Case study · Portland, Oregon · 2012–2019

Knot Springs: the Portland wellness club we conceived, designed, equipped and ran

Years before “wellness club” was a category, Knot Springs opened in Portland’s Yard tower as a social club built around fitness, recovery and wellness. BeneFitness created the concept in 2012, consulted on the design with the architects and interior designers, procured every piece of gym equipment, and then ran the club day to day with a team of 78+ people.

Knot Springs Portland soaking pool under a living-plant triangle, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the Central Eastside
2012Concept created by BeneFitness
~15,000Square feet today, expanded from about 10,000 at opening
78+Employees managed by BeneFitness
30+Group classes a week: yoga, aerial yoga, barre, boot camp
2017IIDA Oregon Design Excellence, Best in Category: Hospitality
2024 & 2025Voted Best Spa, Willamette Week Best of Portland readers’ poll

The idea

Fitness, recovery and community in one place, a decade early

In 2012, Brad Boggs and business partner Gina Neal developed the concept for a social wellness club: a full gym and group fitness studios alongside soaking pools, a cold plunge, steam, sauna, massage and treatment rooms, designed as a place members would spend time in, not just pass through.

The Yard development team, led by Robert Gilham with Key Development, brought the club into Yard, the 21-story tower at the Burnside Bridgehead. Skylab Architecture designed the space, drawing on the natural hot springs of Oregon’s Alvord Desert, and Andersen Construction built it. Knot Springs opened in September 2016. Portland Monthly’s story on the opening called it the city’s flashiest new spa and named Brad Boggs and BeneFitness among the team behind it.

We don’t think of it as a spa. Knot Springs was built around how people actually train, recover and connect, and that whole-person approach is why Portland still votes it a favorite today.

Knot Springs soaking pool at night overlooking the Willamette River and downtown Portland skyline
The soaking pool at night, looking over the Willamette River to downtown.
Members relaxing in the Knot Springs soaking pool beneath a hanging living wall
Living plants, warm wood and water: the feel members remember.

The experience

A five-star experience, designed into every visit

Experience was the point of Knot Springs, not an afterthought. We designed the club around how it would look, feel and even smell from the moment a member stepped off the elevator: warm wood, stone and living plants against raw concrete, soft light, quiet music, Pendleton towels, a proprietary shower gel, and signature scents in the steam room that Portland Monthly still writes about.

The service model was built to match: a single welcome desk for check-in and towels, staff trained to know members by name, and spaces sized so the club never felt crowded at peak hours. Great equipment matters, but it is the experience that brings people back.

What BeneFitness did

One partner from first sketch to daily operations

01 · Concept

Created the club

Defined the membership model, the mix of fitness, recovery and treatment spaces, and the programming that would fill them.

02 · Consulting & design

Worked inside the design team

Consulted with Key Development, Skylab Architecture, the interior designers and Andersen Construction on space planning, member flow, programming and operations, and designed the gym.

03 · Equipment

Procured all gym equipment

Specified and procured every piece of gym equipment, from cardio and selectorized strength to racks, rigs, free weights and studio gear.

04 · Operations

Ran the club

Named the operator, BeneFitness launched Knot Springs and managed fitness, spa services, staffing and guest experience from opening through 2019, with 78+ employees.

From shell to opening

Planned before a single machine arrived

The club started as raw concrete on the fourth and fifth floors of Yard. The gym was laid out and rendered in 3D before equipment was ordered, so every rack, cardio line and stretching area had a reason to be where it is.

Knot Springs space as a concrete shell before build-out in the Yard tower, Portland
The shell before build-out.
Knot Springs gym floor during construction with rubber flooring installed
Gym floor during construction.
3D concept rendering of the Knot Springs gym layout with cardio, strength and functional training zones
3D concept of the gym layout.
Knot Springs design concept board with natural wood, stone, plants and warm lighting
Early concept board: natural wood, stone, plants and warm light.

The gym

A training floor built around how members move

Cardio along the windows, a functional rig and open turf for small-group work, racks and free weights grouped for lifting, and suspension training beside the glass. The anatomy murals on the block walls became part of the club’s identity.

Member doing pull-ups on the functional training rig at Knot Springs gym, Portland
Squat rack in front of the anatomy mural wall at Knot Springs
Knot Springs gym floor with strength machines and cardio along concrete columns
Members training on treadmills and cable machines at Knot Springs
Suspension training by the windows at Knot Springs Portland
Dumbbell rack beneath the hand-drawn anatomy mural at Knot Springs

Recovery and wellness

Recovery treated as part of training

Warm soaking pools, a cold plunge, steam and sauna sit a few steps from the gym, so recovery is part of every visit rather than an add-on. Studios host yoga, aerial yoga, barre and more than 30 classes a week, and the treatment rooms offered nine kinds of massage.

Knot Springs pools, sauna and lounge lighting
Aerial yoga class in the Knot Springs studio with floor-to-ceiling windows

Details that run the room

Designed by people who had to operate it

Because we were going to run the club, every detail was judged on how it works at 6 a.m. on a Monday: check-in and towel service at one counter, locker flow that never crosses wet and dry traffic, clear wayfinding, and finishes that hold up to thousands of visits.

Knot Springs locker room counter with wood lockers and towel storage
Brass steam room sign on a wood mosaic wall at Knot Springs
Numbered wood locker with digital keypad at Knot Springs

What it means for your project

Operating experience you can design with

Most gym designers hand over drawings and leave. Running Knot Springs taught us what happens after opening day, and that shapes every project we take on now, from apartment amenity gyms to private clubs.

  • Plan the programming first. Class schedules, training styles and peak hours decide room sizes and equipment counts.
  • Design for staffing. Sight lines from the front desk and smart service points keep payroll realistic.
  • Make recovery part of the visit. Members stay longer and come back more often when recovery is close to the gym.
  • Specify for durability. Finishes, flooring and upholstery are chosen for thousands of visits, not the opening photos.

Recognition and press

Still recognized nearly a decade later

How BeneFitness can help

Planning a club, gym or wellness amenity?

See how we approach schools in the Seattle University case study and new clubs in the Star Fitness 2.0 case study, plus apartment amenities in the Holloway case study, or start with the service you need.

Gym design consultingConcept, space planning, programming and layouts for clubs, amenities, schools and offices. Equipment & flooringBrand-agnostic equipment and flooring, procured, delivered, installed and maintained. Design & 3D visualizationPhotorealistic renderings that show the finished space before anything is ordered.

Let’s build something people come back to.

Tell us about your space, your members and your timeline.

Book a consultation

Select club photography by Maria Lamb Photography. Knot Springs is independently owned and operated today; BeneFitness operated the club from opening through 2019.