ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — People of all skill and fitness levels can enjoy the latest trend in workouts in Rocky River, with the opening of HOTWORX 24-hour infrared fitness studio and gym.
The studio offers the option of getting in quick workouts with virtual trainers in the same kind of infrared saunas that are touted by the Cleveland Clinic as incredibly beneficial for your overall health and well-being.
Owner Jeremy Barnes fell in love with this type of workout after experiencing injuries from other training styles, and decided he needed to bring this concept to Northeast Ohio.
"I've been a fitness enthusiast my whole adult life, and in my twenties at different times I got into powerlifting, CrossFit and bodybuilding, all of which are pretty rough on our body, in particular our joints," Jeremy said. "I had several injuries in the process, with the final straw being a herniated disc that left me bedridden and unable to workout for months.
"I decided I needed to make a change in the way I trained, and while I was on a business trip I discovered HOTWORX. After a few weeks of training daily in the infrared saunas, my back felt so much better. I sweated more than I ever had in my entire life by far, and I LOVE to sweat. On top of all of that, the mental clarity I had was incredible, as well. It was addicting. From that moment on I was hooked and knew I needed to bring HOTWORX to the Cleveland area."
HOTWORX offers both isometric and high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts in its infrared saunas, in addition to a functional exercise zone (the "FX zone") equipped with bands, weights, ropes, and other equipment.
When it comes to the isometric and HIIT sessions, one of the perks is the ability to get in and get out as quickly as possible.
"My favorite two things about our workouts is that they are short (either 15 or 35 minutes per session) and they are for all fitness levels," Jeremy said.
"Being able to stop by and get in a quick 15 minutes cycle session is very valuable to those of us with children and/or other obligations. And it's all go-at-your-own-pace, so professional athletes along with total beginners can take the same class and find it equally as challenging based on the effort they put in."
Jeremy can't say enough good things about working out in infrared heat. From his experience, it's been a total game changer for this mental and physical health.
"As far as the infrared heat goes, I love it for so many reasons," he said. "Firstly, it cleared up my skin drastically and so many of our members say the same thing. The infrared heat penetrates your skin up to 1.5 inches and cleans our your pores as deep as possible.
"Second, it's great for detoxification. The large majority of us are living our day-to-day lives with high levels of toxic metals in our body, like aluminum from our deodorant, arsenic from vegetables we eat, etc. These heavy metals cause many negative symptoms, but the one I notice the most is brain fog. The best way to detox heavy metals, by far, is sweating. The mental clarity I have when I do HOTWORX regularly and get a good sweat versus when I don't is drastic.
"Lastly, I love the healing benefits. I still weight train with the dumbbells and the cable machine at HOTWORX, and I am rarely ever sore and recover so quickly thanks to the infrared heat."
Several articles on the HOTWORX website also point to working out in infrared heat being linked to burning fat more quickly, meaning in both less time spent per session and showing more visible results after fewer sessions.
Once Jeremy made the decision to start opening his own HOTWORX studios, Rocky River felt the like right place, for a lot of reasons.
"I love the Rocky River community and the surrounding areas," he said. "I personally live in Lakewood and love being by the water and the huge amount of awesome bars and restaurants in both towns. It is overall a very fit community thanks in part to all the available areas to bike and run."
Jeremy is also co-owner of the HOTWORX location in Strongsville. If you'd like to join at either location, membership is $59 per month and that gets you unlimited access to the studio that you sign up in. Members are able to pay in a $10 drop-in fee to workout in other HOTWORX locations, or you can sign up for the "sweat everywhere" membership which gives you access to every HOTWORX location in the US for $79 per month. There are no fees for missed workouts, and no annual equipment upgrade charges.
The studios are staffed Monday through Saturday during the day. The door is always locked for safety reasons. Members have their own access code to get in the studio, and all workouts are scheduled through the HOTWORX app.
