Cryotherapy, $15,000 massage chairs offered at Evanston fitness center - Chicago Tribune

[Richard Requena]

An upscale fitness center offering day care, pickleball courts, Pilates and a health clinic opened its doors on March 1 in downtown Evanston.

Minnesota-based Life Time opened a 60,000 square foot location at 1618 Sherman Avenue, the previous site of an LA Fitness facility. The Life Time fitness center offers state of the art equipment and amenities that include a café, its own clothing brand, post-workout space and a barre studio.

The monthly fee at the Evanston location is $289 per month.

The Evanston location of the chain has Illinois’ first MIORA health clinic. Natalie Bushaw, Life Time’s vice president of corporate communications, said the clinic is meant to be used for patients to get proactive healthcare and is staffed by nurses and practitioners.

Life Time, a chain of luxury gyms, opened in downtown Evanston on March 1. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

MIORA, Bushaw said, is not an acronym, but a word created by Life Time’s founder, Bahram Akradi. Its definition in simpler terms is “the idea of living well longer,” she said.

MIORA patients begin by taking a comprehensive blood test that examines a person’s thyroid, immune system, pulmonary system and more. MIORA’s staff give more detailed healthcare instructions than a personal trainer can give, according to Bushaw.

The health clinic is staffed with doctors and physician assistants who can write prescriptions for weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Bushaw said.

While some might be able to get Ozempic elsewhere just by asking for a prescription, Bushaw cautioned that people need to meet with a medical professional and have blood work done before getting such a medication.

The health clinic also has specialized therapies including a cryotherapy chamber that goes to -166° Fahrenheit, IV therapy, red light therapy and infrared lighting therapy, she said.

The cryotherapy room is meant to trigger physiological responses to accelerate muscle recovery, enhance athletic performance, manage pain, reduce inflammation and boost metabolism, according to Bushaw. The maximum session time for the chamber is three and a half minutes.

Bushaw said the red light therapy and infrared light therapy offer similar benefits to cryotherapy, but can also help increase collagen to relieve pressure on joints and reduce wrinkles.

IV therapy can be used to treat dehydration, migraines, jet lag and hangovers, she said.

Bushaw said the MIORA clinic will open later in March and has separate pricing from a Life Time membership.

MIORA patients do not need to be Life Time members, and the pricing for MIORA varies from $199 to $359, with varying starting costs between $599 and $999. However, non-Life Time members will not be able to access all of MIORA’s features.

Custom pickleball balls designed by Life Time’s founder are designed to move faster and have greater spin than typical pickleballs. (Richard Requena/Pioneer Press)

Other amenities at the Life Time in Evanston include:

• A cycle room with 20 stationary bicycles.
• Weight lifting area.
• Personal trainers with $100 sessions.
• Three pickleball courts with custom pickleballs.
• Barre studio.
• Yoga studio.
• Pilates studio.

The post workout space also has stretching tables, massages and cold therapies.

Life Time’s four $15,000 HydroMassage beds give heated water massages to relieve muscle soreness, Bushaw said. Sessions are 10 to15 minutes.

The $16,000 CryoLounge+ is a recovery chair that offers targeted cold at 25-30° Fahrenheit for soreness and aches, complemented by warmth at 95-115° Fahrenheit in other areas for comfort, Bushaw said. The facility has two of them.

Bushaw said while Life Time does not disclose how much money is invested in any single gym, she said the average opening cost is $25 million.

Originally Published: March 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM CDT