Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
If Baltimore residents have been looking for a one-stop shop for personal grooming, fitness and nutrition, physical therapy and community service, the staff at Under Armour Performance Centers insist they serve that purpose.
In fact, the mantra emboldened on the elaborate business website says simply: “These aren’t gyms.”
“I came to get a haircut and fell in love with the relaxing atmosphere and the one-on-one experience,” said Ayana Hicks, now the Guests Relations manager at the Hunt Valley location.
The Under Armour Performance Center has three locations with teams of workers that offer a wide array of services: fitness and personal training; hair, body, nail and skin treatments in a salon and spa; nutrition supervised by a dietitian who oversees meal plans and grocery tours; and, physical therapy that focuses on post-surgical rehabilitation and sports medicine.
For more than 14 years, the centers, initially called FX Studios for the special equipment that is used, have helped the Baltimore community reach its health and fitness goals. This unusual combination of services under one roof not only attracts families and athletes, but also students interested in working – either as an employee or an intern – in a positive, progressive environment.
Early in the centers’ history, FX Studios CEO Nate Costa became the personal trainer for Kevin Plank, founder of apparel company Under Armour, an official said. The two formed a partnership that blended their expertise.
Each location is unique.
Katie Klos, the FX Studio’s membership adviser in downtown Baltimore, delighted in the fact that the center functions inside a historic bank that had operated at 10 Light St.
The site is more gym-based, she said.
“Our location is very unique because our building was built in 1929 as the Baltimore Bank & Trust,” explained Klos, a Towson University alumna. “We still have a lot of the original features like the art deco and the safety deposit vault.”
The old bank vault still thrives, at the bottom of the gym, as a lounge for guests to relax in a tranquil space. Klos said the FX Studio clients rarely unwind in the ancient bank vault.
The downtown location was transformed on May 2, 2016 with the help of a local real estate group called the Metropolitan Partnership. More than 400 apartments are now located above the fitness center. Months later, the Baltimore Business Journal awarded FX Studios as “Best Places to Work,” as First Home Mortgage Corp. and Safelite Autoglass offered tough challenges for the title.
Personal trainer Moses Girod was a senior at Louisiana State University searching for internships when he said he stumbled upon the Under Armour Performance center. Girod said he was invited to come on board as an intern. After he graduated from LSU, he aspired to work as a full-time FX Studios personal trainer at the Hunt Valley facility.
“Working here is a great experience, made so by the terrific energy of the trainers and other staff,” said Girod, grinning as he exuded confidence in his fitness skills.
In addition to “corporate wellness,” Girod said the center offers social media, fitness, and conditioning internships.
“The benefits of working at FX are the great atmosphere, wonderful people, and of course the Under Armour gear!” Girod said.
“I would recommend an internship to any student interested in becoming more knowledgeable in strength and conditioning, or corporate wellness fields,” he added. “As an intern myself it was a very welcoming environment and everyone wanted to get better. It was inspiring.”
Hicks said she learned about the opportunities at FX Studios through her sister who had worked at the Hunt Valley location. She started working in Guest Relations after graduating from Kaplan University. It did not take long to move up into a managerial position, she said.
“I’ve grown into a managerial role and learned more about the way business operate as well as gained an insight into health, fitness, and beauty industries as well,” she said.
Hicks said almost every other day, local groups such as the Parkinson Foundation and the National Capital Area pick up donations from FX Studios.
“We participate in various silent auctions for schools, businesses, and community groups,” said Hicks. “We donate service packages that include fitness, salon, and spa services, for example. We recently donated service packages to fundraising events to benefit the Brian Cosgrove Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Savers, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
FX Studios clients often stop by the facility to donate money to charities that have partnered with the fitness centers.
“This is definitely a great place to join because we are a huge team that works together, despite all of our differences, to make positive lifestyle changes for others,” said Hicks.