Anytime Fitness, hot yoga coming to Sartell this summer

SARTELL — A new Anytime Fitness location, which will incorporate dedicated hot yoga studio K. Power Yoga, is coming to Sartell this summer. 

John and Kelsey Schultz, owners of Anytime Fitness in Sauk Rapids, are co-franchising a new Anytime Fitness at 809-10th Ave. N in Sartell.

"Sartell is growing so much that there is a market and a need for a little bit larger fitness facility that fulfills the needs of a busy household," said John Schultz, 37. "We're your spot, man." 

Anytime Fitness is a health and fitness club franchise that offers personal training and group classes in addition to access to cardio and weight-lifting equipment. Anytime Fitness locations are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 

"If you want to come work out at 3 a.m. on Christmas Eve, you can do that," Schultz said Monday. 

Construction on the new location will begin June 1, according to Schultz, with plans to open sometime in August. The facility will feature 5,500 square feet of gym space in addition to a 1,000-square-foot hot yoga studio, K. Power Yoga. 

The Sartell location will be the couple's fifth Anytime Fitness franchise, though they sold their first three locations as they moved from St. Paul to Rochester with their two children, Leo and Lainey. 

Central Minnesota is hardly unfamiliar territory for the couple. They met at the Red Carpet Nightclub while both attended St. Cloud State University.

But after the move, Kelsey Schultz, 35, found herself struggling to connect with the yoga studios and classes in the area. 

"I was really into (hot yoga) when we were living in the Twin Cities, and practiced a lot at CorePower Yoga, which is a hot yoga studio," said Schultz, who has practiced yoga for about 12 years. 

"I just love it. Like, a lot. ... I tried out pretty much everything in (the St. Cloud area) and I just couldn't find that type of yoga experience that I was having in the Twin Cities."

So Schultz decided to scratch her itch by creating K. Power Yoga, which will act as Anytime Fitness Sartell's in-house hot yoga studio. 

Practiced in a room heated to 92-98 degrees Fahrenheit, hot yoga is designed to release the fascia (connective tissue beneath the skin that separates muscles and internal organs,) deepen the stretch of each pose and stimulate sweating, which helps to "really release a lot of the toxins that are in your body," according to Schultz, who is completing her yoga teacher certification through CorePower. 

Kelsey said everyone will be welcome at K. Power classes, from newbies to experienced yogis alike.

"I think people who have dabbled in yoga and who have never done hot yoga will be re-energized in their practice, and probably surprised at how the heat can deepen and challenge their poses," she said. "And people who have never done it before are in for a really exciting surprise." 

Both Schultzes described hot yoga as a profoundly joyful, almost spiritual experience. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of," John said. "I feel like I'm growing as a person when I'm doing it. The workout and the detox is incredible." 

Kelsey said she hopes that the introduction of hot yoga through Anytime Fitness and K. Power will inspire the Sartell community to take time for themselves. 

"We get so dang busy!" she laughed. "Sartell people are busy folks — lots of families, lots of activities — so I'm hoping they can find the space in K. Power studio to hit 'refresh.'" 

A yoga-exclusive membership to the K. Power Yoga studio is available without an Anytime Fitness membership, according to the couple, though an Anytime Fitness membership would provide 24/7 access to the gym in addition to yoga. 

John said he and his wife pride themselves on providing a personal, genuine fitness and training experience at their gyms, which they hope will resonate with their future Sartell customers. 

"No matter how large or small you think your goal is, having someone in your corner in a facility that you actually like to come to is going to help you achieve that," John said. "That's Anytime Fitness's bread and butter, and we think we can serve the Sartell community really well in (the new) location." 

Follow Alyssa Zaczek on Twitter: @sctimesalyssa, email her at azaczek@stcloudtimes.com, or call her at (320) 255-8761.

To learn more ... 

Anytime Fitness Sartell and K. Power Yoga will be located at 809-10th Ave. N, Sartell.

Construction will break ground June 1 with an expected opening date in August. 

Anytime Fitness Sauk Rapids is at 225 Second Ave. N, Sauk Rapids. To learn more about this Anytime Fitness location, call: (320) 230-8484.