Local fitness studio is opening new location in popular West Columbia district

A local Pilates studio and gym franchise, The WKRT (pronounced “workout”), is expanding to a third location in the retail area of the Brookland apartment complex in West Columbia.

The third studio will be located at 121 State St., The State previously reported, and is expected to be opened by mid-September, owner Karis Loewen wrote in an email.

The gym will feature Megaformer workouts, as well as “lots of fun cardio options,” wrote Loewen.

The Megaformer — a workout machine designed by Sebestian Lagree — offers a high-intensity and low-impact workout. It merges the “nurturing approach of Pilates with the more rigorous approach of bodybuilding,” according to a fitness article highlighting the machine.

The local Pilates studio and gym franchise first opened in 2019 as Sunnyside Pilates on Sunnyside Drive in Columbia in March 2019, but it has since expanded to an additional location on Devine Street and offers a variety of fitness classes.

The studio currently offers four classes: The Mega WRKT, which features the Megaformer machine; the Pilates WRKT; the Balanced WRKT, which combines Pilates and cardio; and the Stretch WRKT, which focuses on restorative stretching and flexibility.

More information about the studio’s classes, workout schedules and more can be found on its website.