Truebody, a fitness studio in downtown Bethesda, is permanently closing on Friday after two and a half years, the business told customers in an email.
The fitness studio, at 7400 Wisconsin Ave., announced in an email to customers on Wednesday that it will close due to the challenges of doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Truebody closed on March 15 due to the health crisis, the email stated. Since then, the studio has continued to offer online classes, but membership has “dropped significantly,” the email stated.
Fitness studios were allowed to reopen at limited capacity last month under Montgomery County’s second phase of reopening. The rules allow one person per 200 square feet of space.
The email states that “the safety measures prescribed by our local government would allow us to only use a small fraction of our class capacity,” and some of the smaller rooms would be “virtually unusable” for more than a few people.
Truebody stated that it is working with a potential buyer who might be able to reopen the club.
The email states that members who pay monthly will be reimbursed on a prorated basis through July 11. Additionally, all unused private sessions and class packages that were valid on March 15 will be refunded.
General Manager Robert Sherman replied to an email from Bethesda Beat seeking comment on Wednesday by sharing the closure notice.
As of Wednesday evening, Truebody’s website still indicated that it was closed temporarily.
Truebody has offered classes in yoga, cycle, strength, dance, barre, tai chi, cardio and high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. The studio opened in early 2018 in the historic brick Bethesda Post Office building, which was built in 1938.
Truebody was founded by brothers Alain and Marc Cohen, who previously founded the performance management firm Opnet, which they sold in 2012.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@bethesdsamagazine.com
