Wellness center's offerings include an overnight stay

It seems like you can practically live at some health clubs. In addition to the usual treadmills, bench presses and yoga classes, many clubs have spas, restaurants, salons and gift shops. But when's the last time you slept over at your health club?

At the Marsh, a self-described "center for balance and fitness," members and nonmembers really can live there. Well, temporarily anyway. Six hotel rooms are set off in a quiet corner of the building, and business travelers, wedding parties, rehabilitation patients, world-class athletes and vacationers have stayed anywhere from one night to four months.

The arrangement is rare, say representatives from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association and the Minnesota Lodging Association.

"It's definitely something I haven't seen before," said Gabrielle Lerner, an associate for PKF Consulting, which provides services to hospitality and tourism industries. "It seems like they're ahead of the curve -- a lot of hotels are moving toward that wellness lifestyle, but [the Marsh] started as a wellness center and that's the most important thing."

As interest in health and wellness grows among individuals and businesses, so does occupancy in the six rooms, which run from about $95 to $150 per night. A year and a half ago, occupancy hovered around 45 percent, and now it's up to 60 percent.

Many guests, such as Brenda Nachreiner, director of corporate partnerships for the Kids in Need Foundation, are there on business.

"I travel all over the country and stay in hotels of all kinds, from low-end to five-star-plus hotels, and this is absolutely my favorite place to stay," she said. "Anytime I come to Minneapolis, I have to stay at the Marsh because it's like being on vacation even though I'm here to work."

"Nobody talks most of the time, and I go [in the pool] late at night," she said. "There's hardly a soul in there, and it's so peaceful."

The health-centered stay is part of the reason Cargill has its domestic and international travelers stay at the Marsh, said Mary Kay Walsh, senior administrative assistant for Cargill Heath and Nutrition. Cargill often holds meetings or conferences at the Marsh, so some people truly never have to leave the 67,000-square-foot building because their business meeting is just a few steps outside their room. All guests can take advantage of the workout facilities, restaurant, spa, meditation spaces and walking trails that wind through the back-yard marsh. Guests like the intimate, personalized feel, Walsh said.

The limited number of rooms is intentional, said Ruth Stricker, founder and executive director of the Marsh. "The idea is that it's a very human scale," she said. "There are only six rooms, not 60 or 600, so it's really like a retreat atmosphere and more like home."

"It's a healthy place if people are looking for that," she said. "We also have beer and wine and chocolate chip cookies. It's absent the rat race of being in a city, so people have a chance to mellow out and do some long-distance viewing and thinking."

Or for people such as St. Louis Park resident Jill Boddy, some time to recover. Boddy was in the hospital last year for severe back pain, and when she was discharged she still needed additional care. With her hired 24-hour nurse on hand, she stayed at the Marsh for three weeks, getting daily physical therapy, acupuncture and massage treatments and relaxing in the sauna and warm therapy pool. Having it all right there in a pleasant environment helped her recovery, she said. "It was a wonderful arrangement," Boddy said. "They have a lot of peaceful areas there."