Olaf Growald
There’s nothing particularly flashy about the exterior of RevFit, the newly opened boutique fitness studio situated next to a Smoothie King in an innocuous Hulen Street strip center.
Inside, however, is a different story. Clients walk into a clean, modern entry space, waiting among their peers until the next door opens to reveal a spacious dark room, where neon-colored lights bounce off the walls and up-tempo music pulses through the speakers.
Compare it to a rave, but owner and managing partner Gary D. Simpson calls it the “Disneyland of it all.”
“You’re stepping into an environment just one notch up instead of going through a door, grabbing weights, or jumping on a spin cycle,” he says. “The door opens, the room is ready for you, and the music starts. You just feel like something is happening.”
The experience factor — which many businesses (particularly retailers) have been tapping into in an effort to appeal to younger consumers — is a big deal at RevFit. Since opening in May, Simpson says the studio has consciously worked to build up the “fireworks” around each workout — and not just through flashy lights and sounds.
The basic structure of each class has clients rotating among five stations, alternating between two different workouts within a designated space. You’ll do everything from lifting kettlebells to working a rowing machine before taking a break and moving onto the next station, all during a 50-minute session.
The point of keeping the room dark and everyone separated, aside from social distancing because of COVID-19, is to allow clients to focus on themselves rather than worrying about the person next to them, operating partner Kevin Forbes says.
“There are a lot of studios out there that are bright. When you have that brightness, you can sometimes feel that insecurity of people watching you,” Forbes says. “When you’re in a dark room, there are no mirrors; it is literally [just] you. You can now push yourself based on you. You’re not competing with everyone else; you’re competing against yourself.”
RevFit’s concept was years in the making, originating, of all places, in Orange County, California, where Simpson and his family were living at the time. While there, Simpson (through his son, Nathan) met Forbes and future business partner Reid Warner, who both had experience in personal training and opening fitness studios. Forbes says the trio planned to come to Fort Worth a couple of years ago with a different concept. Then the pandemic arrived, and “everything flipped,” forcing them to go back to the drawing board.
“Can we, one, create the experience but also, two, create a safe space that people feel comfortable with, especially based off the last year where we’re 6 feet apart from everyone?” Forbes says. “We’re alone, we’re on an island, but we want to bridge that island to community back.”
Beyond the workout itself, another big part of the experience is a purposeful effort to get to know clients on a personal level. Instructors learn your name, will come by your station, and guide you through movements. And if you haven’t been in the studio in a while, they’ll send you a text to make sure you’re OK.
“All these little things are ingrained in the experience,” Warner says. “You have all the big moments, but you also feel like there’s somebody there who cares about you.”
The Hulen studio is currently RevFit’s only location. Only months into the business, Simpson says some folks have already expressed interest in franchising, but he’d like to refine the flagship product before making moves to expand.
“We can do something to move the paradigm of athletics into a world where you can engage socially; get strong; get healthy — mind, body, and soul; and don’t even realize it because you’re having fun,” Simpson says. “That’s what we dream.”
TIPS FOR SURVIVING REVFIT
Stretch beforehand. If you don’t, prepare for major soreness afterward. Stretching can also prevent injury.
Follow the screens. Screens on both walls of the room demonstrate the workout you should be doing at your station.
Wipe down your equipment. RevFit provides sanitizing wipes so you can disinfect your equipment before moving on to the next station. Considering COVID-19, be courteous to other classmates and be sure to wipe down your area thoroughly.