Chris Howell

SPX Gym Design | Luxury Hospitality & High End Multifamily since 2016

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

Most people have never trained on a Keiser.

But if you've walked through an elite performance center, you've probably seen one.

It's built for power, not just strength.

And because every rep is measured in real time, you can track performance instead of relying on feel.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

📍 Windham Mountain Club | Windham, NY
5,000 SF gym floor. Catskills setting. Four-season private club.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

Dumbbells are not created equal

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

Bedrock at Moss in NYC is a great example of using branded equipment strategically.

Custom branding doesn't have to be everywhere, but you want to create moments that your guests and members won't forget…and even better, feel compelled to photograph and share.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

GYM OF THE WEEK: 📍Monroe | Austin, TX

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

📍20 & 30 Halletts Point | Astoria, NY

647 luxury residences. Waterfront living. Floor-to-ceiling views of the Manhattan skyline.

Designed to rival a luxury commercial gym.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

There are two types of hotel gyms: the ones guests forget and the ones they talk about.

The formula is simple:
90% = the essentials (push, pull, legs etc.)
10% = the one machine/s that makes people say, "Wow, this is sick."

Build the basics. Add the things nobody else has

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

The best luxury gyms follow the 90/10 Rule.

90% = the essentials guests expect. 10% = the detail they'll never forget.

Get the basics right. Then create your wow factor.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

A gym built like a bespoke luxury vehicle

enough for the heaviest lifts, yet refined for a premium, high-end experience.

Luxury gym - Motorsport heritage
British racing green
industrial steel
& everyone loves some plants

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

📍 CULTR Fight Club | Jersey City, NJ

4,100 sq ft. 8 disciplines. 2,000 sq ft expansion underway.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

The stretch area is more than just open space and a yoga mat.

And you don’t need to sign this or have a 10 year old yoga mat to say stretch here.

This should be designed for people to want to spend time there. People wait for their friends, the start, end their workout here.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

An adjustable bench for $10,000?

These are the 5 most expensive adjustable benches in the world and proof that luxury gyms are playing a different game.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

📍 Palm Heights Athletics | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

People will spend 20 minutes in a red light bed but won't spend 5 minutes lifting.

The people getting the best results aren't skipping training for recovery. They're skipping recovery to train.

We put together the absolute essentials every hotel gym needs to compete.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

Monroe | 📍Austin, Texas

Monroe is a private members club in Austin, Texas, featuring indoor and outdoor training, personal training, physical therapy, and manual therapy.

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

There are levels to the dumbbell game.

The ones you choose tell your guest exactly where your brand sits

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

Gym of the Week: 📍1 hotel Central Park | New York, NY

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

Country Clubs are the next frontier 📈

When’s the last time a country club had a gym that was as good as its course?

[Chris Howell @ChrishowellSPX]

I hate ellipticals.

But not for the reason you’d think.

Most hotes/members clubs over index on ellipticals…especially when the target member or guest skews young professional.