood Center.
Bailys left that career for the cycling business. His wife, Allison, is skilled at CrossFit and will be handling the financial side of the business and the front desk.
Bailys is manager of FP JAX LLC, which does business as Full Psycle. He said the investment total has not been determined.
“I just needed a change,” he said, calling his buying days a great career but saw Psycle as an opportunity to do something different.
A pending building permit shows The Angelo Group Inc. will renovate space at 13475 Atlantic Blvd., No. 17, at a cost of almost $300,000.
A Harbour Village site plan shows Full Psycle in 1,627 square next to Retro Fitness. The shopping center is anchored by Stein Mart and The Fresh Market.
Fullpsycle.com says it “combines rhythm riding and choreography, upper body strength training and performance measurement to create the most effective, efficient and exciting workout in fitness.”
It says it features cycling instructors, equipment, studios and a proprietary concept that includes a 45-minute full-body cycling workout.
The first Full Psycle studio was founded in 2013 in Costa Mesa, California. Full Psycle Franchising LLC is based in Houston.
The site shows 14 locations in six states are open or coming soon, including at Harbour Village, the only site listed in Florida.
Full Psycle said that from “Los Angeles to New York City, indoor cycling has become one of the fastest-growing workout concepts in fitness.”
It says boutique fitness has experienced more than 400 percent year-over-year growth since 2010 and makes up 42 percent of the health club market, “with no signs of slowing down.”
Another indoor cycling company, CycleBar, is shown on plans for Gateway Village at Town Center.
Bailys said the full-body indoor cycling experience is new to the city.
“I was looking for something different to do and came across this opportunity and jumped on it,” he said.
Bailys said the experience incorporates weights, choreography, music and lighting. The studio will feature 30 bikes and sell memberships that include daily, monthly and annual passes.
“We are going to try to build a community for riders where everybody is accountable for each other,” he said.
There’s no age limit and Bailys said customers can range from 18 to 85. They can spin at their own pace while a typical 45-minute class can lead to burning 500 to 800 calories, he said.
Metrics keep track of the riders’ performance and customers receive an email after each class with their statistics. Bailys said the system will track power, RPMs, heart rate and calories burned and allow for in-class competition.
Bailys said he expected to need three to four employees as well as contract instructors.
There’s the opportunity to add locations.
The FullPsycleHarbourVillage page on Facebook describes its stadium-style studio as having “the most comfortable bikes in the world, nightclub-rivaling sound and lighting, unparalleled ambiance, complimentary workout and chilled eucalyptus towels and the world’s premier cycling instructors, all committed to transforming your body and your life, one ride at a time.”
Bailys said Full Psycle will provide free rides during its soft opening to educate area residents about the studio.
