‘Athletic country club’: High-end gym opens second Cary site (with child care)
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AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Life Time opens 100,000‑sq‑ft West Cary club at Alston Town Center.
- Memberships start around $249; family plan charges $50 child, $60 teen.
- Company grows to fourth Triangle club and plans more.
A 100,000‑square‑foot “athletic country club” is opening soon at Alston Town Center in West Cary, offering a resort-style mix of fitness, recovery, spa experiences and family amenities.
Tucked off N.C. 55, Life Time officially launches its wellness club at 1120 Healthy Way on Feb. 10 — the firm’s fourth in the Triangle (and fifth in the state). The $50 million project sits on 37.29 acres of land inside Alston Town Center, Cary’s open-air mall and retail center.
Life Time, formerly Life Time Fitness, began as a single Minnesota gym in the early 1990s. It has grown into a national network of clubs — part of a growing empire that’s rebranding fitness centers into upscale hybrids: part gym, part spa, part social club.
By year’s end, it plans to own more than 200 clubs across 32 states, many in fast-growing suburban markets like the Triangle. It received approval for its latest complex in early 2024.
Others include Life Time Cary, which opened in 2007, Life Time Apex (formerly Lifestyle Family Fitness) which opened in 2012, and Life Time Raleigh, which opened in 2015.
“Needless to say, we like the Raleigh-Cary area,” said Natalie Bushaw, Life Time’s spokesperson. “It couldn’t align better with how and where we choose to expand.”
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What does the gym offer?
Entry-level membership starts at around $249 per month for individuals.
Family membership is essentially a bundled plan at a monthly per‑child rate. That’s typically around $50 per child (aged 0 to 12), and $60 per teen (13–17).
It provides access to fitness classes, indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges and three indoor pickleball courts.
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There’s also an on‑site, health‑focused café offering meals, snacks and drinks.
Outside, a 60,000-square-foot pool deck features dining and six pickleball courts.
The spa offers services like manicures, pedicures and massages.
Other perks: Parents can drop off their kids at the Kids Academy, which includes an art and language studio, two kids’ gyms, a toddler area and an infant area. The club also hosts regular Parents Night Out and Tween Takeover events.
“For three hours, parents can [stay at the club] or leave the property,” Bushaw said.
Looking ahead, Life Time and DeWitt Carolinas have plans to bring a full Life Time athletic club and a Life Time Living residential tower to The Exchange Raleigh — a major mixed‑use development in Midtown.
On Monday, Bahram Akradi, Life Time’s founder, celebrated the club’s soft launch.
“Cary and the greater Triangle continues to represent exactly the kind of high-growth market where we thrive,” he said.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 3:12 PM.
