Rod Harrison made it in life because of sports. He credits always being in the gym as a kid for his making it out of a bad neighborhood, playing college baseball and now, a business owner.
Harrison is a partial owner, with two additional partners, of Soma Health Club in New York (one location in Brooklyn; one in the Bronx). Soma has been around for seven years and was the first full-service health club on the south side of New York, according to Harrison.
“There were no full-service health clubs in the area,” he told Club Solutions Magazine. “Soma was an old movie theater, which closed down in the 60s and became a storage unit. The south side of the city was being neglected by the full-service health clubs seven years ago, so we renovated the whole building. In 2006, Soma opened up and it has been very successful.”
Before that success, however, came the challenge of renovation.
“It was a huge ‘reno’ job,” Harrison said. “The building had no storefront windows. We basically had to level the floors inside. It took us over 13 or 14 months to build out, so it was a very big issue to even finish it. But the membership picked up pretty fast because the south side was so neglected by full-service gyms.”
On opening day, Harrison estimated that close to 700 people joined Soma. The club has been growing ever since, and has reached about 2,000 in memberships.
Soma was derived from the Greek word for body. “Your body is your temple; inspire worship” is the phrase that Soma members live by. With private Pilates classes, steam rooms and nutrition advice at Soma, this is something members have all the resources to do. They can also choose from a variety of classes, such as boxing, “butts and guts” and Vinyasa yoga.
According to Harrison, Soma hires the best possible personal trainers in the business to help members “worship” their bodies. The trainers at Soma usually come with at least eight years of experience and a college background in exercise science or a related field. Those qualities are necessary to be a Soma personal trainer because of the emphasis the club puts on education.
“These days, you have to educate your clientele. You’re not just selling memberships,” Harrison said. “A lot of gyms offer a $19.99-per-month fee, but their focus is on membership. Our focus is on educating our membership and helping them through a quality personal training program.”
The main clientele frequenting Soma’s two locations are young professionals — a group that is usually eager to learn. Soma offers special rates for college and high school students who need a place to exercise outside of school. Offering kids and young adults opportunities at his gym is something near and dear to Harrison’s heart.
“From the time I was 12 or 13, I stayed inside a gym,” said Harrison. “A lot of parents appreciate that we run special rates for kids because they need a place to come and exercise a little bit. They’re getting off the streets and staying out of trouble. That’s how I made it. I grew up in a bad area, but I made it because my father kept me in sports since a young age.”
Now, Harrison has come full circle in his life and is helping to offer those same opportunities to kids in the Brooklyn and Bronx areas of New York. At Soma, you cannot be too young or too old to “worship” your own body.
By Ashley Scoby
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
