Vacant properties on Half Mile Road will be the future site of a Life Time fitness club, offering programs, health services and activities for community members.
Photo courtesy Life Time
MIDDLETOWN – A $40 million luxury sports, fitness and wellness center is coming to Half Mile Road in the Lincroft section of the township.
The 120,423-square-foot, three-story Life Time club is expected to open its doors in late 2021 at 230 and 250 Half Mile Road, between the Academy bus station and Schultz Drive. The properties are part of the Half Mile Road Redevelopment Plan adopted by the township committee in 2018.
There are a few things to know about Life Time. Lesson number one? It is not a gym.
“We actually think of gym as almost a curse word,” said Natalie Bushaw, senior director of public relations and internal communications. That’s because Life Time is much more than just a gym, she said. It’s “like the Ritz-Carlton,” or “today’s modern country club without the golf.”
She described the club as a luxurious social space in which community members can meet. It’s a place where friends go to improve their fitness and where children play with their peers and improve their life skills.
Outside, members will find a ground-level outdoor beach club and bistro with leisure and lap pools, a whirlpool, resort-style seating and a café. “We might have a party on the pool deck where they have cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on a Saturday night,” said Bushaw.
When walking through the front doors of the three-level building, members will find a café with seating. Awaiting them upstairs will be fitness studios for group fitness, cycle, yoga and Pilates programs; personal and small training groups; and over 400 cardiovascular and resistance training equipment pieces.
The club will also include a full-service salon and spa, saunas and steam rooms, a full-size basketball court with Ultimate Hoops leagues, a Kids Academy and much more.
And the Kids Academy will be an important feature at the Middletown-based Life Time, as there is a “strong family member base expected for Middletown,” Bushaw said. The Kids Academy will be full of programs to encourage a healthy lifestyle, including Zumba, karate, tumbling and other activities, but also homework help, Spanish immersion and more.
Photo courtesy Life Time
To accommodate parking, a four-story parking garage will be erected adjacent to the fitness facility. It will offer 577 parking spaces for employees, members and guests to use. There will also be 11 parking spaces near the entrance of the facility.
Most Life Time club members are in their 40s, but Bushaw said there are members in age groups across the board. “We have so many, what we call our ‘Junior Executives’ – 26 and under,” she said, as well as older singles and families.
Bushaw anticipates that when the Life Time opens in Middletown, it will bring more than 250 full- and part-time jobs to the community.
By the end of 2019, there will be 150 Life Time clubs throughout the U.S. and in Canada. Its New Jersey locations are currently in Princeton, Mount Laurel, Bridgewater, Montvale, Berkeley Heights and Florham Park. When representatives look for places to establish clubs, they look for places with growing communities, strong economies and good schools. That’s what made Middletown a great location, Bushaw said.
Membership prices have not yet been determined for the Middletown location. The Bridgewater club, however, is about $159 a month for a single membership, Bushaw said. There are individual, couple, family and child memberships as well. “The range then will likely be high $100s to low $400s,” she said.
“Life Time has been well-received in the state and the demographics and economic growth in the area make Middletown a desirable location for Life Time. We’re excited for what’s to come,” she said.
The company will soon have a Middletown link on its website, lifetime.life, that will allow anyone interested to add their name to a membership wait list or to get more information.
