Local gym rolling out 24-hour access ahead of anniversary

WASILLA — Christmas and New Year’s are now past and for many, it’s currently resolution season — when the exercise/lose weight/eat right mantra drives folks to the nearest produce section or health club in hopes of sticking with it this time.

The gym scene is competitive when it comes to that new year’s rush — parking lots at local health clubs like the Alaska Club, Body Renew, Curves and the MTA Sports Center are consistently full this time of year and each have their own featured perks. But one smaller local club is gaining members, keeping them and adding its own amenities ahead of a one-year milestone.

Midnight Sun Athletic Club will celebrate its first anniversary in February, and owners Tim and Carrieann Hall are hoping 2016 is even more productive with the addition of 24-hour access and more classes at its Knik-Goose Bay Road location. Body Renew also offers 24-hour access.

The Halls’ gym, located above a Subway restaurant, was formerly at fitness studio, so the layout was fairly move-in ready, said Tim, who also owns Hall’s Auto Body in Palmer. Carrieann, a fitness trainer and coach, manages the business.

“This is my baby,” Carrieann said of the clean, well-lighted facility. “Tim’s baby is the body shop.”

The couple said 2015 was a break-even year with all the equipment purchases, but said they’re excited about growing the business. The 24-hour access already has drawn some interest, Carrieann said. Midnight Sun has no contracts; single memberships run $55 per month and family memberships are $69 with up to five members of a household 14-years-old and up.

“We have had a lot of interest in the 24-hour schedule,” Carrieann said. “We will have a scan card for the door and monitored surveillance.”

The club offers a wide range of free weights, two squat racks, a cable machine and cardio equipment. A group room hosts pole-fit and dance classes, with yoga sessions planned for the coming months, Hall said. Midnight Sun also features tanning booths and a kids’ play area.

“We are a family-friendly gym — there is no intimidation factor here,” she said. “Our members say this is a place they want to come to rather than one they feel they have to. We’re hands on and will know your name.”

Carrieann is a fitness trainer as well as a coach for figure, physique and bikini posing competitions. Tim won titles in the light heavyweight and masters divisions at the 2015 Alaska State Bodybuilding Championships and coaches as well. The club features a junior fitness group lead by Jennifer Reilly, which focuses on gymnastics, cheerleading and posing.

Other trainers include Rachel Covey and Heidi Cox.

Samantha McKown has four children ages 7-12 in the junior classes, and said the ability for all the kids to be with each other as a group was important. McKown also works at the club.

“All the kids have had their struggles with confidence,” McKown said. “They are just so proud of what they have been able to accomplish and it’s one of the activities that I don’t have to push them to do.”

While the Midnight Sun Muscle Club is based out of the gym, Carrieann Hall said that often leads to a mislabeling of the operation.

“I think there is a perception that we are just a bodybuilding club,” she said. “We do have that as a focus, but we are so much more as an overall gym and a place for the whole family.”

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com