Background
Reshape Fitness is a new high-end club that opened on Beckenham high street on 17 October 2022. Its goal: to bring a luxe boutique gym vibe, usually reserved for London, to the suburbs.
Offering two distinct gym spaces and a group cycling studio – gym one being cardio plus lower body resistance, gym two predominantly free weights and group exercise – Reshape Fitness is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Theo Loucas and Ozzie Fadil. Identifying a growing interest in health and fitness post-pandemic, Reshape is their first venture in the fitness sector.
The whole club adopts a recurring ‘Re’ theme for a highly branded experience: Refuel for the juice bar; Recover for sauna, steam and massage; Redress for the changing rooms; and classes such as Re-heat (HIIT), Re-round (circuits), Re-cycle (cycling) and Re-build (resistance) on the group exercise timetable.
Objective
When Loucas and Fadil met Physical at a trade show, Reshape Fitness had already been designed and specced by an architect to meet their high-end vision.
“We knew what we were creating,” confirms Loucas. “We just needed to find suppliers who could deliver the quality we wanted in an affordable way, and to a fairly tight deadline.”
He continues: “As soon as we started speaking to Physical, we knew we wanted to work with them. The team there is hugely knowledgeable and helpful – they understood exactly what we were trying to do and proposed excellent solutions – and the products are great quality.”
Solution
“The standout product has to be the rig,” adds Fadil. “We shopped around, but Physical’s was head and shoulders above everyone else’s. We have it in our own pantone referenced colour scheme and it fits our space perfectly.”
Other than the tiled-floor changing rooms, Physical also supplied all flooring throughout the club, making specific recommendations for each area based on the usage and training styles it would support. The result is a perfect combination of everything from freeweight tiles to luxury vinyl to a custom turf track that’s been fully branded to Reshape.
Accessories were also supplied by Physical, including medicine balls, kettlebells, sandbags, slam balls, bands, punchbags for the rig and, says Fadil, “all the other bits and pieces we needed”.
He adds: “Physical met every need we had, identifying the perfect solutions for our concept. With its broad range of competitively priced products, we were also able to get everything we needed from one place. They made our lives very easy.”
Result
“We’ve been open for a week and already the wow factor of what Physical has helped us create is evident,” says Loucas. “The rig is now the centrepiece of our weights room, while the custom turf track that runs down the middle of the space is another fantastic, eye-catching feature.”
“And, of course, all the products we’ve got from Physical are really high quality, which is vital to our concept,” adds Fadil. “We’ve also enjoyed excellent customer service from the word go, a highly professional installation team and great aftercare.
“Physical has been a fantastic partner for us on this project.”
The thames club
The Thames Club, Staines, Surrey
Equipment & Flooring for Power Studio
Independent Commercial Gym
Background
The Thames Club is an independent club in Staines, Surrey, where members enjoy access to a wide range of facilities and services: a multi-zoned gym, an EGYM studio, a 20m indoor pool, sauna/steam and three group exercise studios that host 96 classes a week. A further 66 premium reformer pilates and hot yoga classes are also on offer.
Personal training and nutritional advice are available, as are a range of wellness services offered by third-party providers: physiotherapy, reiki and mindset training/life coaching.
“With a comprehensive approach to fitness and wellness, we support our members to lead balanced, healthy lives – all set in a welcoming environment that fosters community and belonging,” says Lindsey Perry, head of group exercise at The Thames Club.
Under the ownership of new investors since April 2024, the club is now in the process of redeveloping and uplifting its already extensive offering. The goal: to create a luxurious environment across the whole club, meeting growing member expectations, embracing new trends and delivering the ultimate workout experience.
Phase one of the redevelopment was the club’s High Energy studio, which relaunched on 16 September 2024 as the POWER studio.
Objective
“When the studio was known as the High Energy studio, it was often mistakenly perceived to mean high impact,” says Perry. “It was, in fact, a multi-purpose group exercise studio with a more traditional line-up of classes.
“Meanwhile, expectations of group exercise have evolved significantly over recent years as people have become more informed. It isn’t just about cardio workouts any more but about strength, movement, function and quality of life. That requires a broad and balanced programme that spans physical fitness and wellness.
“Boutique studios have further raised expectations of immersive environments with great music and lighting, unique programming and top instructors.
“Fully overhauling this studio was therefore an important first phase in uplifting the whole club.”
“It was fantastic working with Physical on our POWER studio project. We wanted next-level equipment from a reliable, trustworthy company, ideally UK-based with a local warehouse. We also wanted competitive prices without any compromise in the product quality. Physical ticked all these boxes and more.”
Lindsey Perry, head of group exercise, The Thames Club
Solution
The new POWER studio offers signature workouts that span strength, functional fitness and heart rate-based HIIT. “Between them, these programmes address the full span of people’s physical fitness needs, from cardiovascular health to strength, function, flexibility and mobility,” says Perry.
“Not only that, but the sessions build members’ confidence and knowledge for when they’re working out on their own in the gym. We had a master trainer in to train our team, so they are now all super-confident in sharing their knowledge with members.
“This isn’t just group exercise. With a maximum of 20 people in each session and a new way of coaching our unique programmes, it’s group personal training.”
Perry continues: “In our POWER studio, immersive lighting and an epic sound system come together with expert trainers and next-level equipment from Physical to create a dynamic and motivating environment. It has dramatically elevated our group fitness timetable.”
To meet the needs of strength, functional and HIIT workouts, Physical supplied SkiErgs and Assault Bikes alongside a broad range of functional and free weight equipment: kettlebells, sandbells, power (PBX) bags, dumbbells, slam balls, medicine balls, power bands, TRXs, tyres, battle ropes and stretch mats.
Physical also provided storage for the equipment, rubber floor tiles and a 11m x 2m turf track. This was bespoke branded for the club, but Perry deliberately commissioned an understated track in anthracite and black with white numbers. “We wanted our new studio space to be flexible enough to accommodate different class styles,” she explains.
This is also why lighting – rather than permanent floor markings – is used to create the lanes for HIIT classes. Participants move between six lanes which are lit up in red, blue, orange, yellow, green and purple. One lane is always the turf track with tyres, battle ropes and prowlers; one is always the cardio equipment; and the other lanes feature varying combinations of the functional kit.
For functional and strength classes, the lighting system is used to create different ambiences across different workouts.
Result
“Studios such as this – the dark room, the atmospheric lighting… They aren’t only for Gen Zs,” says Perry. “One of our most popular classes is our new over-60s functional workout. I’ve had a number of people tell me they schedule their whole week so they can make these classes.
“In fact, demand is so high that only two weeks on from launch, I’m already trying to find another slot on the timetable for this programme. It’s a fantastic workout for function, movement and quality of life, with our oldest participant aged 94!
“We’re seeing more men in the studio, too, and have lots of members telling us they feel as though they’re getting personal training with the level of knowledge they gain from class. There’s a great sense of community already building around the new studio.”
She adds: “Phase two of the club uplift will be the reception and café area, but our other studios are firmly on the list. I can’t wait to bring them up to the level of our POWER studio and will certainly look to Physical to help us with this.”
Why? Perry enthuses: “It was fantastic working with Physical on our POWER studio project. We wanted next-level equipment from a reliable, trustworthy company, ideally UK-based with a local warehouse. We also wanted competitive prices without any compromise in the product quality. Physical ticked all these boxes and more.
“I had already used Physical for many years and had a great rapport with Paul [Farrell, Physical account manager]. The trust I already had in Physical was a major factor in choosing them as our partner; other companies offered similar pricing, but I knew I could trust Physical to be absolutely reliable.
“And so it proved, with great communication, great customer service, quick responses and easy access to the team from start to finish. They also worked around our schedule when we had some last-minute issues on the building work. I very much look forward to collaborating with them on the next project!”
