Carmen Erhardt pictured inside her new gym, The Body Shop Gym & Spa, which was still a work-in-progress, on Wednesday, July 31. The 24/7 fitness center – Traer’s only gym – is set to open to the public on Sept. 1 but will hold a sneak peek this Thursday, Aug. 8, as part of the Winding Stairs Festival. The business is located at 606 Third Street, just east of the BP gas station, in what was formerly the Boldt Auction Company building. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – Carmen Erhardt is ready to cross the finish line.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 8, in conjunction with Traer’s Winding Stairs Festival, Erhardt will host a sneak peek of her new, 24-hour fitness center, The Body Shop Gym & Spa located roughly a block south of downtown. And while she is thrilled to finally give the public a chance to see what’s been going on in the former Boldt Auction Company building since construction began this past winter, she is practically counting the minutes until she can officially unlock the doors.

“Phase 1 is just getting it open,” Erhardt said on Wednesday, July 31, as she gave the newspaper a sneak peek of the space ahead of the Aug. 8 open house. “We started this in February of this year. I wanted to be done like five months ago. But I can see the end now.”

When Erhardt and her husband James purchased the building at 606 Third Street last year, the plan was not to open a gym. But being an athlete herself, Erhardt had hoped the space might appeal to someone who wanted to bring a fitness center to the community.

“My background is a degree in athletic training and fitness management. I’ve been an athlete my entire life, but I did not intend to put a gym in here. I thought about storage space or renting.”

But after hitting a dead end in her attempts to rent the space to another gym developer, Erhardt decided to just build the business herself.

“My thoughts were, I’m going to bring big town gym to a small community.”

She certainly has the background to make that happen.

After graduating from Independence Community School District, Erhardt attended Upper Iowa University where she played basketball for the Peacocks. Following college, she spent several years managing health clubs in the Cedar Rapids area before becoming, in her words, burnt out.

Today, in addition to being a wife and mother, she owns Pillar Insurance which is located in downtown Traer. Despite her day job no longer involving helping people meet their fitness goals, Erhardt said health and wellness have remained top of mind through the years.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“In 2021, I was in a side-by-side accident and I broke my back,” Erhardt explained. “One of my biggest fears is losing strength and mobility. … That was a main driver of getting back into this.”

Ahead of this week’s sneak peek, all of the gym’s equipment was set to be delivered including cardio, bikes, ellipticals, full circuit machine weights, free weights, mirrors, and a wall’s worth of TVs. During the newspaper’s tour, Erhardt was quick to point out that everything would be new – no used equipment will be installed.

The Body Shop Gym & Spa’s fitness center – which will be accessible 24/7 by way of a key fob and app – will eventually host classes including some designed for kids as well as seniors.

The business will also sell a range of supplements.

The goal is to open the gym, located on the east side of the complex, to the public on Sept. 1, while construction continues on the rest of the massive building – including on the space that most recently housed Nancy Boldt’s hair salon.

“The full salon will remain. I’m recruiting another [stylist]. I’m trying to recruit a nail technician.”

To that end, the former building’s kitchen is being converted into treatment rooms as part of the business’s planned spa offerings.

“We’ll have estheticians in the two treatment rooms. I’m trying to recruit a massage therapist in here. I’m looking to maybe add a sauna [and a] cold plunge.

“This building is going to be a healthy, holistic space.”

But for now, Erhardt’s focus is on finishing the gym space which had to be completely gutted. The sleek, white steel walls on the inside are brand new as is the floor.

She is also working to get her website up and running for those interested in purchasing a membership. In the meantime, follow the business’s Facebook page for updates.

As she stood in the cavernous, white, industrial space last week, Erhardt proudly described all the different areas that would soon come to life as part of the gym.

“I knew I could do this,” she said at one point. “I think it’s something that can attract young families to our community.”

“People are ready.”

For a chance to check out The Body Shop Gym & Spa – located at 606 Third Street in Traer – ahead of its official opening this fall, be sure to stop by the business tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 8, anytime from 5-7 p.m. As part of the event, there will be food, drinks from Sippin’ Pretty, and challenges with prizes for kids.