Curves club reshaping idea of fitness for women

By Clarke Canfield
Associated Press

HOLLIS, Maine — On a winding country road in the middle of nowhere, a building that once housed an antique shop now holds groups of women working out. Curves, a no-frills fitness club for women, can be found in the oddest places.

Curves franchise owner Sharon Morrison has found that Curves' low-cost, no-frills approach to fitness for women works for her and her clients. There are more than 8,400 Curves franchises worldwide. Pat Wellenbach • Associated Press

In some ways, Curves is the anti-club: no treadmills, no saunas, no locker rooms, no mirrors, no aerobics classes, no free weights. Forget the Spandex — sweatshirts rule.

Members work out on eight to 12 hydraulic resistance machines, stopping between stations to walk or jog in place. The clubs' standard routine is over in 30 minutes and is designed to burn 500 calories.

While other clubs go after the prized 18-to-34 demographic, Curves' customers are more likely to be aging baby boomers.

Sharon Morrison, owner of five Curves in Maine, said there's a comfort level at Curves that women can't get elsewhere. At the same time, she said, they're losing pounds and inches.

"I had joined so many clubs in my life, and all I had lost was money," Morrison said.

The company is the creation of Gary Heavin, 49, who heads Curves International Inc. in Waco, Texas. Heavin was a millionaire by age 30 after taking over a failing health club in Houston and expanding it into a chain of 17 clubs. But then came a divorce, bankruptcy and business failure. He spent 2 1/2 months in jail when he couldn't make child-support payments.

In 1992, Heavin and his second wife, Diane, opened the first Curves club. It was small and simple, a place where women could feel comfortable.

Three years later, Heavin was selling franchises, and by 1998 there were 500. Curves' goal is to have more than 25,000 clubs — including 8,000 in Asia and 8,000 in Europe — within five years. By comparison, Gold's Gyms and Bally Total Fitness, two of the biggest fitness clubs in the country, have about 1,000 facilities between them.

"We're the McDonald's of fitness centers in America and Canada," Heavin said. "And we can be the McDonald's of fitness centers around the world."

One reason for fast growth is the low cost. Club owners pay $29,900 for a franchise, equipment and training, plus a monthly franchise fee of $395. Members usually pay $29 a month.

The clubs are typically just 1,000 or 2,000 square feet, with few frills and limited hours.

That efficient business model lets Curves enter small markets. In Maine, you'll find a Curves in what was once a farm store in a hay field in North Yarmouth, in a former candle shop in Waterboro, and in a renovated cafe in Gorham.

Rather than take customers away from other clubs, Curves creates its own markets.

That approach works for Denise Masalsky, 49, of Waterboro. Between Curves and a sensible diet, she has lost 48 pounds since March and has more energy than ever.

Masalsky, a fourth-grade teacher, likes the quick exercise routine at Curves, and is pleased somebody was willing to locate a fitness club in her rural community, population 4,114.

Kim Dare of Hollis has lost more than 50 pounds since joining Curves more than a year ago. Dare, who is 20, joined after she got engaged. "I wanted to fit into my wedding dress," she said.

Curves and Heavin, however, aren't without critics. Some dismiss Curves as a fad; Heavin has been criticized for his donations to anti-abortion causes. Heavin who has given $10 million this year, much of it to health clinics and groups that promote abstinence, prenatal care and pregnancy programs, calls himself "pro-woman and pro-life."

Nevertheless, John McCarthy, executive director of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, recently wrote a letter to association members saying the Curves phenomenon has "forever altered the landscape of the worldwide fitness industry."