Amenities & Our Team

Our Resort

Learn what you can expect while you’re our guest Movara.

About our resort

Resort Amenities

Friendly and knowledgeable staff available 24/7
Pro Shop stocked with sundries, outdoor gear, and cool Movara apparel
Mail and package delivery
Weekly Target trip (for any forgotten items)
Gym and Fitness Center open 24/7
Basketball, volleyball, badminton, and pickleball courts
Proximity to baseball fields, tennis courts, skateboard park and more
Guest lounge with pool table, games, fireplace, and TV
75 foot, 110,000 gallon pool with lane markers (newly renovated in 2020!)
Hot tub, sauna, and steam room
Full-service spa offering over 50 treatments
Bicycles and Electric bikes available for check-out
Complimentary in-room wireless high-speed internet access
On-site business center
On-site 24-hour security
Free laundry facilities

Friendly and knowledgeable staff available 24/7
Pro Shop stocked with sundries, outdoor gear, and cool Movara apparel
Mail and package delivery
Weekly Target trip (for any forgotten items)
Gym and Fitness Center open 24/7
Basketball, volleyball, badminton, and pickleball courts
Proximity to baseball fields, tennis courts, skateboard park and more
Guest lounge with pool table, games, fireplace, and TV
75 foot, 110,000 gallon pool with lane markers (newly renovated in 2020!)
Hot tub, sauna, and steam room
Full-service spa offering over 50 treatments
Bicycles and Electric bikes available for check-out
Complimentary in-room wireless high-speed internet access
On-site business center
On-site 24-hour security
Free laundry facilities

See All Facilities

Sunrise in the Court

Sauna

Steam Room

Walkway to the Court and Lecture Hall

Social Lounge

Pro Shop

Lecture Hall

The pool at night

View from the hot tub

Dining Room

Square Feet

Staff

Days of Sunshine

(855) 877-1719

Call Now to Discover Availability

★★★★★

10/19/2019

Anne P.
I love this place!

I love this place and all the people who work there. The food is really good and the trainers are very knowledgeable and fun. The hiking guides get you out there to see the beautiful scenery.

I come back a couple times a year. This is definitely my go to spot for a vacation, a get away and some ME time.

★★★★★

01/11/2018

Norma S.
An Incredible Experience.

I just spent 10 days at Movara. It was an incredible experience. The staff are so motivating and really care about your success.
I got in great shape, lost 6 pounds, ate great gourmet meals and made wonderful friends. I will be back next year. I achieved my goal of losing the excess weight and firming up.

★★★★★

02/21/2019

LadyDiver
I absolutely love Movara!

I have been to Movara three times and will be back again for a fourth visit. The Hikes are always fun. The food is tasty and healthy. The staff and the guides are wonderful. The owners Michelle and Cameron are super nice, friendly and run a great show !! I average about 20 lbs in 4 weeks staying there. Can’t wait to return.

★★★★★

10/03/2019

David Kidger
A safe and caring environment with the best accommodations.

This was a return visit for me. Movara is an outstanding value. Accommodations, meals, lectures, exercise classes and hiking are all excellent, in a caring and safe environment. I will be returning later in 2019. Very strong recommendation.

Our Recommendations

Packing For Your Stay at Movara

Below is a list of suggested items you might like to have with you at the fitness resort. You might need to adjust the following list depending on the number of weeks you are staying, the time of year, and the expected weather.
We provide housing, meals/snacks, towels, robes, and laundry facilities. You should bring plenty of active, season-appropriate clothing, some comfort attire, and a few casual changes of clothes. Many guests wear their activewear to meals and outings. There is no need to dress up at Movara!
Also, pack preferred personal toiletries, and travel essentials like sunblock, phone/computer/camera, and corresponding chargers.
Bring layers, especially in the fall, winter, and spring so you can adjust as needed. Even in the summer, the weather can vary 20-40 degrees throughout the day; we experience cool nights and mornings year-round that call for an extra layer.
Above all, you will need good, supportive aerobic and hiking shoes.

Packing Clothes

Exercise clothes/activewear
Athleisure clothing (casual, comfortable items for stretch classes, meals, evenings)
Hiking socks
Workout socks
Pajamas
2 swimsuits *Pack more than one swimsuit/trunks due to multiple aquatic classes
Jacket and/or sweatshirt
Hat or visor
Seasonal winter weather apparel (gloves, long pants, winter headband or hat )

Packing Shoes

Athletic exercise shoes
Flip-flops
Light hiking or walking shoes(trail runners)

Other

Hydration backpacks (ex. Camelbak 2.0 liters. *This is a must-have!)
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Rain Gear (depending on the season)
Personal Toiletries
Medications/Supplements/Probiotics

Southern Utah Resort Weather

Southern Utah enjoys over 300 days of beautiful sunshine each year. Below is seasonal weather information to help you pack for your stay at Movara in Ivins.

Year-Round Typical Temperatures (Low – High):

Winter (Dec-Feb): 35 – 60 degrees
Spring (Mar-May): 60 – 90 degrees
Summer (Jun-Aug): 70 – 100 degrees
Fall (Sept – Nov): 60 – 90 degrees

We are Open

7 Days a Week

Call us with any questions!
We’d love to hear from you.

Movara Fitness Resort

290 S Fitness Way Ivins, UT, 84738

Travel Information

Directions to Our Resort

You’re almost here! Here are a few ways people like to travel to Movara.

AIRLINE INFORMATION

SHUTTLES

TAXIS

Taxis

Taxi USA

435-656-1500 or visit their website

Ready Cab

*Available for local transportation only.
435-467-8294 or vist their website

Airline Information

St. George Municipal(SGU)

22 miles from resort
34 minutes travel time

Las Vegas, McCarren International (LAS)

135 miles from resort
2 hours and 20 minute travel time

Shuttles

*Shuttles may have additional stops which could increase travel time up to 3 hours.

OWLS – Original Western Legacy Shuttle

Service to and from Las Vegas and St. George airport, direct to the resort. OWLS also offers a 10% discount for seniors, students and military.

435-319-9929 www.rideowls.com

St. George Shuttle / St. George Executive Shuttle

Service to and from Las Vegas airport, direct to the resort.

800-933-8320

www.stgshuttle.com

St. George Express

Service to and from Las Vegas and St. George airport, direct to resort.

435-652-1100

www.stgeorgeexpress.com

About Movara

Michelle and Cameron Kelsch, Founders

Michelle Kelsch began teaching aerobics professionally at age 16 and has lived a life dedicated to wellness ever since. She and her husband Cameron started Movara in 2002, and built a program laser-focused on results, so that guests would leave happy and empowered, with a desire to come back again and spread the word to their friends about Movara — definitely not just another “fat camp”. In 2009, Movara partnered with NBC to license the name of “The Biggest Loser” television show for the resort for five years. Juggling raising a family of six kids and running a business, Michelle and Cameron recognized the value of a retreat where guests can focus exclusively on themselves, and where they can remember what it feels like to feel good.

About Movara

Meet Our Team

Elaine Hartrick

General Manager

Elaine pulls everything together. All of it, everything you see at Movara, is wrangled into perfection by our General Manager extraordinaire. There’s no part of the guest experience that isn’t constantly being refined or enhanced by Elaine’s dedication to guest service and satisfaction. Elaine likes to roll up her sleeves and dive into the details, making sure your time at Movara is magical. She is passionate about the guest experience because before she started working here, Elaine came to Movara as a guest. She always puts herself back in the guest’s shoes when making any decision or solving any problem. A dream boss and a true servant-leader, Elaine’s big heart and open door makes her available to her staff, guests or for that matter; as busy as she is, Elaine makes time for anyone. To her, strangers are just friends she hasn’t met! And nothing is more important than the continued success of Movara and the guests that come here to reach their goals. With a background in hospitality management and business development, Movara is less of a job and more of a calling for Elaine. When she can bear to pull herself away, she loves to revisit her beloved Canadian Rocky Mountains and spend time with her two kids.

Cody Pickett

Spa/Retail Manager

Cody is one of Movara’s longest serving employees, having joined only six months after Movara opened. Then he was a hiking guide, but now he does, well, a bit of everything. Technically he’s the Retail and Spa Manager, but when you’ve been around as long as Cody you pick up a few things. He can handily step in where he’s needed, whether that be behind the front desk, making a bed, leading a hike, or even maintenance work. But for the most part you’ll see Cody when he comes to remind you of your Spa appointments around lunchtime, or when you stop by the retail shop for a Movara shirt, a bottle of vitamin water, some ibuprofen or other sundries. When he’s not the jack-of-all-trades at Movara, Cody’s probably out hiking, mountain biking, or wielding the paddle like a pro on the pickleball court. When asked to distill his ethos into one pithy phrase, Cody replied, “be good, and have fun.” Now that’s a life philosophy we can all get behind.

Khalob Freeborn

Sales & Marketing Manager

Khalob is the secret ingredient that leavens the Movara bread. His job is to capture the magic spirit of Movara and convey that spirit to the world through all available mediums. Khalob believes in what Movara is doing and genuinely wants to help the people who need Movara to find it. But it’s not just about communicating what makes Movara great, it’s about *experience*. Because Khalob knows that the best marketing is word-of-mouth, and the best way to generate word-of-mouth is to make guests really, really happy about their time spent at Movara. (It’s called “high return rate, high referral rate”.) Khalob is building systems to make the Movara experience completely frictionless, so people can come and not have to think about anything other than their own journey. Khalob’s gift for strategic thinking is making a difference to sales and marketing at Movara. He truly sees his job as maximizing guests’ opportunities to participate and change their lives, because Khalob feels a sense of personal responsibility to make the world a better place. And isn’t that what you want in a salesperson?

Sharon ReAd

Program Manager

Sharon may be one of the primary reasons so many guests are excited to return to Movara! She’s the Program Manager at Movara, but so much more as well. In addition to carefully scheduling all the cardio, strength training, stretch classes, and educational lectures throughout the day (and making sure they come in the optimal order), Sharon can often be found leading many of those classes herself! A certified personal trainer and part of Movara since almost the very beginning, Sharon has come to know exactly how to push people in the most compassionate way, and is dedicated to making exercise fun — an impressive skill as anyone who has experienced her classes can attest. When you are able to push yourself even harder, that’s when Sharon knows she’s succeeded. She loves the accountability of being in such close proximity with guests, and they know she’s fiercely loyal to them. Sharon is an animal lover, too, and lives on a farm with chickens, rabbits and sheep, though her main focus outside of work is her two grandchildren.

Jared Jones

Fitness Manager

You’ll see Jared during the testing-in and testing-out protocols at either end of your stay, at orientation and graduation, and probably leading a lecture or two during the week. He’s the Fitness Manager at Movara, but he’s also in charge of guest accountability, checking in with guests daily to go over goals and progress. Jared’s background is in education and exercise science, with a Master’s degree in Human Movement, with an emphasis in movement quality, correcting muscle imbalances, and personal and group exercise training; a background tailor-made for Movara! He’s designed fitness programs for schools, corporations, universities, and country clubs. The thing Jared looks forward to at Movara is getting to know the guests as individuals, learning about their stories and struggles, and being part of their journey to be the best version of themselves. When he’s not at Movara, Jared is with his kids, and outdoors somewhere paddle-boating, hiking, rock-climbing or doing something else active and fun.

Chris Tamplin

Executive Chef

When you’re enjoying one of the mouthwatering and nutrition-rich meals at Movara, you should direct your compliments to Executive Chef Chris. He’s the one who created the recipes on Movara’s rotating seasonal menus, and he’s constantly tinkering with new ones in the kitchen, ensuring that each meets the perfect balance, along with other meal pairings on a given day, to ensure daily nutrition goals are met. Chris has been cooking since he was 15, and continues to cook, read cookbooks, and study the culinary arts even when he’s off the clock, which is how you know it’s a genuine passion. If diet is one of the biggest parts of successful weight loss, then Chris represents that part for Movara. In addition to mentoring the kitchen staff, training them on new recipes, and ordering fresh, locally-sourced, and organic ingredients, Chris also holds one-on-one sessions with guests at their request. Each 50-minute session is devoted to whatever the guest wishes to learn or discuss, from knife skills to cooking the perfect soup. He’ll measure and prepare all the ingredients beforehand and guide you (like an apprentice sous-chef) to learn everything you’ve wanted to know about cooking, but were afraid to ask!

TJ Jerome

Hiking Manager

TJ is living the dream — traveling the world and hiking the some of the most exotic, beautiful, remote, challenging, and legendary trails and mountain peaks. Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, the Dolomites, Ecuador Volcanoes, Galapagos, the French Pyrenees, the Amazon… she’s hiked them all, including an epic 52 peaks in 52 weeks year-long hiking adventure around the globe. Her expertise and unmatched experience makes her an ideal hiking manager at Movara, and her background in criminal justice makes her an intuitive and empathetic leader. TJ wants to meet people where they are in terms of comfort and skill, adapting to literally any skill level or ability. You’ll appreciate a perfectionist like TJ when it comes to setting and meeting your goals, because she’s so passionate about her own goals. TJ’s philosophy can be distilled in to the phrase “go everywhere”. It’s about saying “yes” and experiencing as much as possible; continuing to grow and learn about the world and the people all around you. After losing her mother to the effects of a poor lifestyle, TJ is motivated to see people get the tools and resources they need to make different choices. Let TJ share with you her love of hiking, and you might just find that you love it too.

Amanda Bigelow

Front Desk Manager

Amanda is the effervescent breath of fresh air that greets you at Movara’s front desk. She’s like if positivity and kindness had a really cool and easy-going daughter. But don’t be fooled by her sunny personality, Amanda has an unparalleled work ethic and gets things done! As the Front Desk Manager, Amanda is at the middle of Movara’s central hub, welcoming guests, scheduling appointments, answering questions, and virtually anything else that needs to get done. If you’re not sure where to go, or how to do it, go to the Front Desk and Amanda the upbeat problem-solver will make everything right in your world. You can really feel the genuine care Amanda has for you when you get the chance to interact with her. “Embrace the journey,” Amanda says, “The good, the bad, the indifferent. It’s all in how you make it!” When she’s not at Movara loving work, Amanda is on her mini-farm loving quality time with her husband, kids, and five animals.

Sylvan Pickett

Controller

Sylvan is the Controller at Movara, which basically means he’s the accountant. He “controls” the account transactions, keeps the records straight, and generally makes sure everything is running smoothly, finance-wise at Movara. He’s one of the behind-the-scenes engines that you might not see, but who is integral to Movara’s successful operation. Some people might mischaracterize accounting as a “less-than-exciting” vocation, but that’s only because they’ve never experienced the thrill of reconciling a transaction and having it balance accurately. Sylvan is also an avid chess player, taking advantage of technology to challenge players virtually from around the world. You might also find Sylvan on the pickleball courts, dominating that wiffle-ball in a sport that combines the best elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Sylvan of course possesses that Movara spirit, always willing to help his colleagues, and proud to work for an organization that helps so many people be their best. You may not see Sylvan in person during your stay at Movara, but if you do, be sure to tell him how cool you think accountants are.

Lindsey

Housekeeping Manager

If you’ve got crisp, clean sheets and a sparkling toilet, it’s Lindsey and her crack team of housekeeping experts you have to thank! Lindsey’s operation is running 24/7, with a day crew that cleans all 40 guest rooms and a night crew that cleans the rest of the facility. Raising two boys didn’t quite prepare her for the sheer volume of laundry generated by Movara on a daily basis. But cleaning is in Lindsey’s blood, having run her own cleaning company for years before joining Movara, and she’s good at it! The housekeeping team takes genuine pride in their work, and you can tell; take a look around Movara, and you’ll have all the proof you need. She’s a true believer that your work is a reflection of who you are, and since Lindsey wants to feel amazing, your room (and the whole resort) has to look amazing too. In addition to being a fully trained massage therapist and yoga teacher, Lindsey is a music lover, enjoys trying anything new, and spent a lot of her youth dancing — jazz, ballet, you name it. These days she’ll mostly dance when no one’s watching, so keep your eyes peeled and you *might* just see Lindsey busting a move as she and her team make Movara shine.

Damien McIntyre

Maintenance Manager

Damien is a ray of Irish sunshine at Movara, putting smiles on people’s faces as he makes sure the facility is running in tip-top shape. As Maintenance Manager for over a decade, Damien knows Movara from the inside out, the better to know how to make it run as smoothly as possible. Anything that needs to be taken care of, it’s Damien they call. From painting and decorating, to taking care of the swimming pool, hot tub, plumbing electrical, and even landscaping, Damien is Movara’s one-stop-fix-it-shop. Is there a light out in your room? A problem with the air conditioning? You guessed it, Damien will make it right. Outside of Movara, Damien is an avid golfer, though he claims his love for the sport doesn’t mean he’s actually any good at it. He and his wife have made the area their home, and after all these years, the staff and guests at Movara are like family.

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Jared Jones

Fitness manager

Cody Pickett

Spa / Retail Manager

Khalob Freeborn

Sales & Marketing Manager

Sharon Read

Program Manager

Elaine Hartrick

General Manager

Chris Tamplin

Executive Chef

TJ Jerome

Hiking Manager

Amanda Bigelow

Front Desk Manager

Sylvan Pickett

Controller

Lindsey

Housekeeping Manager

Damien McIntyre

Maintenance Manager

What to Bring

Amenities & Our Team

Our Resort

About our resort

Resort Amenities

Single (King Room)

Double (Queen Room)

Single (King Room)

Double (Queen Room)

Square Feet

Staff

Days of Sunshine

Our Recommendations

Packing For Your Stay at Movara

Packing Clothes

Packing Shoes

Other

Southern Utah Resort Weather

Year-Round Typical Temperatures (Low – High):

We are Open

7 Days a Week

Movara Fitness Resort

Travel Information

Directions to Our Resort

Taxis

Taxi USA

Ready Cab

Airline Information

St. George Municipal(SGU)

Las Vegas, McCarren International (LAS)

Shuttles

OWLS – Original Western Legacy Shuttle

St. George Shuttle / St. George Executive Shuttle

St. George Express

About Movara

Michelle and Cameron Kelsch, Founders

About Movara

Meet Our Team

Elaine Hartrick

Cody Pickett

Khalob Freeborn

Sharon ReAd

Jared Jones

Chris Tamplin

TJ Jerome

Amanda Bigelow

Sylvan Pickett

Lindsey

Damien McIntyre

Jared Jones

Cody Pickett

Khalob Freeborn

Sharon Read

Elaine Hartrick

Chris Tamplin

TJ Jerome

Amanda Bigelow

Sylvan Pickett

Lindsey

Damien McIntyre