Health & Wellness

The Aspen Club & Spa is moving toward an anticipated fall 2012 groundbreaking on an extensive remodel that will transform the club into a full health, wellness, and performance destination.

The vision has been developing since Aspen City Council approvals were obtained in June 2010. The project will add 20 residential units, sold in fractions so that they can be occupied throughout the year, plus 12 affordable housing units and an underground parking garage. The addition is being coupled with extensive upgrades to the club itself, including a new pool, new exercise studios, updated locker rooms, remodeled interiors, additional classes, and advanced programming. Some of these enhancements, such as additional fitness classes and new equipment, are already underway as Aspen Club Manager Michael Fox and his team prepare for the remodel.

A few months ago, The Aspen Club brought onto the team the expertise of Mark Harmon and Eric Calderon of Auberge Resorts to help create The Aspen Club and Auberge Residences and bring them to a five-star property level.” The residences will complement other Auberge properties whose style is described as “understated elegance and luxury.” Auberge Resorts, which recently assumed management of the Hotel Jerome, is a collection of exceptional hotels, resorts and private clubs with properties in Telluride, Santa Fe, Napa Valley, South Carolina, and Cabo San Lucas, among others.

Along with Auberge, The Aspen Club has hired Poss Architects to be the architects for the two-, three-, and four-bedroom upscale townhomes and condos, which will be designed in mountain contemporary style and are intended to provide family or group comfort and promote interaction.

Greg Mosian and Associates has been brought on board for the exteriors and landscape design, and Jack Donovan and Steeplechase Partners as the development owner’s representative. The Aspen Club has also brought on RJ Gallagher of Forte International to help strategize its fractional ownership offerings and interior designer Todd Lenahan of ABA Studios for both the Residences and the Aspen Club remodel.

The Aspen Club team and its partners recently completed a major visioning session on the operational aspects of the future Club, with the goal of creating a health and performance mecca where people can experience all-encompassing aspects of health, wellness, and performance, complemented by the on-site residential program.

“We have a unique opportunity at the Club to create the top destination for health, performance and fun activities in the world,” says Fox. “We already have a world class team of experts at the Club in in Aspen. We have an unmatched combination of recreational amenities and renowned cultural activities in our community. We are excited to put all the pieces of our plan together and make it happen.”

Lenahan and Poss are currently putting together schematic design and renderings of the remodeled Club and the residence units. While the design and development are still in their infancy, updates and displays in the Club will continue to track the progress of the project.

As part of the anticipated changes within the Club itself, the spa and salon will have a whole new look and feel. The “great space” workout area will be enhanced and the cardio deck overhauled, with programming to be based on the most advanced levels of health and performance.

The residences will be “mountain contemporary” and compliment other Auberge properties with “understated elegance and luxury”—a staple of the high service levels Auberge properties have come to expect. With these fractional units, the Club will truly become a healthy living destination which will bring people to Aspen from all over the world twelve months a year.

“This project is a dream come true for myself and our team,” said Fox. “We get to create a facility and programs that improves people’s lives while allowing us to continue to build one of the most exciting companies in Colorado and the country.”

The Aspen Club & Spa was originally built in 1976 as a tennis and racquet club, which attracted the likes of Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and John McEnroe to its courts, as well as celebrities like Bill Cosby and Don Johnson who participated in celebrity tournaments.

Under the ownership of Dick Butera and Julie Anthony, who owned the Club between 1982 and 1996, the Aspen Club was put on the national map, both as a tennis facility, and as a fitness and performance center.

In 1996, The Aspen Club was taken over by Michael Fox and substantially remodeled into what it is today. The current building is approximately 75,000 square feet and sits on five acres of land fronting the Roaring Fork River.

When considering another remodel, Fox had the idea of trying to bring people to the Club and Aspen on a year-round basis. This concept of a health, wellness, and performance destination would include luxurious accommodations for families or groups, working out with Club experts, participating in innovative programming, relaxing in the spa, and spending quality time together.