Offering a combination of classic Hollywood charm and elite, modern fitness facilities, the Toluca Lake Tennis & Fitness Club (TLTFC) claims to be one of the finest health and tennis clubs in Los Angeles — and one person that backs up that claim is member Peter Heinbecker.
Heinbecker, who has been a member of the club since 2012, praised the ability of TLTFC, located in Toluca Lake, Hollywood, to provide some of the amenities of a larger club, despite its lesser size. “It only has five tennis courts and one practice court,” he said. “That’s small for a tennis club.”
In addition to a sauna and spa, the club offers other conveniences like digital lockers, meaning members have no need to bring their own locks. Grooming amenities like razors, mouthwash, body lotion, combs and hair dryers are all kept on hand for members as well.
Heinbecker, a United States Tennis Association participant, added that joining the club and training with trainer Gilen Guenther helped to improve his tennis game significantly. “I’ve had a great experience working with Gilen,” he said. “My tennis game has improved due to the lessons I’ve had and the chance to play with high-quality players.”
His wife bought him a one-on-one package for Christmas to train with Guenther, and the newly matched pair got straight to work on Heinbecker’s goals.
According to Guenther, as a part of TLTFC’s protocol, every client goes through a consultation process before any training can begin. “We do this to assess the current health of the client or member and the interests or goals that person has as a result of training,” said Guenther. “Along with an exercise plan that implemented core work, free weights and short rest periods, I also emphasized prehab exercises to protect Pete from the strain the game of tennis has on certain parts of the body.”
Heinbecker said that in addition to the training he’s received, some of his favorite features of the TLTFC are the events hosted on the club’s grounds throughout the year.
“In September an annual fundraiser is held to benefit Literally Healing, an organization that provides books and literary resources to children who are hospitalized and often have critical illnesses,” he said. “The other event that is quite popular is the annual Woody Tournament held during Wimbledon. It’s a doubles tournament where players must play with wooden rackets and wear all white.”
Heinbecker and his partner won the Woody Tournament in 2016.
Even from an employee perspective, Guenther agreed that the atmosphere the club has been able to create is one of his favorite parts of working at the TLTFC. “It’s one of the best social atmospheres I have been part of,” he said. “People get together multiple times a week to play tennis, show up at the same time each week for their favorite fitness class, and I know at certain times of the day I will see familiar groups working out together in the gym. Physical activity isn’t always easy, but I think the environment at the TLTFC makes it easy to want to go to a health club and work towards your goal.”
