HOT SPOT ~ Warming Trend

If you’re looking for a cozier feel than the classic steel-and-mirrors gym, check out Elysium Fitness, the Upper West Side’s newest one-on-one workout facility, opened by Equinox alum Tony Hearns. The arches and columns- even the towel containers- are mahogany, and the products in the showers are Clinique and Origins, not your average generic brands. The biggest draws here, though, are privacy and personal attention; at Elysium, there are never more than eight people working out at once (sign up early for the 8 A.M. slot). When you’re finished on the Cybex and Free Motion equipment, ease your aching muscles with massage and physical therapy. Elysium also has a machine that tests your oxygen capacity, as well as Body Gem, a software program- compatible with your computer or palm device- into which you type your daily food intake. It breaks down what you are eating and tells you whether to consume more or less. How’s that for full service? (117 West 72nd Street; 212-721-1010.)

~~ New York Magazine, Feb 2003