Iron Energy Gym is no more
Images: Castanet
After dealing with over $100,000 in fines, lawyer fees and bills after being forced to shut down for two months in 2022, Iron Energy Gym is officially closing its doors.
Iron Energy officially made its stand against the government in December 2021 when the government ordered all public gyms to close their doors and prevent physical contact or activity.
“It didn’t make sense to me,” Iron Energy co-owner Brian Mark says. “How did the gyms get shut down, but we’re allowed to go to the casino and gamble our money away?”
Iron Energy chose to stay open and get into an open fight with the local government. It publicly defied health orders to stay closed and started an online movement called #FREEBC in the attempt to stand for mental health and make sure that gyms became as essential as “the casino.”
This fight lasted for a period of two months and came to an abrupt end when the government finally said “Enough,” and court ordered the gym to be shut down.
With threats of jail time and frozen bank accounts on the horizon, the West Kelowna gym was forced to close its doors for a period of six months.
In that time the owners accumulated over $30,000 in fines, $30,000 in lawyer fees, and Mark still paid two of his full-time employees as well as the lease and day-to-day fees such as hydro, heat and water.
“It was probably the hardest few months of my life, if I’m being honest with you,” Mark said. “Two of the four partners decided they wanted to sell their shares, and for me I just wasn’t willing to sell. (Co-owner) Cole DaSilva and I decided that if we were going to stand for something, that meant standing for something until our very last breath.”
Photo: Contributed
After two long years, Iron Energy has officially closed its doors. The doors of the past have closed and although the #FREEBC movement will never be forgotten, it’s time to pave a new path for the new gym in town—Aesthetic Nation Gym.
“When we took over the gym we decided we were going to make this the best gym in Canada,” DaSilva says.
That’s exactly what they’ve done. Mark and DaSilva have completely renovated Iron Energy, closed the doors and changed the name to Aesthetic Nation Gym.
They’ve ripped out the turf to make way for dozens of new pieces of equipment.
They’ve partnered with local businesses to bring the best of them together underneath one roof to provide an incredible experience for their members and customers.
They’ve invested heavily in building a posing room for fitness competitors and athletes to train and pose for their competitions.
They’ve repainted the walls, reorganized the equipment, improved the lighting and are bringing higher quality equipment into the gym.
And they’ve officially opened up the doors to Aesthetic Nation Gym. The grand opening will take place next Saturday (March 9) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There will be a $2,500 door prize given away during the grand opening to one person who checks in for a workout. It will include incredible prizes as well as $500 cash.
Aesthetic Nation Gym’s local vendors will be on site to provide a wide variety of health resources such as IV drips, cold plunges, hot therapy, massages and supplements from Supplement King. Even MealPrep4U will be in the house for the best nutritious food in town.
All you have to do is come to the gym for a workout. It’s free, and you could end up winning a $2,500 door prize.
It’s that simple.
“We just want to give back,” Mark says. “The community stood behind us during the hardest time of our lives so we’re gonna give back to the community. Anyone who comes for a workout on March 9th is going to be entered to win a $2,500 door prize. It’s our way of saying thank you.”
There’s a new gym in town, and it’s worth the drive across the bridge.
More information about Aesthetic Nation Gym can be found on its Instagram page here.
Photo: Aesthetic Nation Gym
This article is written by or on behalf of the sponsoring client and does not necessarily reflect the views of Okanagan Edge.
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