Soma Health Club, Norwood’s family-owned exercise gym, closed its doors a week after telling its clients of its plans to shut down. The closure presents fewer options in the immediate area for health-conscience residents and neighborhood employees.

A rise in rents caused the exercise gym to close its doors after more than a decade, said Kip Silva, the gym’s general manager. Silva said owners found the decision to close a tough one.

“We can’t fully express our deepest gratitude for your business and support. Working with you has been nothing but an absolute pleasure,” wrote Soma Health Club’s owners.

The boutique gymnasium–complete with treadmills, weights, sauna, and robust exercise schedule–operated on the second floor of a two-story property East Gun Hill Road by Decatur Avenue, below a deli and sneaker store.

“It was more than a gym,” said Laurie Padilla, a member of the gym for the last seven years. “The community doesn’t have that many gyms. This is the type of resources that we need to promote positive health and well-being in the community, and the closure in this neighborhood affects that.”

Padilla said the gym fostered a sense of community for the health sector within the neighborhood. Silva, who personally knows Padilla, agreed.

“It was more than a place to just work out,” said Silva. “We feel really saddened for the members.” “Those relationships wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t members of the gym.”

Padilla learned about the closure while in her kickboxing class. Members were devastated, she said.

Soma Health Club represented the only exercise gym falling within the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID), comprised of more than 200 businesses within East Gun Hill Road between Jerome and Webster avenues and Jerome Avenue between East Gun Hill Road and Mosholu Parkway.

“The Jerome Gun Hill BID is very sad to lose a long-time small business, particularly a merchant like Soma that provided quality services to improve the health of our neighbors,” said Jennifer Tausig, executive director for the BID.

A chain-owned gym lies on Webster Avenue by Hull Avenue within walking distance from the BID, though the walk from her home the largely isolated street is uncomfortable for Padilla, particularly at night when she regularly exercises. She inquired about classes at another gym on White Plains Road but it did not offer any.

As for the space that once occupied Soma Health Club, it’s unclear what property owners plan to do with the space.

“Let’s see what comes out of this,” said Padilla.