By Cindy Wojdyla Cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com December 2, 2013 5:56PM
The former Charlie Club site at 2701 Black Road in Joliet has reopened as Chicago Racquet & Fitness Club. The club most recently was owned by Gold's Gym until it closed suddenly in 2011. | Cindy Cain~Sun-Times Media
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The club’s hours are 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Monthly or yearly membership plans are available and childcare is offered for a fee. For more information call 779-206-4903 or go to www.chicagoracquet.com.
JOLIET — A year ago, Sundeep Oberoi vowed to friends on Facebook that he would convert his abdominal muscles into a chiseled “six pack” by the time he turned 50.
With the big birthday just a few months away, Oberoi now has a better chance of meeting his fitness goal. So do area residents.
In August, Oberoi of Naperville bought the former Charlie Club/Gold’s Gym site at 2701 Black Road and converted it into the Chicago Racquet and Fitness Club, which opened on Nov. 18.
Oberoi has surrounded himself with people he believes can make the business a success. Club director Cheryl Gudinas is a racquetball expert who has won three world championships and eight national championship, and she currently serves as coach of the junior national racquet ball team. Oberoi said Gudinas plans to turn the center into a site for national racket ball camps and events.
Group fitness manager Selina Laurendi has been teaching fitness classes in the area for about 10 years. Laurendi is one of about 10 former Gold’s Gym instructors Oberoi has hired to work at his club.
“For a lot of them, it’s like coming back home, too,” he said.
The 36,000-square-foot business condo building was built in the 1970s and once was home to the Charlie Club, which for many years was one of the places to be and be seen in Joliet. It eventually was acquired by Gold’s Gym, which shut the fitness club down suddenly in March 2011 leaving many members in the lurch as the national company entered bankruptcy.
Fitness offerings will include Zumba, yoga, spinning, pole dancing and Les Mills BodyPump. The fitness center has three racquetball courts, a cardio room, weight rooms and a large open space that will allow patrons to work on cross functional fitness with ropes, ladders and tires. Oberoi said he also plans to offer wallyball in the racquetball courts.
Oberoi, who switched careers from software to buying real estate in 2011, said he bought the fitness center site, which takes up two of six condos in the building, because he loved the look of the building and he believes the business will work.
“When I came in I looked at this place and I was enamoured by just the foyer,” he said of the modern, open entrance. “Walking in it was beautiful. It was dusty, but it looked like a gem in the rough.”
The biggest change he’s made so far is the paint color.
“There were some wild colors in here,” he said. “We had to get rid of blue, orange and red — we’re talking dark colors.”
Oberoi changed some flooring and added new equipment, too. But there is still some work to be done. The swimming pool and sauna will reopen once the health department gives its OK, he said. And programming will be added as customers come and decide what they would like to see at the fitness club, he added.
“Our approach has been to start with something small,” he said. “As customer interest grows, let the customer decide how we’re going to build out the rest of the facility. We’re open minded to what we will add.”
Ever since he started buying residential and commercial real estate, Oberoi said his investment philosophy has been, “What’s the worst thing that can happen and can I handle it? If I get nothing but good health out of this venture, then it will have been a good investment.”
As for that ab work, Oberoi said he’s about to start hitting some of his club’s classes.
“I plan on taking every one of these classes we have started. If I can do it, I can convince other people to participate in it.”
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