New Park Slope Gym Will Have 'Club Atmosphere,' Showcase Local Art

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A new gym coming to Fifth Avenue in Park Slope will offer high-intensity classes set to DJ music and surrounded by works from local artists.

Nik Barricelli told Patch that he wants to have a "club atmosphere" inside of the 5,000 square-foot space near Fifth Avenue and 10th Street. The gym, Beast Fitness Evolved, is expected to open later this summer.

"We're really harping on the Brooklyn aspect," said Barricelli, who was born in Park Slope. "We're going to have a lot of pop culture icons born and raised in Brooklyn on the walls. A lot of local artists. I want to use local DJs as well. We want to keep it very Brooklyn."

The space will include an upstairs and a basement, with the main workout room on the top floor and smaller group classes down below. Four private bathrooms will give people their own personal space to shower off and clean up.

The classes will all be "high intensity interval training," which layer short bursts of activity in with quick rest periods. Those grueling workouts will be sound-tracked partly by local DJs to liven things up even more.

"We're trying to make it as fun as possible for everyone," said Barricelli. "Because by nature, workouts are not fun."

Barricelli, 28, is a former move production grip whose first venture into the fitness business came when he opened HIIT BK on Flatbush Avenue in 2014.

He says Beast will be "very high end to start out with" featuring a coffee bar with RISE cold brew. An online store is already selling Beast merch, some even for dogs.

And Barricelli and his team are scouring work from local artists to showcase inside.

"We’re going to have a lot of art from local artists all over the space," he said.

Some pre-registration packages are already available online for anyone who wants to sign up. Click here for more information.

Image courtesy Beast Fitness