by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Downtown working woman will have a new workout place starting Monday.
Curves, a nationally franchised exercise salon, will open on the second floor of the BellSouth Tower. It’s owned by Dawne Dowell, who has the Curves salon in San Marco.
“This is totally going to help those women who work and sit at a desk all day,” said Dowell. “There is your break — your stress relief.”
Curves is a place for women to take 30 minutes out of their day to do cardiovascular exercises and use hydraulic resistance machines in a social atmosphere. The exercise equipment and recovery stations are set up in a circle and by listening to the music, women know when to switch stations throughout the half-hour sessions.
Last August, BellSouth’s property managers contacted Dowell after they surveyed the company to find out how many women would be interested in having a place to work out. The survey showed that there were hundreds of women interested in Curves.
When Dowell got the phone call she contacted the franchise to see if it would be possible to have a Curves in a high rise. Out of 9,400 Curves locations across the world, the new location is the first one to open in a high rise.
“When they (BellSouth) called, I had a feeling that it (having a Curves in a high rise) had never been done, and it hasn’t,” said Dowell. “It is extremely rare. Normally they are in a strip mall.”
Before Dowell told BellSouth, “yes” she had to make sure the location would be open to the public.
“It will be open to the public, not just those who work in the building. That is part of the agreement,” she said. “We are breaking new ground and if we are successful, I hope others will follow.”
BellSouth took care of the space that Curves is occupying and Dowell said it took about two months to prepare it on the second floor next to the building’s cafeteria and dinning area. The cafeteria is also planning to implement a weight management program through its menus, she said.
The equipment has been delivered and the BellSouth location is as big as any Curves in the world. Dowell’s location in San Marco on San Marco Boulevard has 20 stations and her new location will have 48 stations.
To be a member of Curves, simply call and schedule an appointment for a tour and body analysis that includes questions on a person’s health history and fitness goals. Dowell encourages women to come in three times a week for 30 minutes.
“It is fun to work out, it is for only 30 minutes, it’s women only and you get the attention of a private trainer without paying the price for one,” said Dowell. “It is a social area, a great place to network and it works.”
Dowell is a living testament. She started going to Curves several years ago and has since lost 60 pounds, 50 inches and seven dress sizes.
“I am more active and it changed my life and attitude toward everything,” she said. “It is nice to find something that really works that doesn’t hurt.”
By traveling to each station within the circle, there are 2-4 muscle groups used at each station and every 7 1/2 minutes, the women stop and check their heart rate.
“Checking their heart rate lets them know if they need to pick it up or slow it down,” she said. “Then they stretch and their heart rate goes back to normal by the time they walk out the door.”
For the week of their grand opening, Curves will open at 9 a.m. on Monday. Walk-ins are welcome on Tuesday and Wednesday from noon-4 p.m. Dowell said appointments are the best way to make sure they get their 30 minutes in. Curves regular hours will be open Monday-Friday from 6-9 a.m. They will close for two hours and open again from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. To make an appointment call 598-0650.