Venice, FL Health and Fitness

The quote “Everything seems impossible … until it’s done!” adorns the walls of Apple Jelly Studios, inspiring the women within the private studio to achieve their fitness goals. Drawn together by a shared love of pole dancing, a quartet of women decided to spearhead the private studio, where they continue to teach dancing and fitness classes today alongside a handpicked crew of certified female instructors. Reflected in wall-to-wall mirrors, they teach students of all shapes and sizes to twirl around eight chrome poles during beginner, advanced, and intermediate pole-dancing and pole-trick classes, boosting confidence, toning muscles, and burning calories. Certified instructors also lead a variety of yoga, Pilates, and boot-camp classes upon the studio’s hardwood floors.

The studio rents its facilities out for private events, providing pole-dancing instruction, sultry red lighting, and a professional sound system for bachelorette parties, birthdays, and brazen knitting circles.

Mark Toomey once helmed his own recruitment firm in Nottingham, England, on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest, but a disdain for damp winters led him to the sun-drenched beaches of Siesta Key. Since opening Robin Hood Rentals in 2009, Mark has persevered through what he calls "Florida's harshest winter in 30 years," during which temperatures teetered near the freezing mark. He equips visitors with rental land-based and aquatic craft that let them explore the area without having to saddle a horse or propose to a dolphin.

From its perch near the Jim Neville Marine Preserve, the company fits cyclists with a range of beach, mountain, and tandem bicycles; matches riders to a fleet of two-seat 49cc automatic scooters; and trains visitors to venture off on newer-model i2 LeanSteer Segways. They also let kayakers explore the local waterways from sunrise into the nighttime.

Licensed Zumba instructor Beth Golden—who also holds certifications from the AFAA, Red Cross, and PADI—leads easy-to-follow dance routines inspired by Latin salsa, merengue, and tango moves. A soundtrack of high-energy tunes and rolling r’s keep students motivated as she helps them shimmy off pounds with or without the help of muscle-toning sticks. She regularly changes up her dance routines to prevent boredom and keep feet guessing. In addition to group classes in the studio, Beth hosts private Zumba parties, taking her portable speakers and headset to beaches, parks, offices, or clients' homes to liven up special events.

With more than 29 years of combined experience, Drs. John M. Borchers and Michael T. Mckee care for teeth the way a kindergarten teacher cares for her class. Though they won’t teach incisors how to add or properly enunciate the pledge of allegiance, the doctors do ensure that each member of the group lives in harmony with its neighbor, maintains straight posture, and remains present and accounted for at all times. To accomplish this, Drs. Borchers and Mckee administer meticulous examinations that inspect each tooth for signs of decay and crookedness. And when teeth have gone missing altogether, dental implants can serve as permanent seat fillers, dutifully chewing on any urgently overdue homework.

No matter the hour, the rhythmic beat of sneakers hitting treadmills resounds in Snap Fitness's 24-hour studio. Red, black, and chrome accents wend across the gym, coloring the Cybex cardio machines, free-weight stations, and flags of Robo-Germany. Personal trainers roam the floor answering questions about the machines, and work with individual clients to motivate them toward their goals with the help of in-depth fitness assessments. Fostering a supportive group atmosphere, they lead fitness classes such as yoga, cardio boot camp, or TRX, a full-body conditioning class that uses resistance bands to build muscle.

In a profile for Plastic Surgery Practice's 2011 Top Docs feature, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Christian Drehsen described how a person's entire facial expression, rather than just sagging cheeks or crow's-feet, is the object of his practice at Venus Clinique Spa by Clinique of Plastic Surgery. This comprehensive approach reflects his mastery of artistic composition, as well as his extensive experience, which is capped by more than two decades of sculpting the denizens of the Tampa Bay area, including mermaids built in sand. After thorough immersion in all fields of plastic surgery at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, he sought out specialized studies in hand surgery and microsurgery and developed a deft touch with children and burn victims during his residency at Morton Children's Hospital in Louisville. His steady hand is constantly innovating ways to harmonize features. He reimagined the face-lift to replicate the firm cheeks and stifling ennui of someone in their mid-twenties and repurposed clients' fat cells as catalysts for their own rejuvenation. Computer imaging helps his patients to see and evaluate what he envisions and then collaborate in the creative process. His practice has grown to three locations, two of which offer non-surgical aging solutions. There, medical aestheticians lavish complexions in carefully engineered Obagi and SkinMedica products while a nurse practitioner injects wrinkles and sagging cheeks with seven kinds of FDA approved dermal fillers and volumizers. Lasers work overtime at the spa, smoothing cellulite, routing unwanted hair and veins, and promoting even skin all over the body.