A hybrid between the medical and fitness industry. Find out more 

Inspired by, and named after, the palaestras of ancient Greece and Rome, LA PALESTRA was created in 1993 by founder and president Pat Manocchia. At that time, he observed a phenomenon which presented a dangerous paradox: A medical industry where costs related to health care issues such as obesity, prescription medications, and cosmetic surgeries were rising annually at an alarming rate, while at the same time, a fitness industry built around dieting and exercising was growing exponentially as well.

Manocchia then noted, “We have become a nation that is exercising more, and is obsessed with diet and physical appearance, that is simultaneously becoming obese, more medicated, and requiring more health care.”

This contradiction convinced Manocchia that the systems as they were currently operating were not effectively addressing these issues. There was a gap not only between these two industries (which are designed to make life healthier and better), but also between all of the data and scientific information available regarding how people can live healthier, higher-quality lives, and the way that information was being applied.

LA PALESTRA was created to address this paradox, as well as other important issues that directly impact the quality of people’s lives. It is a business that truly integrates the assets, technology, and resources of both industries; a business that utilizes existing information in an innovative way, providing services of the highest quality, which are delivered and enforced through an integrated team approach by professionals from multiple disciplines.

LA PALESTRA has grown into several facilities and has diversified in both scope and programming into a full service design and management company as well.