Under the shade of palm and banana trees and with a constant soundtrack of crashing waves, The Gym at Stinson Beach is unlike any fitness center in the county. Its design and atmosphere were inspired by tropical Hawaii, in particular the north coast of Kauai, both in its indoor facilities and airy backyard.
Outside the main rec room is a jungle of elliptical machines and stationary bikes connected by a brick path lined with statues of Buddha, a black elephant and lighthouses. The weights and machines are covered by wooden overhangs but their exposure to the ocean air remains. Cutting through this backyard garden of grunts is an undisturbed creek that creates a lush environment that used to be home to a different creature of gym rat.
Owner Larry Wall-Sneddon has been building this labor of love isnce he opened the doors in 1985. Now that the back studio is fortified from leaks and there is a multipurpose stage that can host a range of activities, from yoga to health seminars and even intimate concerts, Mr. Wall-Sneddon wants the community—both residents and vacationers—to use the premises so that the gym can financially support itself.
“I felt like this area needed a gym and it was my duty to create one. Then 31 years went by,” said Mr. Wall-Sneddon, who works as a painting contractor to keep the lights on at the gym. “How could you love something that has never made you any money and has taken all of your time? But I’ve figured out my goal: an inside and outside workout space that was Zen.”
Mr. Wall-Sneddon, who used to reside in Stinson Beach but currently commutes from San Rafael, said he was 28 when he moved to town and underwent a lifestyle change. “I shaped it and it shaped me,” he said of his surrounds.
The genesis of the gym came from a simple idea: “The key is when you go to the beach, you don’t want to go inside for the gym,” he said.
Now he has turned his attention to increasing gym membership, which has dropped off in the last 10 to 15 years. “Back in the day, there were people actually in these towns besides billionaires and beach house renters,” he said. The 2000 consensus showed Stinson Beach as having 751 residents; in 2010, that number was 630. Currently, a majority of his members come from Bolinas; members pay $550 a year, while daily rates go for $15.
Mr. Wall-Sneddon said he is hoping to work with vacation rental owners to offer a deal to vacationers, but he is also planning to a erect a sandwich board and put out fliers.
Looking to his back patio, where Nautilus fitness machines are camouflaged among bamboo, Mr. Wall-Sneddon is comfortable in his sanctuary. “I just love this place,” he said. “They can throw my ashes into the creek when I’m done.”