Life Time Makes Things Even Bigger In The Woodlands — Inside a Supersized Fitness and Work Epicenter

With 170,000 square feet of interior space and four stories, the new Life Time near The Woodlands is certainly a mammoth one. The largest in Texas in fact. Life Time Shenandoah is also unique among the 170-plus athletic training centers. It is the first of Life Time’s facilities that puts fitness and work spaces in one building. Other Life Times have both fitness and work spaces, but they are not under one roof.

The Life Time near The Woodlands (located by Research Forest) is truly a one-stop center.

The first three floors of Life Time Shenandoah are devoted to cardio, resistance and free weight training with specially designed small group training spaces for yoga and pilates and five indoor pickleball courts. There are also hydrotherapy suites including sauna and steam rooms and cold plunge pools. LifeSpa, a full-service salon and spa, and a Kids Academy with programming for kids age 3 months through 11 are also a big part of the mix.

The fourth floor of this new Life Time  is home to Life Time Work, touted as the only co-working center to combine exceptional workspaces with a world-class health club with individual and company memberships. Life Time Work features private offices and lounge spaces, conference rooms, a library, a solarium, outdoor seating and even sound-proof individual areas for work.

This Life Time in The Woodlands region has been in the works for several years. The footings were poured in 2019, but construction was paused during the pandemic.

A Country Club Setting

Inside what’s dubbed a “country club without a golf course” are many amenities. There’s a first floor lounge, with a morning coffee area, plenty of big screen TVs and a cocktail area. There’s a fast casual cafe with grab-and-go meals, shakes and a full line of Life Time’s own nutritional products — protein, collagen peptides, pre-workout aids and vitamins. In the cafe, there is an emphasis on healthy eating.

“All of our fruits and vegetables are organic,” Life Time’s vice president for public relations and corporate communications Natalie Bushaw tells Paper City The Woodlands. “We don’t use artificial colors. We don’t use processed foods. When you come here, if it’s here, it’s healthy. And you can feel good about it.”

That “feel good” ethos extends to the food packaging and beverage bottles at the club.

“We got rid of all the plastic,” Bushnaw says. “We made that decision over the course of the last couple of years.”

Life Time Shenandoah’s first floor has indoor recreational and lap pools. The locker rooms are fully appointed with Hyatt shower products and locker space. Family locker room space is available too, making it easy for kids to join parents changing for the pool. The outdoor pool deck measures in at 50,000 square feet and the plan is to keep the outdoor pools open year-round, weather permitting, according to Bushaw.

There are two outdoor pools, a recreational and a lap pool, and an enormous hot tub. There’s an outdoor restaurant and ordering from a deck chair is as simple as using the Life Time app.

Life Time members have access to the Kids Academy for two and a half hours daily. And this means much more than babysitting. Children ages 3 months to 11 years old are welcome. There is a library and a craft area. There are workout rooms with classes for kids — with pint-sized mats and barres, and even a tumbling room. There is also a special space for kids’ parties, complete with a climbing wall.

“I love the one stop shop service — my day looks like work out, eat, work on my business in the workspace,” Michelle Peavy, a member since 2016, says. “If I need a break, I get a massage or my nails done, utilize the Life Time chiropractor or recovery tools, go sit by the pool or maybe (take) a dip in the water.

“I don’t have to leave to go anywhere. It’s all there for me to use.”

Memberships are available at a variety of price points, but a $200 initiation fee is standard across the board. Single memberships start at $249, and there are add-ons that allow members access to Life Time Work at a variety of usage levels.

Life Time has been around for 31 years, and that longevity has given this new Life Time in The Woodlands area some serious advantages.

“We figured out a really good experience and what the flow of the club should be and what our members are really looking for and how we can really accommodate them the best,” Bushaw says.

Life Time is at 9000 Six Pines Drive in Shenandoah. It is open 4 am to midnight Mondays through Fridays, and 5 am to 11 pm Saturdays and Sundays.