BIÂN Chicago combining wellness and work in unique shared office/gym combo
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The pandemic inspired the rise of remote work, with some wondering if the trend would stick. A group of Chicago business people are betting that people will continue to ditch their cubicles.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory shows us what happens when you cross a shared office with a gym.
From burning to churning, members of this River North club can work out and work.
Monika Dixon loves the gym/office combo so much that she stopped leasing space for her public relations company.
"I start my day with Pilates class with Kelly, who's the best; and then I come upstairs, I answer all of my emails, do all of my calls," she said.
She can do her work al fresco if she wanted.
This home away from home along the Chicago River is called BIÂN Chicago. It's located inside 600 West Chicago, where snagging a beauty or spa service can be part of your daily grind.
"You can honestly sit in the infrared sauna with your laptop and pump out emails. I know, because I do it," BIÂN co-owner Kevin Boehm said.
Boehm happens to own multiple restaurants, so healthy food is a focus at BIÂN. Also on the menu: a team of six doctors for all your medical needs.
"There are things that you can do within these four walls that you can't do within four walls anywhere else on Earth," Boehm said.
Victory was thinking you could do everything but sleep at BIÂN, but the founders thought of that too. It has a whole room for napping.
And yet there's no time for rest right now, because BIÂN is finishing up a $15 million expansion. Boehm gave us a sneak peek ahead of the grand opening. The whole space is meant to be a comfy oasis for people with remote jobs. The 9,000-square-foot addition includes phone booths and private board rooms.
Why make the investment into a remote working space at a time when there are companies starting to call their employees back to the office?
"I believe that we're doing something with co-working that no one's ever done before," Boehm said.
Tim Geannopulos agrees. It's why he decided to invest in BIÂN.
"A lot of the stuff that I want to do in my typical day, I can get done here," he said.
A one-stop-shop for work and wellness.
The new remote space at BIÂN officially opens Friday. About 800 people belong to the club right now. A monthly membership runs about $330.