Jan. 20, 2026 Park Ridge City Council meeting (Photo by Igor Studenkov/Journal & Topics Newspapers)
It was a bit of deja vu for the Park Ridge City Council on Jan. 20 as alderpersons were once again asked to approve a Special Use permit for a KÔR Lagree fitness studio in the northwest corner of Uptown.
The application was the same as back on Aug. 18, 2025. The only difference was the address. The original application was for 160 N. Northwest Hwy., Suite A4. The new location is only two storefronts further southeast, at 136 N. Northwest Hwy., Suite B1B. Both are part of the Uptown Station mixed-use development.
In Uptown, fitness studios require a Special Use permit, and each permit is attached to a space — hence the need to obtain a new permit to move a few spaces over.
Co-owner Amy Fontana, who was appointed to Park Ridge Community Health Commission on Monday (Feb. 2), told the Journal & Topics that she changed spaces because the renovations of the first space were taking too long.
“A new space opened up and I asked if it was available,” she said.
Fontana said that it may have been for the best, since the new space is slightly larger and closer to a parking garage.
KÔR Lagree will be a members-only studio that uses the Lagree Method, a fitness method developed by fitness instructor Sebastien Lagree. Lagree studios use specialized “Megaformer” fitness machines, and classes are offered by Lagree-certified instructors.
According to Lagree Method’s official website, while there are several certified Lagree studios in Chicago, this would be the first in the Northwest suburbs.
The site describes the Lagree Method as “an exercise method specifically engineered to strengthen, tighten, and tone the muscles effectively and efficiently without any excess stress on the joints, connective tissues, or spine.” It states that “each workout varies in intensity in order to force physical changes, also known as positive adaptation.”
Park Ridge is home to multiple fitness studios and gyms, and Uptown alone has four — Pure Barre at 110 N. Northwest Hwy., Orange Theory Fitness at 10 N. Northwest Hwy., the Underground Fitness Studio at the Chase Bank building at 1 S. Northwest Hwy., and PowHERhouse fitness studio at 33-1/2 S. Prospect Ave. The new space puts KÔR Lagree slightly closer to Orange Theory.
Fontana told the Journal & Topics that, other than a different storefront, the plans remain the same. Classes will be held on weekday mornings at 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., weekday evenings at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends at 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. In the original application, Fontana wrote that “all workouts will be guided, appointment-based, and held indoors.” Each class will have one instructor, and because there are only 12 fitness machines at the studio, each class will be capped at 12.
Members will be able to park at Uptown Station’s underground parking garage, which is open to customers of all of the building’s commercial tenants. CTA bus route 68/Northwest Highway and Pace bus routes 209, 241 and 290 all stop near the building, though only routes 68 and 290 operate on weekends.
Fontana said that she expects KÔR Lagree to open “around March-April.”
“We’re very excited,” she added.
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