Fitness and wellness concept Sweat and Tonic will be opening its third location in Toronto’s Yorkville area. It’s the latest fitness business to move into the high-density, rapidly growing neighbourhood which is also home to a considerable number of high-income households.
Sweat and Tonic’s Yorkville location will be at 11 Yorkville Avenue, at the base of a mixed-use building that will include a substantial residential tower. Sweat and Tonic will occupy about 18,000 square feet on the second floor of the building which is currently under construction and will be called 11YV. Developers of the project include RioCan, Metropia and Capital Developments.
The Yorkville Sweat and Tonic will feature over 200 classes led weekly by top trainers. There will be social spaces that will “allow community connection, the sharing of ideas, and a place to see and be seen,” according to the company.
“Drawing from the distinct characteristics and history of the Yorkville neighbourhood, the design will be classically inspired with modern, energizing, and playful reflections throughout, offering a curated, luxury aesthetic with guest experience at the forefront,” said Morgan Thomas, Chief Brand Officer of Sweat and Tonic, in a statement.
“As we plan the design of our spaces in collaboration with exceptional partners, we’re finding opportunities to elevate the guest experience at every turn. The space speaks to the distinction and prestige of the neighbourhood, while keeping community, technology, innovation, and hospitality top-of-mind. From our top-of-the-line fitness equipment, AV, and lighting systems, to our complimentary amenities including yoga mats, towels, cycling shoes, and fully-stocked change-rooms, to our flexible access options that are price-protected and free from annual contracts, we want the guest journey to be uncomplicated. The moment you step through our doors, we want you to feel cared for, and we’ve removed all of the traditional industry friction so you can come and sweat it out just as you are.”
The boutique fitness and wellness hub offers the widest collection of group fitness classes in Canada, according to Sweat and Tonic. The local, curated fitness experience includes spa facilities, cafe and bar offerings, including Tonic House, the multi-functional lounge, workspace and event venue that Sweat and Tonic says inspires collaboration and innovation. Locations also carry retail products from top brands including Lululemon, AZUR, and Consonant Skin+Care.
“Sweat and Tonic was conceptualized in 2017 to bring the highest quality of group fitness to Canada with Yorkville as the preferred location. We have looked at many spaces over the ensuing years as we maintained a discipline to be selective, and so it’s with great pride we can finally announce another partnership with RioCan to make 11 Yorkville our third home in Toronto,” said David Ingram, Founder of Sweat and Tonic in a statement.
Yorkville is the third location for Sweat and Tonic, which was founded in Toronto shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our first location at Yonge and Shuter St opened in November 2019 and, despite the impact of COVID-19, it has surpassed all expectations. Our second location at The Well has already exceeded record attendance rates. We are truly grateful to both communities for their overwhelming support and remain optimistic and excited for this next phase of our evolution in one of the city’s most iconic neighbourhoods,” said Ingram.
The location at The Well opened about three months ago, and spans about 25,000 square feet. It includes the largest indoor cycling studio in Canada, immersive environment Yoga and cycling classes, a state-of-the-art High-Intensity-Interval-Training (HIIT) Studio, personal training services, a member’s only lounge and co-working space, event space, cafe, bar, patio, and an innovative new wellness and recovery hub opening this spring. The wellness and recovery hub will feature biohacking, high-touch, and aqua therapy treatments to support guests’ fitness, wellness and lifestyle goals, according to the company.
RioCan is also a landlord of The Well, which opened several months ago and in May will see the opening of a new 70,000 square foot food market. Sweat and Tonic is a key tenant at The Well, occupying a second-level space in a unique purpose-built building at the centre of the project.
“RioCan is thrilled to expand our partnership with Sweat and Tonic by introducing their second location within our portfolio at 11YV. Following their successful launch at The Well in 2023, we are eager to extend Toronto’s premium boutique fitness and wellness experience to one of Canada’s most exclusive shopping and dining districts,” said Oliver Harrison, Senior Vice President, Leasing and Tenant Experience at RioCan.
David Wedemire and Stan Vyriotes of DWSV Realty represented Sweat and Tonic in the Yorkville lease deal.
The 11YV tower will rise 65 floors above Yorkville Avenue and will have about 600 condominium apartment units. The building will have about 24,000 square feet of retail space, 18,000 of which will be for Sweat and Tonic’s new fitness facility.
Sweat and Tonic will be the latest upscale fitness facility to move into Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area, which already boasts a high number of fitness facilities. This week we reported on Innovative Fitness, which recently opened its Canadian flagship location at 33 Bloor Street East. The concept focuses on personal training in a 6,500 square foot facility.
Graham Smith and Brandon Gorman from JLL represented the landlord in the transaction.
Next year it will be joined by AVANT by Altea Active, a luxury concept gym that will open on the second floor of the former Nordstrom Rack store at 1 Bloor Street East. A source told Retail Insider that memberships would be about $700 a month in terms of pricing.
The Bloor-Yorkville area is home to three GoodLife Fitness gyms, which have a membership rate at about a tenth of that to be offered by AVANT — and Equinox, which is an upscale US-based fitness concept, has a large facility at the Yorkville Village shopping centre. The area is also home to various smaller boutique fitness concepts such as Barry’s Bootcamp at the back of 100 Bloor Street West, and F45 at 110 Bloor Street West, among others. Sweat and Tonic will bring another offering to the area that will include a mix of fitness and social.
The next five years will be a transformational time for Bloor-Yorkville as thousands of new residents move into the area, which is seeing new residential construction in the form of condominium apartment towers. Some units are small and will be housed by students at institutions such as the University of Toronto. And some buildings will have units priced well into the millions of dollars each — Yorkville is seeing an unprecedented amount of wealth moving into the area with a considerable number of condo units expected to sell for in excess of $10 million. The expanded wealth in the area is expected to expand the market for upscale fitness facilities in the coming years.
We’ll follow up on this story when Sweat and Tonic opens its new Yorkville Avenue facility.
