A reader gave us the heads up that a new Barre Focus Fitness will soon be arriving at 4145 Chestnut St., in University City. This new business will be taking over a second floor space at the corner, above hookah place Cleopatra Cafe. Smoky workout, anyone?

Future Barre Focus Fitness

Looking around the area, you can see a former diner that was converted into a Halal restaurant many years ago, a car wash that used to look kind of iffy but now looks pretty nice, and a still vacant building that we told you about over a year ago. Also of note is the newish Bikram Yoga studio located immediately next door to the soon-to-open Barre Focus Fitness, also up on the second floor.

Kabobeesh, across the street

Former Graphic Arts Inc. HQ

Yoga place is up a bunch of stairs

For those who don’t know (and we confess, we didn’t until a couple of minutes ago), the idea behind Barre Focus Fitness is a total body workout using the traditional ballet barre. “Isometric, non-impact, dynamic exercises… target and overload each muscle group,” and workouts include heaps of stretching as well. Custom tracks assembled by local DJs accompany most classes.

If you don’t have anything planned, their grand opening HalloLEAN class is scheduled for 5:30 on October 31st (‘natch), with a happy hour at Harvest Seasonal Grille to follow. Go there! Sweat it out in costume! Have some drinks after! Go do some yoga first!

So now that students and neighbors on the University City fringe have some new amenities, has anyone heard anything about the old Graphic Arts building?