South End wellness studio combines a gym and doctor's office
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The entrance to STAT Wellness — the facility is across the street from Distro Beer Hub. All photos: McKenzie Rankin/Axios
One of Charlotte's newest wellness studios is part gym, part doctor's office.
Why it matters: Charlotte's boutique fitness craze is expanding into the broader wellness space, with more businesses going beyond workouts to offer one-stop shops for wellness, recovery and longevity-focused services.
Driving the news: Atlanta-based STAT Wellness opened its first Charlotte location in South End in August, offering functional medicine, wellness treatments, physical therapy and strength training under one roof.
- Charlotte is the company's eighth location since nurse practitioner Kristin Oja founded STAT in 2019.
What to expect: The space, at 2401 Distribution St., has a strength-training gym with squat racks, medical consultation rooms and lounges where members can hang out or co-work.
- Fitness: Group strength classes, private training and physical therapy.
- Performance testing: VO2 max testing, body composition scans, resting metabolic rate testing and lab work.
- Functional medicine: Medical visits, nutrition counseling and health coaching.
- Wellness treatments: IV drips ($135-$500) and vitamin injections, including the popular NAD+ infusions, marketed for potential anti-aging effects.
By the numbers: STAT offers three monthly membership options:
- $150/month — Strength Training: Unlimited group fitness classes, open gym access, app-based workouts and quarterly body composition scans.
- $185/month — Medicine: An hourlong initial medical visit, four annual follow-ups, unlimited dietitian and health coaching appointments, three physical therapy consultations, quarterly body composition scans and a movement screening.
- $295/month — Medicine + Strength: Combines both memberships.
The intrigue: STAT accepts HSA payments, Oja tells Axios.
- Services and appointments can also be booked à la carte.
💭 My thought bubble: I took STAT's VO2 max test and body composition scan ($149 and $59 à la carte, respectively) to give me data points to incorporate into my fitness routine.
- My results showed areas to focus on — including, unsurprisingly, more zone 4 and 5 cardio. It also told me what I already knew — don't skip leg day!
Zoom out: STAT is just one of several Charlotte businesses combining numerous wellness services under one roof.
- Pause opened in the Arboretum with saunas, cold plunges and recovery treatments. Another location is expected to open soon in South End.
- Similarly, locally owned Nova Wellness in South End offers services from IV drips to light therapy and aesthetic injectables.
- Earlier this spring, a wellness hub opened in Plaza Midwood, combining a primary care office, tea room, life coaching and clinical research startup.
- Even traditional hair salons are embracing the model. Uptown's Kenna Kunijo recently added a Japanese head spa, facials and injectables.
The big picture: Whether it's recovery, aesthetics or preventative medicine, Charlotte's wellness scene is shifting toward more personalized, one-stop experiences that don't seem to be slowing down.