St. Anthony´s Carillon Wellness Center
This expansive facility, which opened in the spring, is affiliated with St. Anthony´s Hospital, so it lacks that high-pressure vibe that so many commercial gyms have, where you just peek your head in the door and a half dozen well-muscled folks in tight clothes start waving contracts in your face. St. Anthony´s, which is located in an industrial park near the Raymond James complex close to Feather Sound, has all the latest weight machines, many with computers that personalize the exercises. It has rows and rows of cardio gear, from recumbent bikes to elliptical machines. The free weights are rubber (slightly easier on the toes when you drop them). There´s carpet. And the place smells good — at least for now. The staff is friendly and laid back. The place is not a meat market for preening young singles, but it´s not a grunt palace for muscle-heads, either. Just an inviting place for folks of all sorts to get a workout.
Carillon Wellness Center, 900 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, 727-502-4444, www.stanthonys.com.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.