Critical Mass Studio began when Steven Kates took his biology degree, added a little touch of glitz and mixed them with the new breed of workout equipment coming to market. The result has been that Critical Mass has become the inspiration for the cutting-edge workout environment in home gyms of many of Los Angeles’ rich and famous. Staff Reporter Conor Dougherty talked with Kates about how he got started, and how the business has evolved.

“I received a degree in biology from UCLA, but I didn’t get into medical school, so I had planned to take a research job. I was running down San Vicente in Brentwood, which I do to this day, and I happened to see a Nautilus sign under construction on the corner of San Vicente and Montana. I talked to the guy running the business, who was a ranked pro tennis player and tennis instructor to the wealthy. I was just curious, but he happened to be looking for staff. I put my research job off for three months, and ended up becoming the first employee.

“One night I was vacuuming and Bo Derek and her husband walked by. John Derek was curious, because at that time Nautilus equipment looked like it was from Mars. I explained our system, the science and methodology, and right there on the spot he asked me to train his wife for three months. A year or so later, Bo was on ‘The Tonight Show’ and Johnny Carson asked her how she became such a sex symbol, and right on the air she said, ‘I lift weights at a Nautilus center.’ Within a week the phones were ringing off the hook and we were generating over $100,000 in gross memberships a month. Before, it was around $10,000. I ended up running a chain of Nautilus centers and then started a string of clubs called ‘Matrix One.’

“Through all these experiences, I had ended up doing a lot of private training. My partner, David Kelmenson, and I decided to start Critical Mass, a personal training environment that’s reminiscent of a nightclub.

“At the low end it’s $75 a session, on the high end it’s $3,600 for a three-month package. The kinds of people we work out want the cosmetic result in the fastest, most painless way possible.

“People walk in and they feel like they’re in a movie theater. The workout equipment is surrounded by the most advanced technology. And from our studio business has evolved our gym-design business. We’ve designed gyms for clients ranging from Kenny G. to the law firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips.”