Who knew sweating it out could mean so much? Just ask the owners, staff and members of SPENGA West Chester. Located on Princeton Glendale Road in the Kroger plaza, the gym has a cool, sleek storefront on the outside, and inside, there’s a warm, encouraging, tight-knit community that goes well beyond its four walls.
In fact, more than 50 members of the SPENGA crew went to Keeneland in April, taking a rented charter bus to the storied racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky.
“How many people want to go to Keeneland with people they know from the gym? But it is truly family,” says Christine Austin, who’s the majority owner of the SPENGA West Chester, along with her husband Stephen Austin.
However, not too long ago, it looked like this fitness family would have to go their separate ways.
From riding a bike to running a business
When Christine first joined SPENGA West Chester three years ago, she never imagined she’d one day be its owner. She just liked SPENGA’s unique workout concept, which combines 20 minutes of spin, 20 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes of yoga into an all-in-one, one-hour workout. About nine months after Christine joined, she convinced Stephen to give it a spin too, and he soon became a member. The couple’s workouts kept rolling along, and Christine even trained to become a SPENGA instructor. Then, it all came to a stop last October, when the previous owner announced that SPENGA West Chester would be closing its doors in three days. The location’s 200 members were devastated by the news.
“This is their outlet. This is their sanity, their routine,” explains Christine.
However, at the farewell party, the previous owner shared a glimmer of hope—the Austins were looking into purchasing this franchise location. Hearing that, several members and spouses reached out to the couple, offering to help. In the end, the Austins were able to purchase the franchise on their own, and everyone came together to keep the workouts—and community—going during the three-week transition period.
“Our instructors were amazing,” recounts Christine. “They held outside workouts at Muhlhauser Barn.”
The Saturday before the gym reopened, the Austins held a “Spring Cleaning Day,” and many members showed up with cleaning supplies in hand.
“I’ve never had so much fun cleaning,” recalls Christine. “We had the music blaring. We brought drinks and snacks. It was great.”
On November 7, 2022, SPENGA West Chester reopened, but the Austins still had a challenging road ahead of them. Initially, short of instructors, Christine was teaching 11 classes a week, and Stephen was working double duty between their new business and his day job. For the next several weeks, the gym became the Austins’ home away from home. However, life has given both plenty of training in tackling challenges head-on. Stephen’s an Air Force veteran, and for many years, Christine raised her son as a single mom. Now grown, her son Logan, who has spina bifida, works at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Hitting their stride
Eventually, the uphill climb of reopening leveled out. Christine was able to bring on new instructors, and several former instructors returned. One of the instructors even hosted a staff bonding retreat. That level of support is an integral part of the workout sessions, as well.
“What we try to do is get everyone engaged,” says Stephen. “We motivate each other.”
“If I go to a big gym, I’m not going to push myself,” adds Christine. “There’s no one there to say, ‘Come on, pick up that heavier weight.’”
A one-hour SPENGA session comes with lots of personal attention and encouragement—Christine’s a former cheerleader for Lakota—but don’t expect to take it easy, just ask a few men who attended the Valentine’s couples’ workout.
“We had these big, buff guys in here, and they were just shocked,” says Stephen.
The workout can be modified for a range of fitness levels, and people of all ages attend—from those in their late 60s to late teens.
In fact, since the reopening membership has grown to more than 300 members—and counting. After all, where else can you go for a workout and a bachelorette party at the same location?
“They want their bachelorettes to come in and do what they love,” says Christine. “Then, we’ll provide a little after-party for them.”
It’s obvious that for many members the spinning, weights and yoga are just the beginning of their journey at SPENGA West Chester. They come for the workout, but they stay for the community.
“At 50 years old, I own a gym,” says Christine. “Don’t let anyone stop your dreams. I think a lot of that just comes from looking at Logan and his life. He’s super proud of us.”
Learn more and sign up for a free trial session with the SPENGA team online.
SPENGA West Chester | SpengaWestChester.com
7996 Princeton Glendale Road, Suite 101, West Chester
513.447.6448
It’s obvious that for many members the spinning, weights and yoga are just the beginning of their journey at SPENGA West Chester. They come for the workout, but they stay for the community.