Recovery room and recreation lounge opens at Pottruck Health and Fitness Center

A new recreation lounge and recovery room opened on July 15 at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center. 

The recovery room has Normatec compression boots, Hypervolt 2 massage guns, and a zero-gravity recliner chair. Three bays are centered around sports recovery, including a recliner, massage gun, compression boots, mat, and foam roller. The fourth bay includes a full-body massage chair. 

The new additions are meant to show that Pottruck isn’t just a gym, but also a recreation center for students to enhance their social wellness. 

“We want to change the narrative of Pottruck. We are a center on campus that provides a holistic approach to wellbeing,” Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellbeing Morgen Rosen said.

Each bay can be rented out for 30-minute segments for $20 each. The massage devices at the bays are meant to be used to relieve tension, increase circulation, revive muscles, and reduce swelling. 

Rising College senior Sneha Sebastian said that the new equipment is very effective. 

“I had started going back to the gym, and so my legs had been really sore,” Sebastian said. “And the equipment was quite effective; even the lowest setting was very strong.”

Sebastian also talked about how using equipment can make one’s exercise regimen more effective. 

“Let's say you slot out 45 minutes of your day to the gym. You can give yourself 15 to 20 more minutes to just relax before you leave, which I think is probably instrumental to growing muscle and recovery because you’re supposed to take rest in between,” she added. 

The recreation lounge is a hub for students to relax, play games, and study together. It has couches, beanbags, puzzles, and board games for students to utilize. TVs will also be installed, and students will be able to connect their computers to them.

“After a workout, or after a kind of a challenging day, it’d be nice to go in there and just kind of chill out,” Sebastian said.

Rising Wharton sophomore Nia Matthews agreed that the new additions accomplish Penn Campus Recreation’s goal.

“I think that the new room additions to Pottruck highlight Campus Recreation’s dedication to fostering a supportive and holistic environment for students,” Matthews said. “It takes physical health to a whole new level; it isn’t just a space for only people who lift weights, [for example]. Now, it’s a place to relax, recover, and socialize. These rooms are providing an opportunity to create an entirely new form of community on campus.”

Penn Campus Recreation decided to add these two new rooms following feedback from patrons, surveys from students and faculty, and input from student workers at Pottruck. 

“We have noticed that not everyone wants to exercise in our space, but they want to focus on other areas of well-being such as social wellness,” Rosen said. “We are an accessible place on campus for students to meet each other.”

Rosen emphasized that an increased focus on adding wellness spaces to campus recreation centers is a topic of discussion in universities nationwide right now.

Members of Penn Campus Recreation attended the 2024 NIRSA Annual Conference and Campus Rec & Wellness Expo. At the conference, there were discussions about how there is more of a need for spaces in recreation centers for students to enjoy — that do not surround exercise — to promote overall wellness.

Rosen said that Penn Campus Recreation is working to make sure that all students feel a sense of belonging and inclusivity at Pottruck. 

“We are always trying to show that Pottruck is a place for everybody, [that everyone] truly everyone belongs here,” she said. “Whether you are a novice exerciser … or someone interested in low impact movement … [or] if you are not interested in traditional exercise … [or] are not interested in moving [your] body, but still want to work on other forms of wellness, we have spaces to accommodate that.”