Fitness on the fly: Post-security gym to open at BWI
Passengers flying out of Baltimore/Washington International Airport will soon be able to get a real workout — and a shower — before their flights.
A post-security fitness facility, called ROAM Fitness, is scheduled to open at BWI on Monday, in the new connector between Concourses D and E.
The workout space will be open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is large enough to accommodate 21 people, who will have access to cardio equipment, stretching space, free weights, kettle bells, medicine balls, stability balls, a TRX system, yoga mats and a pull-up bar.
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Travelers who don’t have their own workout gear can rent or purchase activewear and footwear and have their own workout outfits vacuum-sealed after a visit to keep odors from mingling.
There’s also a shower reservation system to make sure everyone can freshen up before their flight.
“To ensure travelers can dedicate the appropriate time and energy for their workout and enjoy a refreshing escape from the stresses of air travel, we made sure our facility was located after security, since going through security is a time variable that can never be predicted,” said ROAM co-founder Cynthia Sandall.
Access to ROAM Fitness at BWI is currently $40 for a day pass, $175 for a monthly pass and $600 for a yearly pass. Passes can be purchased online, on a smartphone or at the door. (Check the website for deals on discounted passes.) The next ROAM Fitness center scheduled to open in 2017 is slated for Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
ROAM Fitness claims to be the first public-use post-security airport fitness center with both a gym and shower facilities, but it is not the only airport fitness center.
In North America, travelers can purchase a day pass for $15 to use the fitness and showering facilities (and heated indoor pool) at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which is attached to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport McNamara Terminal. For $20 ($22.40 with tax), travelers can get a day pass to use the pool and extensive fitness facilities at the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport, which is accessible from O’Hare via underground walkways. And there’s also a branch of GoodLife Fitness on the arrivals level of Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport ($14 CAD/about $11 US for a 14-day trial membership.)
Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and USA TODAY Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.