Gym Dandy

In Manhattan, a shrine to personal fitness

'The idea that there were once people in black-tie waltzing here thrills me," says Pat Manocchia, who is wearing black spandex and standing in the center of what was once the vast neo-Gothic ballroom of New York's Hotel des Artistes. Now, after four years of planning and $2.75 million in renovations, this cavernous space, where champagne and "The Blue Danube" once flowed freely, has been transformed into New York's foremost shrine to ascetic realism.

La Palestra—or the Arena—which opens this month, is a lavish boutique gymnasium that is ambitious in both its architecture and concept. "This is a place for preventative medicine," emphasizes Manocchia, the 33-year-old mastermind behind it, who has been personal trainer to John F. Kennedy Jr., Madonna, Lee Radziwill, and Kelly Klein. And, as if to prove his point, he makes clients give up a vial of blood and submit to a psychological exam before forking over their $7,000 in fees. "The place is set up like a university," he says. "It's run on semesters. You must do supervised exercise 52 times a year. If not, you're out. We drop you."

The tough core curriculum also includes boxing, fencing, rope climbing, and one "big trip" or goal a year, such as a trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. "The Greeks," says Manocchia, "had it right. A sound mind in a sound body." And now, at La Palestra, add to that a sound checkbook.

M.T.