The Sporting Club at the Bellevue is back after three years — with a new golf room

The Sporting Club at the Bellevue in Center City is reopening on Nov. 6 after being closed for three years.

The business on Broad Street originally closed due to pandemic restrictions, but the shutdown allowed it to carry out all at once renovations it had been planning for years, said Fran Cassidy, general manager of the club. In 2021, the Bellevue building in which the club is housed was also bought by Lubert-Adler, which announced plans to invest $100 million to transform the property.

The 110,000-square-foot sporting club spreads out across three full floors and an additional two mezzanines, with new amenities and spaces throughout. Some of the new highlights members can expect include a golf pavilion, lounge space, event space with an outdoor area, and restrooms on every floor.

While workers are not yet returning to Center City offices in pre-pandemic numbers, Cassidy said he believes the club could contribute to work-life balance for those who are commuting and help the “ambience” in the city.

“When this is open, and it’s so attractive like this … that’ll make people feel: ‘Wow, I’ll go to work but the sporting club’s even alive, and there’s action here, and the Bellevue’s alive,’” said Cassidy.

Members used to take calls and bring their computers to the club pre-pandemic, but the club expects to see more of that in the future, said Mary Falso, director of marketing. It also expects to see the time spent at the club increasing as well as the amount of visits going up, Cassidy said.

There is a renewed focus on social events, with spaces to host events throughout the building including a club room and a dedicated event space. While the Sporting Club used to host some events in the past, Cassidy said they were “certainly nothing as high level as we’re going to do it.”

The club still offers two different memberships: the “club” or “executive” level. Without any discounts, club members will pay $175 a month while executive members will pay $375. A one-time initiative fee runs $425 for club members and $675 for executive members. While the club used to welcome members 18 years and older, it will now offer memberships starting at age 16.

Members of either level can sign up for studio classes and use all fitness areas. There are a set number of 348 executive memberships available, which gives members access to a separate locker room area with a dedicated locker, an attendant, and laundry service, among other perks.

Additions and upgrades to the club are present throughout the building.

On the first floor, past the check-in desk, members will see a new cafe that faces onto a terrace. New amenities on this floor include a conference room available for booking and a cold plunge and hot tub section of the pool area.

On the second floor, members can enjoy six studios for hot yoga, regular yoga, cycling, TRX, pilates, and boxing. There are also cubbies outside the studios with phone charging stations and a new clubroom with foosball, a pool table, and a lounging area with a television. This floor also has squash courts.

The main area of the second floor includes an NBA regulation basketball court, which converts into pickleball courts, according to the club’s schedule. A new golf pavilion on this floor includes about 30 feet of putting green and a hitting net. Three golf-simulator stations equipped with sensors that show golf swing data can also be reserved at an additional cost.

The large fitness area on the third floor has been outfitted with 143 new machines from the Technogym brand, windows to let in natural light, and new paneling and turf. There is also a new lounge space in that open floor plan, built above the basketball court and designed to stifle some of the noise that used to seep up from the bottom floor. Members will also find a studio for group classes on this floor and a space dedicated to high intensity interval training.

The club has 58 group class instructors and around 15 trainers for one-on-one sessions, with room to hire more trainers in the future, said Cassidy.

Beyond the spaces for working out and recovery, the next phase of amenities opening at the club will include a barbershop and blow-dry bar and a babysitting service.

The club will be open Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7p.m. There is parking available on-site for an additional cost.