HOTWORX-San Jose brings heat to fitness

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HOTWORX-San Jose sets itself apart from other Bay Area gyms as a unique experience for residents to practice yoga or exercise in the infrared sauna in just 15 minutes.

In 2017, Nora Heindel attended the University of Mississippi and worked part-time at a fitness studio called HOT WORX near the campus. This was the company’s first place to offer customers the opportunity to exercise with 120 degree infrared heat.

“I thought it sounded cool when I was hired for that job, but I didn’t really understand what it was. One 15-minute cycle the day after being hired. I did it once. I was exhausted when I came out, “Heindel told San Jose Spotlight. “I love it and have been doing it almost every day since then.”

Her mother, Mary Joe, was initially skeptical when she visited. It seemed too hot and she didn’t know how the infrared would feel. But after a session, she was also a convert.

“I left the studio in Oxford, Mississippi and called my husband,” said Mary Joe Heindel. She said, “I need to bring this to Silicon Valley. People will love it.”

HOTWORX-San Jose, a franchise that opened downtown in 2018, has five saunas with two types of training. Isometric, a series of static poses that take about 30 minutes, and high-intensity interval training that usually lasts 15 minutes. Up to 3 people can use the sauna at one time and use a virtual trainer for all training. This is a record of running a routine.

The studio is open 24 hours a day and is self-service, but a small number of staff are available during normal hours. All members have apps and codes that are always available at 54 W. Santa Clara St. in downtown San Jose.

Infrared is the center of a fitness studio. Mary Joe explains that it’s more than just heat. Calorie burning has many other benefits. The scientific backing is mixed. For example, some studies support the benefits of recovery, while others challenge detoxification. However, the customer seems to be convinced.

Resident Seanine Ramirez said he happened to find HOT WORX a year ago shortly after moving downtown. For her, her infrared component is a big plus as it makes training more intense and relieves pain in her joints. She also likes the little feel of the studio.

“I mainly do classes and my husband loves 15-minute boats,” Ramirez told San Jose Spotlight. “I didn’t want the virtual part, but I like it. I always thought I needed an instructor right there, but it’s nice to come and not be too crowded.”

Resident Michel Nino agreed that this experience was unique. In addition to the infrared novelty, she appreciates the various training and free weights behind the studio.

“It’s hard because of the heat, but the mood after training for HOT WORX is something I’ve never experienced before,” she told San José Spotlight.

Family effort

Mary Jo said she knew that opening the HOT WORX franchise would require family efforts.

“There was a family meeting before signing with the dotted line. Yes, we are doing this. Everyone needs to attend as much as possible,” she said.

Her husband, David, leverages his real estate experience to finance and repair the studio. Mary Joe, a former journalist and now director of admissions and outreach at Almaden Country Day School, manages marketing. Son Jake, a film producer on the San Jose Sharks hockey team, added his social media chops when they first opened. And Nora, who majored in exercise science, became the general manager.

After the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the studio was forced to shut down completely to comply with health guidelines. Eventually, Heindels reopened the studio, but temporarily reduced the sauna to one person.

“We are family-owned, which gives us a more community atmosphere,” says Nora Heindel. It’s a small boutique studio, so everyone knows each other. Sometimes people will come and exercise and talk to me for 30 minutes before they leave. “

Resident Albert Charles Bolden Jr. knows that the studio produces results. He often mixes several sessions of the boat with longer isometric exercises and tracks his progress with the HOT WORX app. Every day he comes, he usually burns between 1200 and 2,000 calories.

“It changed my life. I was £ 309, but now it’s around £ 235. This place really took me to today’s place,” he said.

Contact Jack Delaney [email protected]