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Welcome to the Archives of Velvet Magazine! For those of you who might not know, Velvet was Prague's first city magazine and sadly published just a few issues. I, Jeffree from Think Magazine, designed the very last issue of Velvet, which was killed the day it was to go to press... and thus, I turned my attention to making Think. A lot of the contact, adresses and business information here is too old to be useful, but why not take a walk down memory lane and enjoy yourself?
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By Emilie Cohen
Photographs by Zuzana Oplatkova
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The Skinny on Prague:
Emilie Cohen sweats through the city's best places to work out
Suffering morning-after guilt about that extra helping of knedliky, the whipped cream on your palacinky, or that second (third?, fourth?) mug of pivo? There are options for recovery. From swimming pools to step aerobic classes to saunas, the workout industry in Prague is growing and should soon be able to satisfy Sunday athletes and true gym junkies alike. While there are smaller, cheaper clubs scattered around the city, they tend to be less stable operations with few English speakers and slim offerings. Here is a list of the best of the best.
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  Fitness Forum International
Hotel Forum Praha, Kongresova 1 Prague 4, tel. 61 19 13 26. Open Mon-Fri 7 AM-10 PM, Sat & Sun 9 AM-9 PM.
Hardware: Cramped but functional. Four stationary bikes and one Airstepper with spectacular 24th-story views. Complete cycle of weight machines, plenty of free weights. Can get crowded.
Heart throb: Aerobics classes Monday and Wednesday, 10:00 AM and 11 :00 AM, Tuesday & Thursday 6 PM and 7 PM.
Cool down: Windows surround the 15m x 6m pool and the city's red roofs are a comforting view when you lift your head to take a breath. Spotless and cool, but sometimes crowded.
Moral support: Employees speak excellent English and are friendly and helpful.
Après: Towels, robes and lounge chairs provided. Dressing rooms, showers, and saunas are clean and well maintained, and the usual roster of refreshments is available.
Perks: One of the few squash courts in town, regulation size. The gym rents rackets, balls, and shoes. Lessons are not currently available.
Pain per gain: Two hours pool time: 180 Kc for adults, 90 Kc for kids. Swimsuits: 60 Kc. One-hour workout: 250 Kc. Half an hour on the squash court: 150 Kc. Racket and ball rentals: 30 Kc each. Shoes: 100 Kc per pair. 230 Kc for aerobics, swimming pool, and sauna. Ten visits: 1,200 Kc. Prices discounted Mon-Fri, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM.
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 Axa Hotel
Na porici 40, Prague 1 tel. 2481 2047. Open dally 7 AM-9 PM. Sauna opens at 2 PM.
Hardware: Huge warehouse full of every kind of weight machine known to man, and rows of free weights. Full of guys, huffing and puffing and hefting and swinging.
Heart throb: Hardly any cardiovascular equipment-six stationary bikes and a Versa climber.
Cool down: One of Prague's larger pools: 25 meters long, well maintained, and less crowded than the workout room. One drawback: basement location makes it a little dark and dank. Moral support: Staff is generally helpful and attentive.
Après: Small but comfortable locker rooms equipped with plenty of hot showers.
Perks: Best hotel pool for a serious workout.
Pain per gain: One-month pass for women: 350 Kc; for men: 400 Kc (discounts for extended memberships and for students with 10). One-hour pool time: 50 Kc (men and women). 50 Kc deposit for lockers. Use of the pool and sauna: 100 Kc.
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 Fitness Club Intercontinental
Intercontinental Hotel, namesti Curieovych 43/5, Prague 1 tel. 24 88 1525. Open Mon- Fri 6 AM-11 PM, Sat & Sun 9 AM-10 PM.
Hardware: Five stationary bikes, two Airsteppers (cousin to the Stairmaster), excellent cycle of weight machines, an equally extensive set of free weights, and one of the few treadmills in town.
Heart throb: Quick and varied aerobics classes every weekday, including a fierce leg workout you'll feel for days. Not recommended for beginners; Weekdays 10 AM, 6 PM, 7 PM , and 8 PM. Sat 10 AM, 11 AM, 6 PM, and 7 PM.
Cool down: Small (15 m x 10 m) round pool glassed in on all sides, commanding a street-level view of Na Frantisku, is a fine place to cool off after your workout. The pool area is also graced with a full-service bar and lots of lounge chairs.
Moral support: Staff is friendly and gracious. Most managers speak English well, and English-speaking personal trainers are available.
Après: Showers and sauna are always clean and in working order, and come with soft towels. Comfy robes complementary if you're swimming or having a massage, and hair dryers are available to all. Variety of refreshments and a full bar, too.
Perks: Pool has decorative artificial island with artificial palm trees and is connected to the "shore" by a little bridge. A nude female mannequin attached to a full-size hang glider soars overhead. New outdoor one-hole putting green, too.
Pain per gain: Swimming is included in the aerobics fee of 280 Kc. One aerobics class, including access to the pool and sauna: 120 Kc. Use of the gym, weight room, pool, and sauna for one hour: 150 Kc. Two hours pool use: 200 Kc. free for children under five. Discounts available for longer memberships.
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Podolska Pool
Podolska 74. Open 8 AM-8 PM daily.
Hardware: Serious weight room with a few stationary bikes available in the tiny Tyran Fitness Club, located in the arcade of buildings that rings the big outdoor pool.
Heart throb: Tyran offers step aerobics every day at 6:30 PM. Cool down: Sprawling complex has four pools: a deep, square diving pool complete with tri-Ievel diving board, and two Olympic-sized pools, one outdoor and one indoor, and a kiddie pool. Tough to swim laps with all the pool-splashers around, however.
Moral support: Nonexistent. Fend for yourself.
Après: Inexpensive snack bar serves beer in plastic cups. Facilities are a bit shabby. Showers and saunas look rather old, and the locker room is primitive at best.
Perks: A kiddie pool that's disturbingly warm, grassy area for lounging, and a dangerously high waterslide.
Pain per gain: Swim all day for only 40 Kc (senior citizens 25 Kc, little kids 10 Kc), Season passes available for a considerable discount. Discount after 4:00 PM. One-hour workout or aerobics class in Tyran Fitness Club: 15 Kc.
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Fitness Centre, Prague Renaissance Hotel
V celnici 7, Prague 1, 24 81 03 96. Mon-Fri 7 AM-9 PM, Sat & Sun 8 AM-8 PM.
Hardware: A tiny exercise room equipped with one Airstepper. two stationary bikes, a few weight machines. No free weights.
Heart throb: None.
Cool down: Small pool only eight meters long, and irregularly shaped; difficult to swim laps in.
Moral support: Friendly and helpful staff.
Après: Sauna, solarium, and massage.
Perks: Centrally located right off Namesti Republiky.
Pain per gain: One visit, with access to all exercise areas: 500 Kc for adults, 300 Kc for children. Monthly and yearly memberships available.
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 Fitness Centrum, Hotel Atrium Praha
Pobrezni 1, Prague 8, tel 24 84 20 13. Open seven days a week, 7:00 AM-10:00 PM (tennis until 11 :00 PM).
Hardware: Small weight room, including two Compact Gyms (similar to Soloflex machines) designed to provide at least one exercise for every muscle. Small selection of free weights as well.
Heart throb: Two rowing machines, two stationary bikes, and one Airstepper. Two-hour combined aerobics/stretch class in small studio Wednesday at 4:30 PM is well-taught and challenging.
Cool down: Spacious pool 15 meters long is glassed in with a view of an expansive landscaped terrace. Cool, clean, frequently empty, and great for swimming laps.
Moral support: Club can be cavernous and impersonal, and the staff sometimes reflects this. Managers speak English well, but are slightly disorganized.
Après: Lounge chairs you'll never want to leave.
Perks: One-hole putting green and particularly fluffy robes.
Pain per gain: One hour pool time: 100 Kc, including access to the sauna. One hour of weight training: 100 Kc. Use of the tennis court for fifty minutes: 350 Kc, Fifty-minute tennis lesson: 750 Kc. Facing off with a "sparring partner": 600 Kc Deals on monthly and yearly memberships available.
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Cover credits |
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Pg. 07: Editor's Letter |
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Pg. 09: FIRST: THIS WON'T HURT A BIT |
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Pg. 10 Spinning yarns |
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Pg. 11 Lady Screams The Cues |
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Pg. 11 Three Guys on X |
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Pg. 12 Spray Paint Picassos |
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Pg. 13 Shake your body politic |
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Pg. 14 Wrong Number Interview: Hello... Mr. President? / Listek |
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Pg. 15 Windex |
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Pg. 16-17 POLAROID: Ian R. Brodie |
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Pg. 18-19 Actors, Guns & Money |
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Pg. 20-21 A Day at the Races |
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Pg. 22-25 Dinner Reservations? |
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Pg. 24-25 Dinner Side-bars |
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Pg. 26 Where the getting's good |
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Pg. 27 Not Wholly Frijoles |
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Pg. 28-33 FASHION: A Movable Feast |
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Pg. 36-37 Galleries & Museums |
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Pg. 40 MUSIC: Stompin' "At the Old Lady's" |
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Pg. 43 RESTAURANTS: Knightly Dining |
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Pg. 44 RESTAURANTS: Flame Out |
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Pg. 45-48 RESTAURANTS: Side-bars |
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Pg. 51 DRINKS: Where Shooters go when they die |
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Pg. 53 CAFES: All the World's a Cafe |
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Pg. 54-55 SHOPS: 3 reviews |
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Pg. 56-57 The Skinny on Prague: Gyms |
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Pg. 59 BOOKS: Trying to make sense of the tragedy in Bosnia |
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Pg. 65 Dangerous Cinema |
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Pg. 69 Scene |
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Pg. 70 LAST: Through a lens, thankfully |
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Volume 1, Number 3
Editor and Publisher MICHAEL WAYNE JR.
Executive Editor CHRISTOPHER HOLLAND
Senior Editors
WALTER R. DEVINE, JOYCE-ANN GATSOULIS
Listings Editor
LACEY ECKL
Editorial Assistants MICAH ABRAMS, JAMES M. jELLlNEK
Contributing Writers NICOLE R. ACHS, RICHARD BAlM BRIDGE, OMRI BEN-AMOS, RADHA BURGESS, ANN MARIE DUROSS, MICHELE LEGGE, HANA LESENAROV A, DAN LEVINE, BRENDAN MAZE, SHANNON McCORIv!lCK, SIEGFRIED MORTKOWITZ, DAVID SPERANZA, GAVIN STEWART, WILL TIZARD
Creative Director GERMAIN E. DESEVE
Senior Designer
CLARE MANIAS
Production Assistant HELENA SIPKOVA
Staff Photographer ZUZANA OPLATKOVA
Contributing Photographers
SEAN GALLUP,
ROBERT VANO
Contributing Artists
ZOULFIIA GAZAEVA,
FEDELE SPEDAFORA,
BORIS VAN BERKUM
Advertising Director CHRISTOPHER LOVERING
Advertising Representatives
LARA GRIMES.
TRACEY KENNEDY,
EVA SOUCKOVA
Advertising Designer
D.A. STRUBLE
Circulation Manager
(name removed by request)
The Prague Review s.r.o.
NICOLAS R. PERKlN, President
MICHAEL WAYNE JR., Executive V.P.
JED HELLSTROM, Senior V.P.
DAN ROSE, Senior V.P.
Velvet Towers East
Americka 36,
120 00 Prague 2
Editorial Telephone: 611 11 42
Production Telephone: 691 0445
Advertising Telephone: 691 04 46
Velvet® is a publication of The Prague Review s.r.o. © 1995, The Prague Review s.r.o. All rights reserved. |
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