La Sala Reposado, a gym that offers yoga and other group exercises, recently opened at the Fan. (Photo courtesy of La Sala Reposado)
A local gym owner opened her third health-related concept in about as many years, all in the same building near the corner of Cary and Robinson streets in Fan.
Kerith Rae last month opened The Reposado Room at 2614 W. Cary St., where it occupies a 1,000-square-foot space above the Kreggers at Hand restaurant.
Reposado is dedicated to yoga, pilates and other group exercise activities. It joins Rae’s personal training gym, Tequila & Deadlifts, and Agave Spa, which also rent space in the same building.
Rae said she was inspired to open Reposado to complement her other concepts and introduce a new gym to Fan. She said that she intends Reposado to be a lower-cost alternative to other similar studios in the city.
“Something I really struggled with is access and affordability,” Rae said. “Some (studies) are incredibly expensive.”
Reposado memberships range from a $20 entry fee for a single session to a $100 unlimited monthly membership, according to their website.
After its first weeks in business, the new studio has 30 regular direct package users and two monthly members, which was close to Rae’s expectations for membership growth due to the challenge of opening a gym in the summer and amid increases in the cost of living,
“I think 2022 could be more difficult than 2021 for people financially. A lot of people I know have stopped doing extracurricular activities because finances are tight,” Rae said.
Reposado has capacity for 20 users at a time.
Rae leases the use of the three concepts’ spaces to independent instructors and other health-related professionals. Rae said there are about 20 personal trainers, a physical therapist and two massage therapists among the people operating out of the spaces.
“Every person there owns their own business,” Rae said.
Rae’s first fitness concept in the building was Tequila & Deadlifts, which occupies 2,500 square feet and opened in January 2019. The Agave Spa uses 1,000 square feet of space and opened in late 2020. Reposado was previously a space for events operated by Rae.
Rae previously worked in marketing for local donut chain Sugar Shack and then at Henrico-based pet treat maker Best Bully Sticks before opening Tequila & Deadlifts. She manages her fitness concepts like her full time job. Rae plans to hold an open house for her concepts on Sunday.
The name Reposado is a reference to a type of tequila, which is Rae’s alcoholic beverage of choice and is mentioned in the names of her other companies.
“Tequila is my favorite kind of alcohol,” Rae said. “It’s always been my thing.”
In other local fitness moves, City Councilman Andreas Addison recently opened his own gym in Scott’s Addition.
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