Read about some of the gyms and wellness centers that got top honors, and click through the slideshow to see the full list of finalists in the Wellness & Pampering category.
This past year was one of change for the studio previously known as Fitness on the Water. Positive change.
It renamed itself Privè-Swiss Fitness, a reference to the private wellness retreat that began the company. Its affiliate, Essex Wellness Center, became Privè-Swiss Wellness.
With its comprehensive wellness services, including naturopathic medicine and acupuncture, as well as massage, facials, nutrition counseling, and more, it's no surprise that readers named Privè-Swiss Wellness the Shoreline's Best Wellness Center and Best Massage Studio.
The reason Prive-Swiss Fitness prevailed in the Best Health-Fitness Center and Best Pilates Studio categories? Look no further than the unique nature of the classes.
There's Barefoot Bands, a mashup of yoga, Pilates, and barefoot cardio, and the brainchild of Dana Brown, operations manager and fitness instructor at Privè-Swiss; Piloxing Barre, a fusion of Pilates, boxing, and barre; and a burn program that combines intervals using spin bikes, water rowers and weights, among other equipment.
And that's only a sample.
There's also the spa-like setting, the deluxe facilities, and an atmosphere at once comfortable, challenging and non-intimidating for anyone seeking to feel their best and achieve overall wellness.
Add to that a cadre of instructors described by Brown as "experienced and knowledgeable in tailoring workouts to individual needs in a group setting, and committed to going above and beyond to help clients of any age or fitness level."
Not to mention the upcoming opening of a location in Madison featuring an indoor spin cycle studio, as well as a juice bar offering healthy smoothies and acai bowls—basically, smoothies in a bowl with toppings — in partnership with the popular mobile cafe Life Bowls. And the new Prive-Swiss Club, a members-only workout area in the Westbrook facility offering 24-hour private key access to Peloton bikes, as well as an array of state-of-the-art equipment.
Whatever its name, it's all of a piece with Prive-Swiss' mission to globally improve their clients' quality of life, whether by strengthening and lengthening muscles and toning the body, or through complementary therapies dedicated to healing, recharging, and overall well-being.
Around her 21st birthday on Sept. 25, Meghan Coady couldn't quite meet her goal of finishing an unaided pull-up. She got halfway there. She's not giving up.
That pretty much exemplifies the kind of member formed and developed at The Pit Fitness Club, which readers, for the second year in a row, named Best Boutique Gym on the Shoreline.
With its assortment of well-worn barbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls, the boot-camp-style PIT, which stands for Performance Intensity Training, is not, to the untrained eye, exactly advanced or cutting-edge.
Add to that no-frills assault bikes and rowing machines and an industrial fan known as Janine, the only machine in the unassuming School Ground Road space that plugs in.
What draws members like Coady are the workouts, which might include high-intensity intervals of jumping lunges, tire lifting, and elbow planks one day, and fast-paced burpees, deadlifts, and box jumps the next. And within those exercises are varying sequences of repetitions, weights, and intensity.
There's also the PIT philosophy, which is as simple and no-nonsense as the studio itself.
"We focus on what people can do—people of all ages, sizes, and levels of fitness," said trainer Ashley Hillier. "And then we build from there."
Like Hillier, each of the trainers has a different background. But each alike has expertise in seamlessly fine-tuning form and technique on an individual member in the midst of a high-intensity workout. Each is able to scale back or scale up a particular exercise on a dime.
That's because they understand that as important as it is to push members to fight through what they think they can't do, that might not work for someone with a bad knee or a trick shoulder or who's just back from a fitness layoff.
"We want everyone to have a workout where they feel challenged and walk out feeling like they did something really good for themselves," owner Al Mirto said.
And, if you're Meghan Coady, galvanized to keep pulling yourself higher each day.