FIT FOR A STAR

Pent’s impossibly chic gym equipment has captivated both fitness enthusiasts and design connoisseurs alike.

Cannes, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas. All places you’re likely to spot a celebrity or two, but also where you’ll find the haute de gamme fitness equipment of Pent, which makes the most luxurious workout items you’ve ever seen.

Based in Poland, the brand was founded in 2011 by husband-and-wife team Marcin Raczek and Jagoda Markowska-Raczek, who supply professional fitness clubs. Covid marked a new era for the duo, shuttering gyms but catalysing demand for stylish gym equipment their well-heeled clientele could exercise with at home. “Our clients wanted fitness setups that they could display in their luxuriously decorated living rooms,” says Wojtek Sztafa, Pent’s chief partnership officer.

In response, Pent created an all-new range of luxury fitness equipment — encompassing skipping ropes to complete barbell sets and treadmills — that radically disrupts what most of us think gym equipment should look and feel like. Made using the hardest stainless steel, top-grade natural woods like ash, walnut and oak and genuine Italian leather, Pent’s creations are design objects in their own right. You can customise them using 3D in your preferred materials, personalise them via wood engraving and leather embroidery, then use augmented reality to see how they would fit in your living space. “Nobody puts Pent in a garage,” emphasises Sztafa.

Starting at US$95 for a cork yoga mat to US$17,065 for a full set of dumbbells, Pent’s products are found in celebrity domiciles including those of Ellen DeGeneres, LeBron James and Terry Crews, as well as ritzy hotels in London, Dubai and now, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

Pent makes a diverse range of luxurious gym equipment ranging from yoga belts to pilates reformers.

All of Pent’s products are designed and made by hand in Bielsko-Biała in southern Poland, via craftsmen who are skilled in working with specific materials.

Each piece of gym equipment is made using the hardest stainless steel, genuine Italian leather and pleasurably tactile, top-grade natural woods like ash, walnut and oak.

Much of its success has to do with the sublime tactility of Pent’s chosen materials.

“There’s nothing like the touch and feel of wood,” says Sztafa. “When clients who use regular gym equipment touch the smooth wooden handles on our dumbbells and kettlebells for the first time, their jaws drop.”

“We wanted guests to feel special when they use our equipment, that something extra has been given to them. We want them to feel exceptional.”

— WOJTEK SZTAFA, PENT

To reduce its environmental impact, Pent uses only recycled steel and sustainably sourced leather and walnut wood. Crafted to offer the highest quality, ergonomic form and durability, its creations are designed to outlast trends, keeping them out of the landfill.

Pent recently introduced items made using pure bronze, which provides the look of gold without the exorbitant price tag. Working with bronze is particularly challenging, says Sztafa, as it tends to oxidise and develop a greenish patina over time. To avoid this, its craftsmen use a laborious double-varnishing process that requires a pristine environment completely devoid of dust or particles to execute properly.

All of Pent’s products are designed and made by hand in Bielsko-Biała, a picturesque city in southern Poland. “We don’t do any outsourcing whatsoever — everything is done in-house,” says Sztafa, who says quality can only be maintained by being able to check and control every aspect of production. Skilled in working with specific materials, Pent’s artisans make even the smallest wooden, steel or leather components, only using cutting-edge CNC machines when this is impossible. “Our ideas come from people. Our products are made by people,” Sztafa adds.

A curated selection of Pent’s fitness products is now available at Marina Bay Sands within selected Paiza Royal Collection suites, ultra-refined accommodations reserved for the resort’s most esteemed clients. “We wanted guests to feel special when they use our equipment, that something extra has been given to them,” says Sztafa. “We want them to feel exceptional.”

Among the selection is Pent’s bestselling Banka Bench, which the brand crafted in stainless steel, black Italian cowhide and natural American walnut wood and can be adjusted in various positions.

Another standout is the Colmia vertical dumbbell set, an array of polished stainless steel and walnut wood weights resting on a walnut wood tower with a remarkably small footprint. There is also an exercise ball, skipping rope, push-up bars and a soft roller. The latter is typically made of plastic or artificial leather, but Pent’s elevated version enrobes it in buttery genuine Italian leather.

Rather delightfully, Sztafa’s favourite product here is the fitness mat, which looks simple but hides thoughtful design features. Handles allow it to be hung easily, while embedded magnets mean it can be effortlessly folded with one hand. Made of leather, it not only feels luxurious against skin but, according to Sztafa, is non-slip on all kinds of surfaces including concrete, parquet and wood. It’s well designed, practical and a sleek piece of kit. One thing it’s assuredly not, however, is garage-bound.