With the polar vortex well behind us, the downtown Anytime Fitness is acknowledging its late February opening and is ready to celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony happening today, Thursday, May 15.

Mayor Mike Duggan, Deputy Mayor Ike McKinnon, Anytime's builder Ferlito Construction, and downtown business representatives will be on hand for the event. The ceremony is open to the public.

The full service gym will be giving out free 30-day memberships during the event, which runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Local bike manufacturer Detroit Bikes has donated a bike that will be given away during the festivities. Free Muscle Milk products will also be available. Health and wellness nonprofit Healthy Detroit will be on site to promote its mission of creating a healthier and happier city. Lunchtime Global and Faygo will be providing food and refreshments.

Since Anytime Fitness opened in late February, business has been so brisk for that they're rumored to be opening a second Detroit location, this one in Midtown.

"We're doing even better than we expected to," says downtown general manager Dakota Shayne.

Part of that success is a result of businesses like Quicken Loans and Compuware continuing to draw workers downtown. Shayne says that the gym's busiest hours are from 9 p.m. to midnight after employees of downtown companies get off work.

Anytime Fitness is smaller than what Shayne refers to as "big box gyms." It's an advantage, he says, because big box gyms require large sites that are difficult to find downtown. Shayne describes Anytime Fitness as a full service gym that has a "smaller, studio vibe." He says Detroiters can expect more studios, like yoga and personal training studios, to start popping up around downtown.

Anytime Fitness is open 24 hours a day and is located in the Security Trust Lofts building at 735 Griswold.

Source: Dakota Shayne, general manager of downtown Anytime Fitness
Writer: MJ Galbraith

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