Beverly Cycling Studio Owner Stands Up For Safety Of Gyms

BEVERLY, MA — Hillary Mandelbaum said she's done everything she's been told to do to make her cycling studio a safe place for her clients to stay physically and mentally healthy during what could otherwise be a devastating time amid the coronavirus health crisis.

The co-owner of Inner Cycle of Beverly believes the "vast, vast majority" of her fellow gym and fitness studio owners and managers across the state have done the same for the past four months since they were allowed to reopen to dramatically reduced capacity in the state's phased-in reopening plan.

The numbers back her up. Health officials say gyms and fitness studios have barely registered as sources of virus outbreak. The Massachusetts Independent Fitness Operators Association reports only 45 confirmed cases out of 1,384,389 visitors statewide from July 6 through Nov. 14.

Yet, Mandelbaum said she increasingly feels gyms and fitness studios have been unfairly targeted as a potential source of virus spread on the North Shore, while they are suffering from media and public officials urging residents to "stay home" whenever possible in the recent coronavirus surge.

"There is very little evidence to show that gyms are contributing to the disease (spread)," Mandelbaum told Patch on Wednesday. "There is this fear on the news to just stay home, stay home, and that you shouldn't be around anyone you don't live with, when we've done a good job keeping gyms clean and people are going to the gyms to stay healthy."

Mandelbaum, who owns Inner Cycle along with business partner Emily Skoniecki, said the Beverly location looks a lot different than it did when it was a thriving business packing 31 bikes into a small space at the start of 2020.

The location now has eight bikes that are spaced 14 feet apart. Those coming to classes must wear masks at all times when not on bikes during a session and have virtually no close contact with other people. Yet, the benefit they do get from the physical activity and even minimal social interaction is making a big difference in their lives as cold temperatures force people indoors and the isolation of what could be a year-long pandemic weighs heavily.

"It's keeping people sane," she said. "They are working out. They get to at least see other people. They need their endorphins. Depression is a real thing. They need this outlet."

It's a message she hopes to deliver to those worried about the safety when considering whether to work out at their local gym, and state officials who may consider more restrictions and shutdowns if coronavirus cases continue to rise into the holiday season.

"There are people who just aren't going because of all that they are reading," she said. "They think gyms are dangerous. And they are not.

"Let's really get granular with that data. I would hate to be lumped in with some bigger things (where there may be some virus spread). It's a perception thing. It's not a scientific thing. There are no numbers to support that gyms are dangerous right now."

The Beverly studio is one of five Inner Cycle studios with the others in Amesbury, Gloucester, Marblehead and North Reading. Mandelbaum said the business was strong — with hopes of further expansion — last winter before the pandemic hit.

"Nobody could have ever planned for a pandemic," she said. "It was like: 'What now?' Nobody has any idea what now. We had five studios with more planned for the future. What now? We don’t know. We are trying to stay afloat and keep alive in our community."

Mandelbaum said even she "fell into a rut" at the start of the crisis where she found herself staying up late, obsessing over the news and "drinking too much wine," but that the ability to reopen the studios even at limited capacity has helped her clients as much as it has helped her.

She also worries further restrictions will devastate her instructors, who are independent contracts and not eligible for traditional unemployment without an extension of the since-expired federal program that helped some of them in the spring.

"Everyone was just over the moon when we were able to open the room again," she said. "At first they told us 6 feet of distancing, and then we had to change to 14, but even those eight people who could come to each class were very grateful for that opportunity.

"People are looking forward to riding with their friends again and looking forward to getting out of their daily grind. The gym is an outing for them, and it's important for people to have that social interaction.

"There's a real consequence of what's going on right now. People are underestimate the power of exercise and physical activity. We are doing a good job of keeping the gyms clean. And gyms are keeping people healthy."

(Scott Souza is a Patch Field Editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)