Augie In Action! Augie In Action! - Ihrsa

| News & Know How | News
>
Short Takes | Throw in the Towel?
Body blast!
Looking for a way to cut down on towel use at your facility?
Haystack Dryers, the U.K. company that developed the world’s
first “people-dryer,” is now marketing the latest version of its
product to clubs.
A full-body variation on the hand blow dryers found in many
restrooms, the Haystack units employ high-volume fans that
create a horizontal vortex of warm filtered air, accelerating
evaporation, and infrared lamps that gently warm the skin,
eliminating any chill factor. The resulting experience, according
to one user, is “a gentle and warm drying sensation similar to
that of a warm, windy, sunny day.”
The average drying time: 2.5-3 minutes.
Haystack manufactures several models of its dryers,
including a step-in “family” unit that can accommodate up
to five people, popular at water and theme parks; a step-in
“personal” unit, for up to four users; and the wall-mounted
“club” unit, for individual members.
The latter, the company points out, offers a number of
benefits for clubs. It enhances members’ club experience;
offers an environmentally friendly alternative, or addition,
to towel service; reduces laundry clutter and costs; reduces
the facility’s carbon footprint; and, if charged for, generates
nondues revenues. The units can be set up to operate with
coins or tokens, or by button or fob triggers. —|
.com
For complete information about this product line,
log on to www.haystack-dryers.com.
Short Takes | Guinness for Strength
It seems that the brewers of Guinness beer—known for such popular advertising
slogans as “Guinness for Strength” and “Guinness Is Good For You”—may have
been on to something. Researchers at Granada University in Spain have concluded
that a pint of beer is more beneficial in rehydrating the body after exercise than water.
28 Club Business International | MARCH 2008 | www.ihrsa.org
Brand-building with
Four Other Franchises
Contours Express forges unique strategic
partnership in Dallas
Banking on the theory that there’s strength in
numbers, Contours Express International,
Inc., recently teamed up with four other
franchise companies in a joint marketing effort
designed to generate an additional 250 franchised
businesses within the greater Dallas area.
In December, the five held a two-session
Franchise Road Show Tour, a free franchiseopportunities
seminar, to educate the general
public about the basics of
franchising, and to induce
prospective franchisees to
consider their respective
offerings. Contours
Express—a women-only
circuit-training concept
that offers clients a
29-minute workout
on specially designed
equipment—joined with
Fantastic Sams hair
salons, Wireless Zone,
Hollywood Tans, and
Salad Creations to target
the female population
in the thriving Dallas
Jose Perez, Jr.
metro region.
“Dallas is a great market
for fitness because of
the active lifestyles of its residents and the number
of women in the market,” Contours’ CEO Jose
Perez Jr., told Area Developer. “We see an underserved
population which needs more women’s
fitness centers.”
Contours Express, based in Nicholasville,
Kentucky, already has more than 600 locations
worldwide. It hopes that, aided, in part, by group
initiatives, such as the Franchise Road Show Tour,
it will be able to open an additional 40 sites in the
Dallas area within the next three to five years. —|
It’s believed that the carbon dioxide
in beer helps to quench thirst more
quickly, while its carbohydrate content
replenishes lost calories. Cheers! —|