With the new year a popular time to focus on health and wellness, Southwest Washington residents will soon have another option to fulfill those resolutions.
Thorbeckes Wellness Center, which operates gyms in Centralia, Chehalis and South Bend, is set to open another location in Grand Mound. Owner Matt Noren, who purchased the chain in 2017, said the newest location will be about 3,000 square feet and should open sometime in early spring.
Like Centralia and South Bend, the new Grand Mound location will be open 24 hours a day. Equipment will include treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers, rowers, bikes, free weights, strength machines and a core stretching area.
“It’s pretty much going to have everything that we have in the big gyms, just on a smaller basis,” Noren said.
The new gym is located at 19548 Vision Drive SW. Noren said the location will soon look to hire staff, and interested applicants can apply online at Thorbeckes.com.
“It's right off the freeway, it’s easy to get to. As soon as you come off (Interstate-5), it’s one right and one left if you’re coming south,” Noren said. “It’s a great location, plenty of parking.”
Noren has long considered expansion, including into areas where Thorbeckes previously operated.
“We’re always trying to expand when we can. It’s hard to find space that’s suitable to put a gym in,” Noren said. “I’ve said it for a couple of years we’d love to get to east Lewis County. I’d love to be out there. It’s just very difficult to find the right spot.”
After a previous location in Rochester closed, Noren said he hoped to return to South Thurston County.
“We’re really excited to be back out there,” Noren said. “We didn’t want to close the Rochester one. That’s what happened at the time. Our goal was to have a larger space, and we do have a larger space.”
The new location won't be big enough to have a full locker room, but it will have showers, something the South Bend location doesn’t have. The space also won’t have a pool, though the aquatic center at the Centralia location is only 6 miles away.
One benefit of the new location, Noren said, will be the on-site physical therapy location.
“The two businesses really go well together,” he said.
The space is leased from Chehalis and Centralia Physical Therapy, which is also opening a facility on the site
“It’s a unique situation that we were able to come in during the build phase, so we’re pretty much able to set things up exactly how we want,” Noren said.
Thorbeckes has seen a post-COVID resurgence in recent years, not only recovering from the pandemic but growing in membership since pandemic-related restrictions were relaxed.
“The Lewis County community was a lifesaver to us,” Noren said. “I’m convinced that if we were anywhere else we probably would have failed with COVID. But because we’re in Lewis County, thank God we didn’t.”
A single membership to Thorbeckes is $45.95 a month, with additional family members $22 a month and discounts available for military members, seniors and students. Thorbeckes also offers day use guest passes.
