Amy and James Davis are bringing a Hotworx 24-hour infrared fitness studio to 6830 Spring Creek Road in Rockford. The building is shown on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A local couple is preparing to open the city’s first Hotworx, a 24-hour boutique fitness studio that combines exercise with heat and infrared saunas.
Amy and James Davis of Loves Park are bringing Hotworx to 6830 Spring Creek Road, which is the former Canna Cafe near Salt in a business strip owned by First Midwest Group. The goal is to open by summer.
“It’s different than anything we’ve got,” James Davis told the Rock River Current. “We’ve got a lot of very good gyms here, but the folks who go to Hotworx all over the U.S. tend to find it different than anything that’s currently in the market. There are other places that have saunas. There are other places that have workouts, but there is nowhere out there that has both.”
Hotworx offers virtually instructed exercise programs that include isometric workouts and high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions. The heat and infrared saunas are intended to unlock a multitude of additional benefits to the exercise.
“With infrared you burn calories so much faster,” Amy Davis said. “But then there’s muscle recovery, lowered blood pressure, detox and pain relief — there’s just so many benefits to it.”
Members have 24/7 access to Hotworx, typically through a door code, so they can workout at whatever time is right for them. Certified instructors are available virtually to guide you through the exercise programs.
“They’re ready for you when you are,” Amy Davis said. “So if you’re a nurse and you’re getting off at 3 a.m., you’re not going to be able to go to a Pilates or yoga studio and have an instructor. But you can come to us and know that you’re going to get your workout in and you’re going to have your instructor.”
Amy Davis is a teacher at St Bridget School in Loves Park, and James Davis is a real estate investor and tax services expert at North Park Tax Service. Both say their jobs and busy schedules with their children made them appreciative of the Hotworx model.
“In the Hotworx workouts, in 15 minutes I can get the same caloric benefit that I would get in an hour of non-sauna workouts,” James said. “It’s very valuable if you’re crunched for time or if you just want a more intense workout than what you’ve had in the past.”
Hotworx was founded by fitness entrepreneur Stephen P. Smith, who also created Planet Beach. The first studio opened in Oxford, Mississippi in 2017 and the concept was quickly franchised. There are now more than 700 Hotworx locations across the country.
Amy and James Davis expect to start presale memberships next month.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
