Hampshire Fitness sold to Northampton health club

By Chad Cain
Staff Writer

Published on October 19, 2007

NORTHAMPTON - The Northampton Athletic Club reached a deal this week to buy the Hampshire Fitness Club in Amherst.

The transaction will enable the longtime Northampton health club to reach into an area of the Valley its owners have been eyeing for some time, said Perry Messer, who owns the Northampton Athletic Club with his wife, Judy.

"We've been looking to expand and this was one area we thought about," Perry Messer said. "This is a good opportunity and we look forward to the challenge."

Messer declined to disclose terms of the sale, which includes Hampshire Fitness' 32,000-square-foot facility at 90 Gatehouse Road and the 8 acres of property it sits on. The club is located off Route 9 not far from Amherst College. It's been open for three decades and owned for more than 20 years by Peter and Debra Scoon.

In addition to traditional health club amenities, the facility has a five-lane pool and hot tub, a pair of tennis courts, a basketball court and land for outdoor activities.

"This is a big facility. It lends itself to ... a lot of programming," Messer said.

The new owners say they will bring changes they deem necessary to make the club more attractive for existing and new members. Some of those include creation of a childcare program, expansion of aerobics offerings, an upgrade to the locker rooms and the installation of new Nautilus and cardiovascular equipment.

The club will also undergo smaller cosmetic improvements, particularly in the way it is laid out.

Messer said he'd like to move equipment and remove walls that divide exercise rooms so the facility has a more open feel.

Messer said the club's 30 full- and part-time employees will remain on staff and more may be added if plans to expand on the club's base of 1,400 customers succeed.

Some of those plans include installing air-conditioning to the tennis court area, building a walking path and cross-country ski trails on the outside property and offering ice skating on a pond not far from the club.

"We want our customers to have a positive experience and to be comfortable coming here," Messer said.

Northampton Athletic Club has come a long way since its founding 25 years ago with one line of Nautilus equipment and two employees. The club employs between 50 and 60 people and has more than 2,000 members. About 10 years ago, the Messers bought the old Graves industrial building at 306 King St. and converted it into the 25,000-square-foot facility that exists today.

The Northampton club includes a cafe and kitchen and wireless Internet access. It also offers basketball and volleyball courts, a play structure and locker rooms with steam and sauna.

Messer believes members of the Northampton and Amherst clubs will benefit from the purchase because each club offers unique services. Hampshire Fitness, for example, includes the pool and tennis courts, while the Northampton club features a 40-foot rock climbing wall and an extensive yoga and Pilates program.

"We've already had a lot of people ask about the ability to cross over and we want to offer that to them," he said. "We expect there will be a nice draw between the two facilities."

Members who belong to one club will be able to upgrade to a "gold membership" if they'd like to use the sister club.

The annual fee for an individual is $499 for a year or $49 a month for one club. A gold membership would be an additional $100 a year or an additional $10 a month, Perry said. Discounts are available for families.

Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.