By: Anthony Bettin
Following in the footsteps of Restoration Hardware’s recently opened showroom, another luxurious behemoth will soon open at Southdale Center.
Chanhassen-based Life Time recently offered reporters a tour of the still under construction Life Time Edina at Southdale, a 200,000+ square foot complex that combines a fitness club, sports facility and coworking space.
Life Time Work—the coworking space—is the second such facility in Minnesota after a St. Louis Park location opened earlier this year. The space offers multiple levels of membership based on a company’s needs, from open lounge seating to conference rooms with multiple work stations.
“Life Time Work is catering to established professionals,” Life Time Work president James O’Reilly says.
A company like Life Time always has fitness top of mind, and Life Time Work is no exception. O'Reilly says the space is designed to get people to move throughout the day—coworking areas are spread out, and work stations feature sit-to-stand desks.
"One of our unique advantages was opening a coworking space that's based on health," he says.
Life Time Sport houses two indoor soccer fields—a similar facility was opened at Winter Park, former home of the Vikings' training facility, in 2018. While Life Time representatives said they may explore league or school partnerships in the future, initially the space will be more focused on training and pickup games than organized play.
The bulk of the facility (147,000 of the 204,000 square feet) is dedicated to the Life Time Athletic Resort, which features all the amenities you’d expect—multiple floors of fitness equipment and workout rooms, basketball courts, a full-service salon known as LifeSpa, indoor and outdoor pools and more.
The second floor of the resort is dedicated to classes and kids. Life Time Edina at Southdale general manager Shawn Severson says the programming will be designed to "keep these kids moving," and activities go beyond sports and fitness. Severson even mentioned acting classes and Spanish immersion among the offerings.
"Kids are 1000 percent welcome here," Life Time senior director of public relations and internal communications Natalie Bushaw says.
Moving up the building, the rooftop will feature another pool, a full-service bistro and bar, a DJ booth and more. It's going to be "a happening spot in the summer months," says Severson.
"We will ask for a couple of prayers for no blizzards," for the grand opening, he says.
That bistro is one of three dining spaces in the facility. Fast-casual LifeCafe ("If it's here, it's healthy" goes the slogan) and sit-down spot Rare Steak & Sushi sit on the ground floor of the building and will be open to non-members.
Life Time Edina at Southdale is set to open later this year. This is Life Time’s 148th facility in the country and the 24th club in the Twin Cities.
The total cost of the project is around $43 million, representatives say, and the facility is expected to bring about 300 jobs initially, with more possible during the summer months.
Memberships start at $139—the Edina facility is the first in Minnesota to require a Diamond Premier membership. Couples can join for $239 and family memberships begin at $299.
Though the club is located at and partnered with Southdale Center, representatives say the city of Edina itself was enough of a draw.
“It’s in a prime location," Severson says. "It’s in Edina, where we would want to erect the club on its own."
Life Time Edina at Southdale
2990 Southdale Center
Facebook: Life Time Edina at Southdale
