Business View Magazine December 2025 Fitness View

Detroit Athletic Club

January 5, 2026

Matching Health Span to Life Span

A Modern Vision of Living Well Connected to the Community

At the Detroit Athletic Club, a historic foundation of amateur athletics now supports a broad, modern vision of what it means to live well at every stage of life. More than a century after its founding, the club continues to embrace innovation in service of a simple guiding principle: helping members build healthier, more purposeful lives within a vibrant community environment.

Founded in 1887, the Detroit Athletic Club has evolved from a competitive sports organization into one of the nation’s most respected private clubs. It is a place where heritage is preserved yet never static, where longstanding traditions intersect with emerging wellness philosophies, and where members find opportunities to challenge themselves, recover, connect, and grow.

Building Community Through Sport

The origins of the Detroit Athletic Club reveal a focused commitment to sport. Rob Barr, Director of Athletics at the Detroit Athletic Club, notes that the organization was established by members deeply invested in amateur competition. “We were founded back in 1887 by a group of members that were focused on amateur athletics,” Barr says. “It was all about being active and being involved in sports.”

In its early decades, the club fielded teams across a remarkable variety of sports, including baseball, basketball, football, and track and field. “We hosted the first-ever AAU track and field championships,” Barr explains. The club competed against major universities such as Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame, and participated in national baseball championships. Athletic achievement defined the club’s identity, positioning it as a central figure in the region’s sporting landscape.

That focus broadened in 1915 when the club opened its landmark downtown clubhouse. With the move came a shift toward civic and social engagement. “It became more of a networking club,” Barr notes, describing how members took on roles as active citizens, community leaders, and business professionals. Although athletics remained a critical pillar, the club embraced a more holistic mission, connecting physical activity with social involvement, civic leadership, and personal enrichment.

Today, that legacy persists in a modern form. The club remains active in an expansive list of sports and programs, offering everything from basketball and swimming to hiking, pickleball, squash, cycling, and golf. “We are very active in everything under the sun,” Barr shares, emphasizing that the club’s philosophy centers on keeping people connected and improving members’ quality of life through meaningful engagement.

A Seven-Story Wellness Environment

Walking through the Detroit Athletic Club means stepping into a comprehensive world of wellness. The seven-story clubhouse features a dynamic combination of athletic facilities, fitness environments, recovery spaces, dining venues, and social areas that together create a complete member experience.

Barr explains that the club’s mission is to improve quality of life through fitness, wellness, sports, and enjoyment. “The theme really is about living better and living longer,” he says. This philosophy guides the design and curation of the club’s amenities.

Members have access to courts for handball, racquetball, squash, basketball, and pickleball, as well as a golf simulator and an extensive fitness center. A full-service Tranquillity Spa provides massage, esthetics, body treatments, manicures, and pedicures. A salon expands the range of services available. Nearly 50 fitness classes each week cater to every level of training and interest.

One feature that consistently surprises newcomers is the club’s eight-lane bowling alley. Barr shares the reason with a smile. “When you say we focus on the fun part, we do focus on the fun part. Sometimes you have to enjoy life.”

Over the past twenty-five years, nearly every area of the club has undergone renovation or expansion. The spa was transformed from a simple massage room into a full wellness environment. The barbershop evolved into a complete salon. The bowling facility was modernized to elevate both sports and food and beverage experiences. But one addition stands out as a defining element of the club’s next chapter.

Where Performance Meets Longevity

In 2021, the Detroit Athletic Club opened a state-of-the-art Wellness and Recovery Center. Barr describes it as the club’s most significant recent enhancement. “The main focal point for this story is the addition of the Wellness and Recovery Center,” he explains. “It functions much like a Division One athletic training facility.”

The center provides an extensive array of recovery modalities that support both performance and longevity. Cryotherapy, red light therapy, cupping, scraping, percussion therapy, kinesio taping, compression systems, injury evaluations, prehabilitation, and post-rehabilitation support are all available. To deliver these services with expertise, the club hired four full-time athletic trainers, allowing members to receive consistent, high-quality care.

Barr emphasizes that the center is designed for everyone, not only high-level competitors. “Sometimes it is about pushing to a new level,” he says. “Other times it is about being able to get down and play with your grandkids.” The goal is to help members maintain mobility, reduce pain, and enhance their ability to enjoy all aspects of their lives.

This comprehensive approach reflects a larger shift in how the club understands wellness. “It is meant to be a one-stop shop,” Barr explains. Members receive access to the same recovery tools found in elite sports programs, all within an environment that prioritizes accessibility, education, and long-term well-being.

Powered by Reputation

With such an extensive portfolio of amenities, one might expect a high-profile public marketing strategy. Yet the Detroit Athletic Club maintains a fully private status with strict limitations on advertising.

Ben Manges, Director of Communications, explains the distinction clearly. “We are a private club. We are not able to market to the general public.” Despite this restriction, the club maintains a robust waiting list and strong engagement among its membership.

Manges shares that the club relies primarily on internal communications and member advocacy. “Our greatest marketing tools are by word of mouth and the tradition, culture, and reputation that we have as a club,” he notes. His team focuses on ensuring that members understand the breadth of services available to them, particularly because not every member is an active user of the athletic facilities.

“We go to great efforts to create awareness and promote the services and amenities we have,” Manges adds. Through clear messaging, targeted materials, and ongoing outreach, the club supports a culture of involvement and exploration.

Blending Science, Spirit, and Lifestyle

Beyond its facilities, the Detroit Athletic Club distinguishes itself through a clear and evolving wellness philosophy. Barr explains that the focus is not solely on fitness, but on health span, vitality, independence, and personal purpose.

“It is about prioritizing health span while nurturing the mindset and the spirit,” he says. The goal is to help members extend the number of years spent in good health, mobility, and cognitive strength. This philosophy is supported by several advanced tools and partnerships that bring cutting-edge wellness science directly into the member experience.

The TechnoGym BioStrength system provides an artificial intelligence-driven strength training platform that adapts resistance, tempo, and movement patterns to each user’s unique capabilities. The kinotek motion analysis system evaluates functional movement and identifies imbalances that may contribute to reduced performance or increased injury risk. Members also have access to the Super Patch, a drug-free wearable technology that influences the sympathetic nervous system and supports neurological balance. Through its partnership with Synergy Longevity, the club offers biomarker analysis, cancer screening, metabolic assessments, and detailed insights into biological age, nutritional needs, and long-term health indicators.

This longevity philosophy extends beyond physical health. Mental and emotional well-being are supported through meditation sessions, four styles of yoga, Tai Chi, and mindfulness-based programming. The club even offers a Meditation pod and new state of the art Shiftwave chair that allows members to reset and decompress in a quiet, restorative environment.

The philosophy continues beyond the clubhouse walls. Curated travel experiences have become an integral part of the club’s approach to community and wellness. Members have participated in golf trips to Scotland, wellness retreats at Red Mountain, explorations in Portugal and Napa Valley, and outdoor adventures in Glacier National Park and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. These experiences create opportunities for connection, growth, and adventure, and they reinforce the club’s belief that wellbeing is enriched through shared experiences.

Innovation with Intention

Even with its strong position, the Detroit Athletic Club faces the same challenge as many wellness-oriented organizations. “The biggest challenge is keeping up with the constant innovation within the industry,” Barr shares. With new technologies, therapies, and philosophies emerging rapidly, the club must balance curiosity with discernment.

Barr explains that his team continually evaluates whether new trends represent meaningful advances or temporary fads. This process requires active research, engagement, and a commitment to understanding member needs. The club’s ability to adopt high-value innovations while maintaining stability has become one of its distinctive strengths.

Looking Ahead with Purpose

When asked about the future, Barr describes a vision centred on purpose and member experience. “It is about integrating more people into what we do and helping them live their best lives,” he says. The goal is to ensure members not only add years to their lives but fill those years with energy, mobility, and meaning.

The Detroit Athletic Club’s blend of tradition and innovation positions it uniquely within the private club landscape. With deep athletic roots, a modern wellness philosophy, expanded recovery infrastructure, and a commitment to lifelong vitality, the organization continues to evolve while staying true to its foundations.

For members, this creates a place where history is honored, community is cultivated, and the pursuit of well-being is supported and celebrated. In a world where health and quality of life matter more than ever, the Detroit Athletic Club stands ready to lead with clarity, purpose, and a forward-looking spirit.