DavidBartonGym opens at the Bravern
David Barton debuted the premiere West Coast outpost of his namesake gym at the new Shops at the Bravern in Bellevue, Wash. last month. In a city known best for its brain power, the new 40,000 square foot DavidBartonGym has been executed to put the intellect back into exercise. Using equipment and techniques that reflect the scientific advancements of today, DavidBartonGym Bellevue is the XBox to its competitors’ PacMan.
Prior to the gym’s development Barton studied the personality of the region and created an aesthetic that is tailored to the local disposition. Drawing upon the locals’ fondness for the outdoors, Barton used many of the materials that occur in surrounding nature inside the gym. The entrance way is a wooden half pipe carved out of beautifully reclaimed oak, which grows in diameter as you proceed downward past the in-house retail boutique and membership offices. The tunnel, which serves as a warping welcome mat to the multi story space, is a nod to the many skateboard ramps strewn throughout the city. This and other interior elements are meant to send members on a sensory journey, where one’s imagination is inspired to seek the same perfection in their own bodies that they see in the nature surrounding them.
“Gyms are seen as drudgery when they should be an escape,” says owner David Barton. “In Seattle, the interior becomes a sensory landscape informed by the natural landscape which lies outside the windows. In this atmosphere, the imagination is unleashed, and working out becomes exciting- there is no limit to the changes you can make to your body with this kind of inspiration.”
Despite what Barton’s controversial “Look Better Naked” ads may imply, it is physiology, not flash and flesh, that serves as the cornerstone for Barton’s enterprise. As a former body builder and Cornell graduate, Barton has a serious, scientific approach, bringing the best in fitness offerings and expertise to Seattle. The bi-level gym will provide members with a weight-training floor, four colossal training rooms for spinning, group exercise, yoga and pilates, a dedicated cardio area with nearly 100 pieces of equipment and a famed cadre of comprehensively-trained fitness specialists.
Creating what he describes as a “culture of mentoring,” Barton personally oversees the training of every team member to ensure that they are all experts in the scientific implications their craft. To earn Barton’s stamp of approval, which roughly one in thirty applicants do, prospective trainers must prove themselves capable of training the master himself. The end result is an educated, dedicated, integrated fitness team who will not only sculpt clients in individual sessions, but will be instructing all group exercise as well. This system, which was designed to better serve a broader demographic, allows all members to enjoy the highest quality training available in groundbreaking group classes like “Pain and Pleasure,” and “Blood, Sweat & Tears.” This type of personal attention and hands-on service has become synonymous with the David Barton name.
“At DavidBartonGym, we see bodies for what they could be, and our team possesses the expertise to do remarkable things and deliver an ideal image. We really care about people, and that’s how you become more than a business, you become an institution.”
DavidBartonGym in Bellevue is located at The Bravern at 11025 NE 8th Street in Bellevue, Wash. DavidBartonGym will be open Monday through Wednesday 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday and Friday 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to pre-sale, call 425-453-7887 or email Bellevue@dbgym.com.
