Flatiron Sees Spike In Wellness Businesses, Study Shows

FLATIRON DISTRICT, NY — Wellness is all the rage in the Flatiron District — with a massive rise in wellness and fitness storefronts in the neighborhood in the past five years.

The neighborhood — a "wellness epicenter" sometimes called the "Fitness District" — has seen a 72 percent increase in gym and fitness studios since 2014, according to a new study from the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District.

Since last year alone, wellness-focused businesses — meaning fitness and yoga facilities, salons and spas, beauty and cosmetics and medical clinics — increased by 7.3 percent, the study says.

"The growth of the wellness sector in Flatiron and NoMad has been remarkable, as this report demonstrates," the BID's executive director James Mettham said in statement.

Mettham said easy access to public transit and the number of New Yorkers who work or visit the nabe means there's plenty of potential fitness-minded customers.

The BID — which runs from Sixth to Third avenues and 21st to 28th streets — did a survey of more than 550 ground floor businesses and found 116 of them were retail or services focused on wellness, according to the study.

More than 60 storefronts are fitness studios or gyms the study says. Restaurants, bars, and fast-casual eateries made up about 230 establishments. Among the storefronts surveyed, more than two-thirds are locally-owned independent businesses.

"Beyond the booming wellness sector, this report also shows that this is a dynamic district with an irresistible mix of commercial and residential sectors," Mettham said.