Photos by Jessica Militello
HOLISTIC HEALTH NinjaBear offers wellness for the new year and beyond
14 JANUARY 2 0 2 2
MIND + BODY
If you’re looking to get your body
and mind in shape in the new year,
NinjaBear could be the perfect
place for you to begin your journey.
The fitness, wellness and recovery
center, which opened on Nov.
12, 2021, is more than just a place
to get toned; NinjaBear’s goal is to provide
community, guided workouts and a
space to clear your mind away from the
busyness of daily life. The center even
has its own café.
The owners like to keep memberships
exclusive to maintain the feeling of a
peaceful getaway, as well as to offer professional
fitness advice during members’
workouts.
“We want to keep the membership
limited in a sense, both for functionality’s
sake and to maintain some exclusivity,”
said Eddie Vernovsky, who is a trainer
and one of the facility’s four owners. “It’s
open to members whenever they want
to come in, but there’s always guidance
— that’s part of the principles — so they’re
never on their own.”
With all of the detail that went into
NinjaBear’s offerings, it’s not surprising
to learn that the facility’s four partners
have been brainstorming ideas for the
center for a while. Through training together,
the owners were able to piece
together their ideal fitness and wellness
experience that doesn’t stop at breaking
a sweat; NinjaBear seeks to provide a
space of all-inclusive health and wellbeing,
from workout to recovery.
The facility’s name, NinjaBear, was a
catchy idea Vernovsky thought up years
ago, but when this particular project
came to fruition, he decided it was the
right time to put it to use.
“I thought of the name for a completely
different project,” Vernovsky said.
“Eight years later, we were all sitting and
I said the name as a joke and within half
an hour we had the logo. It’s something
that people can associate with, not just
as a place but a cultural identity.”
Most of the partners have either lived
or worked in the Astoria community, and
they felt it was the perfect place to offer
By JESSICA MILITELLO