Parkland, WA Health and Fitness

In 2004, a group of skilled climbers and experienced rope setters married their expansive knowledge of the sport to create Edgeworks Climbing. The gym is an indoor paradise that expertly match the dynamic challenges that athletes face outdoors, boasting 10,000 square feet of climbing area with 25-foot top-rope routes, 35-foot lead routes, and 3,500 square feet of bouldering. The team of setters draws on years of experience outdoors to create hundreds of challenging, satisfying routes for climbers of all skill levels. Most of the setters are teachers as well, leading classes for beginners or advanced climbers, as well as heading outdoors to help the class appreciate the adrenaline rush of an outdoor climb ending in a fistfight with a bear.

Additionally, the passionate staff realized that alternative workouts are needed to push through plateaus in climbs, so they created a fitness area to complement the climbing gym. Classes such as yoga, Pilates, and cycling further exercise muscle groups that are useful when trying to finally ride a bike up your favorite route.

The nine-hole course at Highlands Golf tests the mettle of mid- to short-range irons with nine par 3s and a bounty of scenarios that demand short-game finesse. Whereas most courses place value on long drives and superhuman muscles like Arnold Palmer's, Highlands Golf makes players rely on dexterity with shorter irons and putting prowess. Tee shots range from just 100 yards to 200 yards on the par 3s, with eight bunkers and three water hazards ready to confound overconfident swings. Rounds typically take less than 75 minutes to complete, providing an unintimidating layout for new players to practice, space for veterans to show off their short-game theatrics, and enough soft landing spots for speed golfers to test the aerodynamics of argyle tracksuits. 

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par-27 course
• Nine par 3s
• No hole longer than 200 yards
• Rounds often completed in less than 75 minutes

Tucked in the breezy shadows of towering douglas firs, golfers hunt birdies and pars across Lake Spanaway's 7,083-yard course. Fairways tunnel through communities of trees that convince errant golf balls that they are pinecones. Three of the course's holes earned honorable mention in the Seattle Times' Puget Sound Area's Dream 18 Holes, including the par 4 12th, where tee shots must trace the fairway as it curves left through a narrow tree line and toward a green shielded by an oasis of vast bunkers. 

A covered, lighted driving range sits beside the course, where golfers smooth out swings undisturbed by waning daylight, rain, or hail caused by skydivers eating sunflower seeds. The course's staff of golf pros also helps manage on-course techniques with a variety of instructional options, including complimentary 10-minute lessons. 

Course at a Glance: 

• 18-hole, par 71 course 
• Length of 7,083 yards from the farthest tees 
• Course rating of 73.5 from the farthest tees 
• Slope rating of 124 from the farthest tees 
• Four tee options 
• See the scorecard

Fort Steilacoom Golf Course covers a flat parcel of terrain with a nine-hole, par 34 layout that measures a modest 2,491 yards when played from the farther of two tee options. Open fairways sparsely lined with evergreens put beginners at ease while inviting more experienced golfers to shoot for low scores, as solid drives can set up potential eagle opportunities on two short par 4s and the 440-yard, par 5 fifth hole. The relatively level setting makes the course easy to walk, though Fort Steilacoom offers golf carts for those who haven’t taught their caddy the art of the piggyback ride. Fort Steilacoom complements its course with a practice area, a snack bar, and a full-service pro shop where golfers can rent clubs.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 34 course
• Length of 2,491 yards from the farther tees
• Course rating 62.1 from the farther tees (adjusted for a par score of 68)
• Slope rating of 96 from the farther tees
• Two tee options
• Scorecard

Over the years, the expert vision gurus at Suburban Opticians, including co-owners Pamela and Melissa, have outfitted clients with lenses and more than 2,000 frames by designers such as Adidas, Ray-Ban, Silhouette, Versace, and Juicy Couture. An onsite optical lab enables the team to assemble individualized frames with single-vision lenses or bifocals. Their additional services include specialty adjustments, such as progressive lenses designed for smaller frames, and custom rhinestone settings. Taking an active role in the community, Suburban Opticians donates to several nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Emergency Food Network, and the Tacoma Rescue Mission.

During a desperate search for reprieve from the pain caused by a dance injury, professional dancer Lianne Gamble discovered the rehabilitating power of Pilates. A born teacher, she wanted to spread the good news, so she studied under Rael Isacowitz to earn certification in his strenuous Pilates program, Body Arts and Science International (BASI), which folds anatomy and physiology into traditional Pilates exercises.

Now, she and a team of certified instructors—among them a gymnast, several dancers, and a marketer—reshape the waistlines of Gig Harbor residents through Pilates, power yoga, and body barre classes. Focusing on BASI’s scientific approach and proper breathing techniques, they pump up mind-body connections and core strength using state-of-the-art Power Plate machines, reformers, Decepticons that transform into chiropractors, and spine correctors from Balanced Body and Peak Pilates.