Believe it or not, but a man from Iran with a degree in electrical engineering founded the fastest-growing fitness company in the United States.

Bahram Akradi was born in Iran and worked at Nautilus Fitness while pursuing his degree in electrical engineering. After graduation, he continued to work for Nautilus, and eventually became part owner, changing the name to U.S. Swim and Fitness. The company was sold to the Bally Fitness Group in 1989.

However, fitness was in Akradi's future, and he decided to launch his own health club in 1992. The first Life Time Fitness club debuted in Brooklyn Park, MN, in a 110,000-square-foot building on 15 acres of land boasting about 50,000 square feet of amenities, such as a tennis court and an aquatic center. Life Time Fitness now has more than 30 centers nationwide.

As you approach any Life Time Fitness club, you'll see a building that looks more like a large specialty retailer than a health center. Dramatic entryways let natural light into both floors of the building.

Mahogany. Leather. Cherry wood. Marble. You'd expect to find these lush materials in a resort — not in a fitness center. The locker room is a soothing space with plasma TV screens and areas for sitting and relaxing.

“We made sure every level of the facility has a rich, lavish, resort feel,” says Jason Thunstrom, director of corporate communications for Life Time Fitness. “We want it to be a place where people want to be — not that they feel they have to be.”

The object of the appealing atmosphere is to make Life Time Fitness a place where people go to meet many needs, from meeting friends to relaxing in the café to (of course) exercising.

“Is there a place you like to go? What makes you want to go there?” asks Mike Brown, senior vice president of operations. “That's what we try to do at Life Time Fitness. It's open, it's spacious, there's art hanging on the walls, there are beautiful plants, water in the rock garden, the smell of coffee, natural lighting. Chances are you'll run across some of your friends. We spend a great deal of time focusing on the feel, the look, the touch, the smell. We call it the third place — you go to work, you go home — and we're the third place you go.”

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