Philadelphia’s 12th Street Gym Turns 22 Years Old: An Interview with its Owner

12th Street Gym, dubbed by most of the Philadelphia community as the city’s “Gay Gym,” celebrates a birthday this month. 22 years of lifting, flexing, and sweating by some of grade A slabs of beef and muscle, both boy and girl, gay and straight. We climbed on top, and asked Rick Piper, 12th Street owner and general manager, to give us his thoughts on one of the town’s finest and first fitness centers.

Associated Content : Before their were sweaty people running around here, what was 12th Street originally?

Rick Piper : It was actually a traditional old Turkish bathhouse, the Camac Baths. Started in 1920 with a very working-class ethnic clientel. The membership declined in the 70s, necessitating it’s closing. But for 50 years this was a popular establishment, some of our current members remember coming here as kids and paying a quarter to peek into the women’s locker rooms. (Laughs) That’s not how we do things now though.

Associated Content : So the facility sat empty for a while and then someone decided to open a gym?

Rick Piper : Originally they wanted to raze the place and build a parking lot for the Forrest Theater. But there was a lot of community resitance to that, and eventually the idea of a health club came up. At that time there were no contemporary health clubs in the city.

Associated Content : None?

Rick Piper : Just the non-profits, the YMCAs…but this was basically the first for-profit fitness center of it’s kind here in Philadelphia. They opened up in 1986 and business was good from day one. Fitness as we think of it today saw its birth in the early 80s, there wasn’t anything like 12th Street anyplace else in the city.

Associated Content:What was the membership like then versus now?

Rick Piper:It was more of a male domain, but it still attracted a huge gay membership. By the late 80s, there was a dip in the membership, and the club had honeslty gotten a bit beaten up.

Associated Content : You came to 12th Street in 1995?

Rick Piper : Yes, I had been a member when it opened, and after the death of my partner, I returned to Philadelphia and came back to 12th Street. I cam in as an owner because I really wanted to restore the club to it’s former greatness. I wanted to honor the gay legacy of the club and still serve the entire community.

Associated Content:What was your business philosophy?

Rick Piper:I believed that there was solid economic opportunity in being out and proud. That a diverse membership base and a comfortable welcoming facility were great for business. With the gay community, I saw no point in muddling it up-we were going to be really happy to be the gay communities gym. It made perfect business sense.

Associated Content : But your membership really goes way beyond just gay…

Rick Piper : Absolutely, our membership reflects the real diversity of Philadelphia. We have a large straight membership, gay and lesbian members, African-american members, we are the offical fitness center for University of the Arts and the Arts Institute so we have a large student population…We welcome all folks. Temple University came to us years ago, to study the gym. They couldn’t understand how we exsisted. How so many unique and different types of people came together without conflict. Our membership and staff, all very mixed, is hopefully a good example of what the community should be.

Associated Content : How have you approached making this gym so welcoming and open?

Rick Piper : We have never tolerated any type of hate or disrespect. I have no problem throwing a person out for using the f- word or the n-word. I have and I will again if I have to. We won’t put up with that shit. We were committed to tolerance ages before it was the law.

Associated Content : So the straight boys have to tolerate me checking them out?

Rick Piper : (Laughs) We do have a great mix of hot guys here. Younger guys, older guys…and sure it might get a little cruisey, but 12th Street is more of a social venue. I guess there is a myth that it’s a hot sexual adventure here, but its not. The sexual mystique far exceeds the reality. This is a fitness center first and foremost.

Associated Content : And now one for kids too!

Rick Piper : Yes, we just opend up Kids on 12th Street and it was a huge success. There was a line of strollers stretching down Camac Street. We had about 300 gay and straight families come out for the opening day.

Associated Content : Is it innovations like that that keep 12th Street successful?

Rick Piper : Yes, of course. Making changes and improvements are always necessary. But primarily we have been successful by resisting the temptation to become like every other gym in the world. We do not want to be a big box gym. We want to be unique, like no other gym in the world. By doing that, and staying true to out roots and neighborhood, we become an important part of a lot of peoples lives. We are not just another sweatshop, we’ re more then that.

Associated Content : One of the other big attractions is obviously your team of personal trainers.

Rick Piper : We attract an amazing range of trainers, because they make hell of a lot of money. We have the largest group of high quality trainers, now 37 trainers, in the city. Having that kind of qualified group attracts and retains clients. Over 40% of our members use use a trainer, which is about three times more then any other gym.

Associated Content : Looking into the future, what’s next for 12th Street Gym?

Rick Piper : We want to stay contemporary, but really honor our legacy as a leisure, health, and fitness center for a diverse community. Keep up what we have been doing. Some of us are very aware, and deeply appreciative, of the success we owe the community, and aware of the responsibility we have to the community.

12th Steet Gym, 204 S 12th Street, 12streetgym.com