Bare Fitness adds color to the high-tech workout

Goshen —The first things you notice are the deep blue color of the walls, the big framed mirror, and the Victorian chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. Elegant doorways lead to other rooms, but first you just have to stop and take it all in. You might feel like you’ve landed in a loft in the middle of SoHo, but you are in Bare Fitness, the newest physical fitness facility to open in Goshen. The room is filled with high-tech equipment for aerobic workouts. At what first appears to be a bar is actually a counter where members sign in. The owners, Barry and Laura Chait, live with their family in Washingtonville. Barry grew up in Queens and was once a strength coach for the New York Jets and the New York Police Department. Laura is a fourth-grade teacher in the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District. For his new business, Barry hired a designer from New York City and bought state-of the art equipment. The treadmills at Bare Fitness have a 30 percent incline ability, as opposed to the average 15 percent incline. The Expresso S2 virtual reality exercise bike calls up any scenery on the screen users might desire, and enables them to compete with any other rider in any part of the world who has this bike on the wireless Internet. Each piece of equipment has its own high-definition cable TV for users to watch as they work out. While Barry runs the business, his long-time associate, Ken Wilson, is the director of personal training, working mostly out of their facility in Middletown. Wilson has black belts in karate and tai chi, holds a record in power lifting in his weight class, and is a national class marathon runner, kettle bell instructor, and special Olympics coach. He will design a program for any person, at any age and level, that will help them achieve their individual goals in a safely controlled workout environment. He smiles and dodges questions that might reveal his age. But he is in amazing shape. At Bare Fitness’s grand opening two weeks ago, many local people came to take a look around, sample the free buffet, and watch a show of exotic belly dancers of all ages and body types. Belly-dancing teacher Sarah Bell told the crowd that the dances celebrate being a woman and feeling beautiful at any age. Bell has taught doctors, lawyers, nurses, and teachers how to dance. Bare Fitness hopes to offer belly-dancing classes on Tuesday nights. Every room at Bare Fitness was decorated with original artwork by members of the Orange County Art Federation, including Mary Evelyn Whitehill, Karl Volk, and Melissa Ochs, who teaches art at the Goshen Middle School. The ongoing exhibit will change periodically. Whitehill and Volk were on hand to see where their pieces were hung and to show support for the new exhibit space. They said showcasing local artists in an upscale and healthy environment was great idea. Laura Chait said the new business has fulfilled an 18-year-long dream for her husband. Barry took great care in choosing the location and attending to every aspect of the business, she said. Bare Fitness is located at 31 St. John Street. For more information, call 294-5004, e-mail Info@BareFitness.net, or visit www.barefitness.net.