Ashland's The Spot: Fitness Studio, Bar and Gathering Place

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Charmaine Swan is used to the quizzical looks when she tells people that she owns a combination yoga studio and bar.

Not a juice bar, mind you, but the kind of bar where you can stop for an icy cold tap or glass of chardonnay after a workout.

“People look at me and say, ‘What?’” she laughs. “But when I explain that life is about balance, people stop and think about it and say, ‘You know, that sounds really fun.’”

Charmaine lives in Ashland, Wisconsin, with her husband, Josh, owner of J.W. Swan Boatworks. They have a son, 5, and expect another family member in May. Charmaine opened the Ashland Yoga Studio in 2010, splitting her time between yoga and public relations work.

When the opportunity arose in 2013 to purchase The Spot bar – a favorite blue-collar hangout for Ashland’s paper-mill workers on the city’s East End until the mill closed  – Charmaine saw a great opportunity. She bought the bar, keeping the food and drink and making space for her fitness classes. It took months of remodeling the 1904 building, but with remarkable results.

The former upstairs meeting room has been transformed into a bright, spacious workout area taking advantage of the long row of windows that let in streams of afternoon sunlight. The downstairs bar has become an inviting space with booths, tables, a beautiful wooden bar and a cozy nook for reading on a couch.

The studio offers all levels of yoga, spin classes and workouts using TRX suspension equipment, taught by Charmaine and a cadre of enthusiastic certified instructors.

“I love the energy and atmosphere at The Spot,” says Angela Lunn, who teaches spin classes. “Charmaine’s philosophy is that a person’s whole lifestyle is important.”

Her students also bring a good energy, Angela says. “My clients are great. People have all levels of ability, but they all love to work out and try new things. Every day there is a fun mix of new and returning students.”

Luke Bierl, a 27-year-old Ashland pharmacist, is an enthusiastic “Spotaholic.” He started classes at the urging of his fiancée, Haley Stellmacher. “Haley kept telling me how great the workout was at Charmaine’s TRX classes. Since I am an avid runner, cyclist, nordic skier and swimmer, I thought it would be a fun way to get some strength work in during the week.”

The classes are an innovative way to increase strength, but because the instructors have a background in yoga, Luke says, “they are concerned about your whole body as opposed to being fixated on simply building strength.”

Luke and Haley enjoy the new location, he says. “Upstairs is special to people like my fiancée and myself because we feel fitness is an essential part of well-being. Downstairs is special because we also believe that true mind-and-body wellness is more than just being physically fit and mentally strong – you have to take time to relax, socialize and indulge now and then.”

Charmaine, who has worked in the hospitality and food industry, but had never run a restaurant, sought advice from yoga students and friends Todd and Nina Bucher, owners of the Delta Diner, south of Iron River. “It struck me that what Charmaine is doing is exactly what is right about undertaking a business in a small community,” Todd says. “She took a building and has revitalized it. We are proud and happy to be part of that.”

The diner’s baker, Krista Bloomquist, adapted recipes for The Spot, which offers the diner’s chilled chocolate cake, a cheesy cracker appetizer and other treats.

Nancy Brede of Ashland started taking classes when her daughter, now 21, was in high school. “We went every week. It was our time together. I had a hectic job and this was a special time we made a priority.”

Along with a good workout, Nancy made new friends, including Charmaine, who offered The Spot for a charity fundraiser Nancy hosted.

Charmaine, mindful of being a good neighbor, likes hosting special events and closes the bar at 10 p.m. weeknights to respect nearby homes.

“The Spot has a long tradition of being a place where Ashland people got together,” she says. “I wanted to build on that tradition. … I found out it was a place where working-class folks would get together and where local unions would have meetings. That’s what I want. This is not just a place that is about working out, and it’s not just about drinking alcohol. It’s about who is sitting across from you or next to you; that is what is motivating, inspiring and makes a place special.”

Claire Duquette finds balance writing and working with her husband at LBS Insurance Group.