New Bodies.

WORDS CRAIG TANSLEY

STEAM CLEAN
Sofitel Mansion & Spa, in collaboration with Lancôme Paris, has launched the first signature Lancôme Beauty Studio in Australia, on the outskirts of Melbourne. LeSpa has an awesome private VIP room with hamman – one of the most authentic traditional Turkish baths you’ll see outside Istanbul, a slim success treatment for a firm figure and an anti-aging treatment.Tel: +61 (3) 9731 4140.

LAZY LEGS
How’d you like to get perfect legs just by wearing thongs everywhere? You don’t have to sweat it out on the treadmill, or an exercise bike, or even ride a real one for that matter. FitFlops give you a workout while you walk by extending the amount of time that your muscles are engaged during each step, getting your thighs, calves and glutes working even harder. That’s our kind of exercise! Available from David Jones, The Athlete’s Foot and other retailers for AU$89.95.

THE GREEN MACHINE

Danny Green, the WBC Interim World Champ boxer and IBF Pan Pacific Champion gives us his tips on places to train.

Perth
I’m from Perth but I always avoid fancy parks and gyms. I’d rather run in a dingy area than a cool park. A good workout is the 40km ride from Perth to Mundaring Weir, about 30km of which is on a ridiculously steep slope. I had the back brakes pressing on my wheel rims the entire trip – that’s a work-out!

Rottnest Island
I jet-ski 21km across to Rottnest Island where they have some of the best surf in the area. Try Radar Reef on Rottnest Island – it’s sharky, but there’s sharks everywhere, aren’t there?

Sydney
When I was training for a world title fight, I stayed at the Novotel at Homebush for my preparation. The grass pyramid hills next to Acer Arena at the Olympic Village are perfect for leg workouts. The air’s fresher out there and there’s less traffic.

Fighting Fit
For a great workout to get you into shape, or maybe to try boxing, check out Billy Sparsis’ gym Padded Gloves at Glebe and Balmain (tel: +61 (2) 9660 2557). I went there for two years before I built my own gym.

CURVES FOR WOMEN

Curves for Women clubs have become the newest hot drop-in spot to stay fit on your travels. Curves is the largest fitness franchise in the world, with almost as many clubs as there are McDonalds. We caught up with owner Gary Hevin.

Where did the idea for Curves come from?
When my wife Diane and I decided to start a fitness club in our hometown in Harlingen, Texas, we knew that we wanted to help the women in our community who weren’t being served by conventional gyms.

What kind of women are your clients?
Our members range in age and fitness levels, from pre-teens to centenarians. But most of our members fall in the 35 to 55 age group.

Did you ever think your business would grow so quickly?
I’ve always said my goal is to be the McDonalds of fitness – but I didn’t know it would happen so fast. It took McDonalds 25 years to open 6,000 franchises; we did it in seven.

Are gyms the best place for networking?
Our members form bonds that go beyond their 30-minute workouts. Some groups give themselves names like the “Early Morning Mommas” and get together after their workout for coffee. Other groups get together for shopping, dinner, even weekend trips. We call this the “Curves Community”, and it’s a very powerful motivational support system that our members created for themselves.

Will there ever be a Curves for men?
No. The Curves model wouldn’t be attractive to the average man.