B12 The Boston Globe FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019
TB12 in Back Bay
Brady’s flagship sports therapy center opens to the public
The doors of the new TB12 flagship center in Back
Bay were propped wide open Wednesday, but the em-
ployees inside were tighter-lipped thanBill Belichick
at a press conference.
We’d hoped for a tour, a menu of classes, maybe a
sighting ofTo m B ra d yhimself.
But, sadly, little information was gleaned at the
newest addition to Brady’s sports therapy chain,
though many passersby seemed happy to welcome themary garlic nuts — and beverages near the register.
Overhead, a hulking screen flashed images and
videos of Brady and other toned athletes running,
jumping, and stretching in head-to-toe TB12 gear.
A Globe photographer was not allowed to take
pictures inside, nor would TB12 employees consent
to a tour of the workout facility, citing HIPAA priva-
cy rules, which protect medical records and personal
health information.
They would say that a rear staircase leads down-
stairs to a “performance area” that features a “turf
area,” a room for group classes, and nine individual
training rooms.
The lower level hosts the heart of TB12’s offer-
ings: individual pliability and recovery treatments
with body coaches. According to the website, the cli-
ent-coach relationship will be modeled after Brady’s
relationship with Guerrero. A first session runs ap-
proximately $240 for 90 minutes.
The center also touts “small, group fitness class-
es” on a membership basis. The classes will incorpo-
rate elements from the 42-year-old quarterback’s
own functional strength and conditioning program,
according to the TB12 site.
The facility is not yet open for classes or sessions,
though the Globe was assured it would be “some-
time soon.” Would-be clients can call or come into
the store to set up an appointment.
Neither TB12 center accepts health insurance,
but clients can use HSA and Flex spending to pay for
treatments, according to an employee.
Since its 2013 opening, the TB12 Center in Fox-
borough has hosted a number of sports stars in ad-
dition to its namesake quarterback. Gronkowski and
Patriots wide receiverJulian Edelmantrained at the
location. TV personalityMaria Menounosstopped
by earlier this month, as did five-time Olympic gym-
nastics medalistNastia Liukinlast October.
The company’s chief executiveJohn Burnstold
the Globe in a March interview that it is considering
additional centers in New York, Miami, Chicago, Los
Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as international
sites such as London and Toronto.
On Boylston Street on Wednesday, several people
snapped photos of the sleek red TB12 sign. A man in
a suit walked by, uttering, “Tommy’s store. But
where’s Tommy? I want Tommy.” A group of athleti-
cally clad teenagers commented on how they liked
the “Apple Store” look of the place. Two Brazilian sis-
ters exited, toting bags of merchandise.
“Honestly, I came because I wanted to see Tom
Brady,” saidRaquel Dorgenio, who settled for a hat,
a shaker bottle, and a can of artisanal iced coffee
that resembled a craft IPA. Dorgenio said she has
two young kids and lives outside the city so it’s not
likely she’ll ever venture to the center’s lower level.
“But I would if Tom Brady were my coach,” she
added quickly with a smile.
HANNA KRUEGERIN VIEW Names
PHOTOS BY JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFFflashy Boylston Street storefront to the neighbor-
hood.
The second TB12 location opened Monday, just a
day before Brady’s former teammateRob Gronkowski
announced his next chapter: a partnership with a
CBD company. The Patriots QB and six-time Super
Bowl champ opened his first TB12 center in 2013 at
Patriot Place in Foxborough with his controversial
body coach and business partnerAlex Guerrero.
The new facility is across from the Boston Public
Library and sandwiched between an AT&T store and
a Bank of America. While most nearby pedestrians —
including some in Patriots swag — were focused on
hitting the ATM or fixing problem phones, a few
trickled into the two-story, 10,000-square-foot “per-
formance and recovery center.”
For at least this week, the center is mostly a physi-
cal version of the TB12 online store.
A tall, luminous display of merchandise included
shaker bottles, T-shirts, pliability rollers, hats, and vi-
tamins. Curious customers could also select from a
small array of TB12-approved snacks — think rose-Sasha Obama, the youngest
daughter of former president
Barack Obama, is starting at
the University of Michigan in
Ann Arbor next week, accord-
ing to a report in The Detroit
News.
The report seems to cement
the rumors that circulated
earlier this year.
Other UMich stu-
dents have seen the
former first
daughter attend-
ing freshman ori-
entation, as well as
walking around
campus, including
near the undergraduate
library, according to the re-
port.
One third-year student told
The Detroit News that he was
vacuuming when “she walked
out right in front” of him: “I
said, ‘Excuse me.’ It was a
crowded hallway with her and
some Secret Service dudes,” the
student said.
A freshman also told The
Detroit News that the two have
mutual friends, and that
Obama was just “a normal stu-
dent to me.”
Sasha, 18, is expected to
start classes on Tuesday, ac-
cording to the report. It wasn’t
immediately clear what she
planned to study, or if she
would be living in the dorms.
A representative for the
University of Michigan said he
did not have any information
to share, adding: “We’re excited
about starting another aca-
demic year. We welcome all
students to campus and wish
them all much success in their
time at U-M.”
Sasha, whose legal name isNatasha, graduated from the
elite Sidwell Friends School in
Washington, D.C., in June, af-
ter reportedly attending her se-
nior prom in May. The Obamas
have always taken her educa-
tion seriously: Sasha was nota-
bly absent from her father’s
farewell speech in 2017; a
White House official
later said she stayed
back in Washing-
ton, D.C., because
she had an exam
at school in the
morning.
Attending a
state school is a bit of
a different path than
her sister and parents, who
all attended Ivy League
schools.Maliais entering her
third year at Harvard this fall
(she took a gap year after high
school before starting college),
Barack Obamawent to Colum-
bia and then Harvard Law
School, andMichelle Obama
attended Princeton and then
Harvard.
Still, UMich is no slouch. It’s
ranked 27th in the nation by
US News & World Report, tying
with Tufts in Medford — a
school that Malia toured a few
years ago.
And at least her parents will
have something to get them
through any potential empty
nest syndrome: The Obamas
apparently just bought Celtics
co-ownerWyc Grousbeck’s es-
tate on Martha’s Vineyard,
which was listed for $14.85
million. (In 2016, when she
was 15, Sasha held down
a summer job on the Vineyard
at Nancy’s Restaurant & Snack
Bar.)
JACLYN REISSSasha Obama has
arrived at her college —
University of Michigan
Two stars will be filming a
romantic comedy in Boston
very soon.
Diane Keaton(“Annie
Hall”) andJeremy
Irons(“The Lion
King,” “Reversal of
Fortune”) are set
to play prominent
roles in “Love,
Weddings & Other
Disasters,” which
will begin production
in Boston on Sept. 16,
according to multiple re-
ports.
The movie will follow multi-
ple storylines concerning peo-
ple who work on weddings, re-
peatedly crafting perfect days
for happy couples while their
own romantic lives are any-
thing but ideal.
The film will be directed bylongtimeAdam Sandlercollab-
oratorDennis Dugan(“Happy
Gilmore,” “Big Daddy”), and
will be shopped to inter-
ested buyers at the To-
ronto International
Film Festival in
September.
This won’t be
the first time Dug-
an has directed a
movie in the Bay
State: He also
helmed the Sandler-led
ensemble comedies “Grown-
Ups” and “Grown-Ups 2,” both
of which filmed in Massachu-
setts. He’ll likely be able to
catch up with his longtime pal
in person, as Sandler has been
hard at work filming the Netflix
comedy “Hubie Halloween” on
the North Shore.
KEVIN SLANE, Boston.com‘‘Jeopardy!’’ hostAlex
Trebekhas returned to work,
saying he’s ‘‘on the mend’’ fol-
lowing treatment for pancreat-
ic cancer.
The game show posted a
video Thursday on Twitter
showing the 79-year-old host
back on set and promising ‘‘a
good year’’ ahead. He actually
started work on July 22, his
birthday.
New episodes of the upcom-
ing Season 36 are slated to be-gin airing on Sept. 9.
Trebek announced his diag-
nosis in March. He said he
planned to beat the disease’s
low survival rate with the love
and support of family and
friends and with prayers from
viewers.
The American Cancer Soci-
ety estimates 3 percent of pa-
tients with stage 4 pancreatic
cancer are alive five years after
being diagnosed.
ASSOCIATED PRESS2 Oscar-winning stars
will film a romantic
comedy in Boston
Alex Trebek, saying he’s on the
mend, is back at ‘Jeopardy!’
ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES