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Texas Health and Racquet Club Owner Randall Lavender and his staff were excited for Monday, which marked the first day gyms could reopen in Texas after being shut down for a month amid the coronavirus crisis.
But Lavender wasn’t sure what kind of crowd he would see on the gym’s first day back. He knew the club’s younger clients were eager to get back but wasn’t sure about the gym’s older crowd. It didn’t take Lavender long to realize many, no matter the age, were ready to get back to THRC.
“It’s been amazing,” Lavender said. “I knew that my staff was very excited because we’re all fitness fanatics. But what was neat was to see all of our members. We’ve had all age ranges already show up … I'm really excited to see a lot of our members — members that have been here for 20 years that are lined up to come in, which makes me proud. It makes me excited to work.”
Gyms reopening must follow guidelines set forth by Gov. Greg Abbott. Gym facilities must operate with 25% capacity inside indoor facilities and places with outdoor facilities can operate their outdoor spaces without a limit as long as proper social-distancing rules are followed. Gyms must also keep their locker rooms and saunas closed.
Gyms have been guided to space out workout equipment to provide for at least 6 feet of separation between members. Gyms must also regularly and frequently clean and disinfect any regularly touched surfaces; disinfect any item that comes into contact with customers; provide equipment cleaning products throughout the facilities; and make hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, soap and water or similar disinfectant available for everyone in the gym.
THRC, which has two locations at 109 E. McCarty Ln. and 110 E. MLK Dr., is adhering to these guidelines established by Abbott. THRC members are met at the front door and have their temperature taken. They are then asked if they or someone they’ve frequently been around has had a persistent cough. If they answer, yes, they are asked to leave the facility. Inside, gym goers must wear gloves and face masks are optional. Gym members are also given towels to clean up the area where they workout. The gym is also using an electrostatic sanitizing sprayer to keep the facility clean.
Lavender said all hands are on deck to make sure THRC is as clean and safe as possible.
“We were always known as being extremely clean and extremely tedious in regard to how we went about cleaning the place,” Lavender said. “Now that we’re going to have all hands on deck, including the members being responsible for both before and after exercising and using the equipment, that makes it that much better because we already had planned to do everything in our power to accommodate everybody but it helps that much more whenever we’ve got all of the members involved in it.”
THRC is among several gyms in town to open Monday, including Str8 Training, Metroflex and Gold’s Gym. Exercise facilities such as Orangetheory Fitness have plans to open at a later date. Orangetheory said on Facebook that it plans to hold classes starting on Saturday.
Emily Weusi, who owns Str8 Training San Marcos and Weusi Wellness Cafe with her husband Hom, said they are taking extra precautions to keep their gym members safe.
“The main thing that we are doing to keep people safe is helping them build their immune systems by practicing a healthy lifestyle virtually and in person throughout the pandemic,” Weusi said in an email. “We decided to open our gym, Str8 Training San Marcos on May 18 so that those who want to resume in-person physical activity can do so in a comfortable environment and at a safe distance.”
As gyms begin to reopen in San Marcos, Lavender said he’s looking forward to seeing how THRC’s members respond to the gym opening back up.
“The moment we found out that (gyms were going to be shut down), we suspended dues. That was something that I think very few, if any other clubs followed suit, but we did that because I knew this was going to be a tough time for everybody,” Lavender said. “But my goal was, I wanted everybody to know that we’re the local place. I didn’t want to be a burden on my community, I wanted to help the community because one thing that we’ve learned from this nasty, nasty virus is the healthier you are, the easier it is to get through this … I think the faster that people get back in and start taking care of themselves whether they do it here or outside the community they’re going to be healthier.”
