Pistons practice facility to house Detroit's first Blink Fitness

The Pistons are filling in the blanks for their plans for their practice facility, which is set to open in September 2019 in midtown Detroit.

The team announced Thursday a partnership with Blink Fitness to house a publicly-accessible fitness center inside the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center. The new center — projected to be about 15,000 square feet — will be Blink’s first foray into Detroit, joining a network of almost 100 gyms nationwide, primarily in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Blink Fitness, touted as a premium-quality, value-based gym, also plans to open more locations in Michigan in 2019. Memberships are as low as $15 per month.

“We are proud to partner with Blink in opening its first location in the City of Detroit,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Blink’s presence inside our performance center will make New Center an even more appealing place to live and work, and in turn will create more jobs and continue to help drive the momentum of additional investment in the area.”

Plum Market previously had been announced as the first partner in the Pistons’ new practice facility, with a café and retail space — its first location in Detroit.

Blink’s philosophy of “Mood Above Muscle” focuses on the positive feelings around exercise and fitness, in addition to the physical benefits.  

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard