Arden Hills club reopens as Life Time. Take a look inside new Sacramento-area athletic club
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Life Time opened a new 78,000-sq-ft Arden club on the site of former Arden Hills club.
- The facility blends modern amenities and fitness programs with historic elements.
- About 500 legacy Arden Club members resumed access under the Life Time brand.
At 5 a.m. Friday, the new Life Time Arden athletic country club officially opened, marking a new chapter for the site once home to the Arden Hills Athletic and Social Club.
On the eve of the opening, staff in Life Time-branded red shirts and black muscle tees prepared the space — buffing floors, folding towels and cleaning staircases at the facility just off Fair Oaks Drive on the Arden Arcade-Carmichael border.
Two years ago, then-executive director Austin Favero announced that Life Time, a national fitness chain with over 170 locations in the U.S. and Canada, had acquired the family-owned club founded by Sherm Chavoor. Life Time also operates facilities in Roseville and Folsom.
The former club held a reputation for elite athletics and community gathering. Olympians such as Mark Spitz, Debbie Meyer, and Jeff Float trained there, contributing to its storied legacy.
The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the business, which once featured top-tier pools, a day spa, and event spaces.
Now, the updated facility located at 1220 Arden Hills Lane spans two stories and 78,000 square feet, offering aquatics, racquet sports, and social amenities.
Memberships at the athletic country club start at $349 per month, a company spokesperson said.
Robert Chemaly, senior area manager with Life Time, played a key role in launching the Arden site as well as the Roseville and Folsom locations. He said he had long seen the potential in the Arden property.
The former club’s property had been on Chemaly’s radar years before the ultimate acquisition.
“This place, the property, the bones, the land — it’s just second to none,” Chemaly said. “This is definitely going to be one of our more boutique clubs ... with elegant finishes and every amenity you could possibly think of.”
The gym includes a 17,000-square-foot workout floor equipped for cardio, resistance, and free-weight training, with options for personal coaching. Recovery facilities feature water massage, cold therapy chairs, and compression tools. Group training programs include Life Time’s GTX, Alpha and Ultra Fit.
An outdoor beach club — scheduled to open later this year — accompanies three pools, ten pickleball courts, and nine tennis courts.
One unique feature is the Pilates studio, which still reflects the club’s original architecture. Reformer machines and stretch tables rest beneath vintage crystal chandeliers and sloped ceilings.
Taylor Dominguez, Pilates coordinator, transferred from Roseville to lead sessions at the new location.
“When it comes to Pilates, we really focus on strength, stretch, stamina, and stability,” Dominguez said. “We’re really tailoring it to each person individually, and it’s not like we’re starting light and then going heavier; it’s just about how you feel in the body and how you perform the exercise to develop over time.”
Natalie Bushaw, vice president of public relations and corporate communications, said the athletic club will soon expand to accommodate families.
“We will have our Kids Academy open later this year, transforming the downstairs to a kids space,” Bushaw said. “That will be a 2,600-square-foot space. That’s what (the club) has been for 70 years — a generational place.”
The Kids Academy will offer programming for children ages 3 months to 12 years, with a focus on music, education, and sports.
One of the facility’s most intriguing amenities might be the clubhouse, where you can order a pineapple jalapeño margarita and play a golf simulator after a long swim or a strenuous workout.
The club has golf simulators, a dry bar, plush yellow and leather seating and a pool table. At the bar, aside from alcoholic beverages like the Berry Mint Spritz, they also serve mocktails infused with Life Time’s own brand of athletic supplements to better both the mind and body.
Emily Fruda, membership concierge manager and a 10-year veteran of the club, said the transition has prioritized the club’s legacy.
“(The Arden club) was a country club where people came for social events, and instead of changing it into a performance-driven, results-based facility, we’re slowly changing that mindset through the offerings and incorporating Life Time standards into the property,” Fruda said.
About 500 former Arden Hills members have retained their memberships under Life Time, Bushaw confirmed.
Paramount for the club’s development was preserving the legacy of the Arden Hills Club and the staple it was in the Arden Park, Wilhaggin and Del Dayo Estates communities, to name a few.
Past the entrance, a hallway displays memorabilia: Arden-logo duffel bags and jackets, a photo of Sherm Chavoor overlooking the pool, and a Life magazine issue featuring Mark Spitz training for the Olympics.
Mila Litvinova, the club’s lead general manager, said the goal is to blend the club’s heritage with Life Time’s vision.
“We’re continuing the legacy of our audience,” she said. “It has a long history of winners, and we just continue with that legacy to serve a better community.”
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
