Equinox opens in Marina Del Rey

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If the calendar isn’t enough, the location of the Equinox Marina Del Rey, which opened Monday, is more than a sufficient reminder that swimsuit season is fast approaching.

Attention to the fitness club’s seaside location starts at the entrance. Aaron Richter, Equinox vice president of design, points out that the check-in desk is made of fiberglass. ‘An homage to surfing,’ he said.

The beachy vibe continues throughout the airy, 30,000-square-foot club -- Equinox’s 13th in Southern California. Retractable glass doors in the cafe (think roll-up garage doors made of glass) open out to the patio, and there’s driftwood-colored paneling on some walls, hand-carved stone reminiscent of waves on the walls outside the men’s and women’s dressing rooms and cross-cut bamboo flooring in the yoga studio. Instead of a conventional ceiling, the main exercise studio has a room-size skylight, which suffuses the room with light. The cardio and weight areas are flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows.

There’s no hiding from the light -- or the knowledge that it’s time to get ready for that swimsuit.

13455 Maxella Ave., Marina Del Rey. (310) 306-1000. Open 5:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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-- Nancie Clare