HOUSTON – (By Michelle Leigh Smith for Realty News Report) – Not since the Texas Club opened in the early 80s has downtown Houston had such a luxurious wellness and workout mecca that’s open to the public. Midway’s mixed-use GreenStreet opens Life Time at 1201 Main on June 10, a pristine sea of creamy tile, cold plunge pools, saunas, steam rooms and cycle studios spacious enough to accommodate a platoon of athletes. Coupled with the 62,224 SF wellness/spa component, Midway adds a 29,000 SF coworking space with standing desks by Herman Miller, conference rooms and community spaces with soft seating.
“We are pleased to continue our 15-year relationship with Life Time as we welcome Life Time and Life Time Work to GreenStreet,” said Brad Freels, Chairman and CEO, Midway. “It’s wonderful when we are able to partner with companies who share our vision and passion for creating places that engage people in their daily lives. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative we continue to offer our employees and visitors options that promote health, wellness and flexible workspace, and we believe Life Time is the perfect addition to GreenStreet.”
Prices for a 6×4 foot desk including lounge space begin at $462 a month. Each co-working membership includes a Diamond Premiere fitness membership as well. For the Office Resident membership, beginning at $525, the professional may have a private office with room for the team with sit-to-stand Herman Miller desks and lockable file cabinets. There are corporate memberships as well for up to 25 people per company. Rates are on flexible 30-day, 90-day or annual contracts
Remarkably high ceilings give the work spaces a feel of great openness and the soft seatings and premium lighting provide luxury and functionality. There are sound absorption elements and subtle white noise that sounds like air conditioning that make it easy to hear Zoom or phone conversations in privacy.
“You can have an office for two people or up to 16 people,” says James O’Reilly, President of Life Time Work. “This is our sixth wellness/workout facility in the United States and we plan to double that over the next two years, primarily in suburban communities where we can serve the underserved. If you travel for work, you can use any other Life Work facility at no extra charge.” The three Canadian clubs in Mississauga, Woodbridge and Ajax, Ontario remain closed due to Covid.
Life Time Senior Director of Public Relations Natalie Bushaw flew in earlier this week to organize tours for founding members and media. When asked about members of the architectural and design team, she said, “We do it all inside Life Time. We have a whole team of designers, architects, engineers in our property development department.” The firm is based in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Midway’s GreenStreet is a unique location for the 25-year-old Life Time in that most of their 158 properties are in suburban areas and the four blocks of GreenStreet sits smack in the middle of downtown Houston’s Central Business District.
Midway and Lionstone envision creating an urban campus environment at GreenStreet, which struggled previously as the Houston Pavilions before their purchase of the property. Spanning four blocks from Main Street to Caroline Street, GreenStreet has a total of 420,000 SF of office space and several restaurants.
The Life Spa carries top brands including Aveda, Coola and Vivier. Massages begin at $50for 30 minutes and express manicures are $20. Unlike the YMCA, towels are provided as well as whirlpools, lockers and luxury dressing rooms.
“Life Time GreenStreet will be an urban country club for Downtown Houston, meeting the changing needs of consumers—especially as they establish their post-pandemic live, work and play lifestyle,” said Bahram Akradi, Life Time Founder, Chairman and CEO. “The Midway team has done a phenomenal job of reimagining what urban living can be with culture, creativity and innovation and we’re ready to add the healthy way of life aspect through both our athletic club offerings and how people spend their time working.”
Life Time GreenStreet may be accessed through the tower lobby on levels two and three, which will connect from Polk Street to the GreenStreet Lawn, an open area programmed with live music and other community activities. The new downtown Life Time is the 11th club in the Houston market and offers an upscale, welcoming and relaxing experience for members to wholly focus on health and wellness at a time when it’s never been more important. It makes sense for Life Time to focus on Houston because 24 companies headquartered in the Houston metro area are ranked on the 2021 Fortune 500 list. Houston is now behind only New York with 64 Fortune 500 firms and Chicago with 35.
There are three Life Time facilities in NYC, with three more coming online in 2022 at One Wall Street, Dumbo and Park Avenue South and eight in the greater Chicago area.
“Along with Midway we are extremely confident in the impact GreenStreet will have in this downtown area,” says Bushaw.
Located at 1201 Main Street, the club will be open seven days a week. Life Time Work is located at 1201 Fannin.
June 10, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
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File: GreenStreet Opens New Wellness Facility