Mind & Body by Living Fit will officially open its doors on Saturday, August 15, marking the launch of a new 24-hour fitness and wellness facility designed to serve Virgin Gorda residents, hospitality workers and visitors. Photo: VINO

Living Fit BVI started in 2017, selling health and fitness products and over the years the idea of creating a physical wellness space continued to develop. Photo: VINO

The Grand Opening is set for Saturday August 15, 2026. Photo: VINO

The facility, which began welcoming founding members on August 1, is owned and founded by Sasha D.A. Flax, Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, who said the opening represents the realisation of a vision that began nearly a decade ago.

Flax said Living Fit BVI started in 2017, when she began selling health and fitness products. Over the years, the idea of creating a physical wellness space continued to develop.

She signed the lease for the facility on November 30, 2025, just two months after giving birth to her first child on September 30. Flax described the process of transforming the idea into a functioning facility while being freshly postpartum as challenging, but also deeply meaningful.

Personal challenges influenced facility establishment

“My own relationship with health and fitness is very personal,” Flax said. “I have struggled with my weight since childhood, so I understand what it feels like to want to make changes for yourself, to start over, to lose weight, gain weight, build confidence, and simply try to feel better in your own body.”

That experience, she said, influenced her vision for Mind & Body by Living Fit. The facility was created to provide a welcoming environment where people can pursue their fitness goals without feeling intimidated or judged.

24-hour Facility 

Flax said the gym is intended to accommodate people at every stage of their wellness journey, including those who are just starting, returning to exercise, or have been training for years.

The facility’s 24-hour operation is also intended to reflect the needs of Virgin Gorda’s tourism-based economy. Many residents work in hotels, villas, restaurants, marine services, and other hospitality-related fields that do not operate on a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.

“I wanted the gym to accommodate those workers, our wider community, and even guests visiting the island,” Flax said. “Wellness should be accessible whether you finish work at 11 p.m., start at 6 a.m., or simply prefer to exercise at a quieter time.”

Giving back to VG

Flax said she also wanted the business to give back to Virgin Gorda, a community that she said has supported her throughout her life. She hopes Mind & Body by Living Fit will provide residents with another avenue to prioritise their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 

“I want Mind & Body to be a safe and welcoming space where people can work toward becoming healthier and stronger versions of themselves,” she said.

The founder also emphasised that the facility was not created through her efforts alone. She credited her partner, Abdu Sewell, with playing a major role in bringing the concept to life and helping to transform and outfit the space.

She also acknowledged Shea Alexander, who supported the vision when Living Fit was still only an idea, as well as her parents, family members, and close friends who assisted in numerous ways.

“This facility was not built by me alone. It truly took a village,” Flax said. “When I look around the facility, I don’t just see gym equipment. I see all of those people. I see my village.”

Flax said her hope is that Mind & Body by Living Fit becomes a facility of which Virgin Gorda can be proud—one that serves residents, tourism and hospitality workers, visitors, and the wider community. She added that the gym’s ultimate goal is to contribute to a healthier Virgin Gorda by making wellness more accessible to the people who live, work, and visit the island.