MADISON, Wis. – The new rec center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is designed for both mental health and physical health. The Bakke Recreation and Wellbeing Center opened at 11 a.m. Monday. The line outside was hundreds of students deep. 

What You Need To Know

  • New Bakke Center opened on Monday

  • Includes features for mental wellbeing

  • Locker rooms are for everyone instead of being separated by gender

  • Will eventually have "nap pods" for students to get more sleep

When the clock hit 11 a.m., staff started counting down from 10 to open the doors. The first students came into the building with their hands in the air and big smiles on their faces.

The new center has state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Some of them aren’t just geared toward physical fitness.

“Mental health and physical health are the areas where we need to help our students the most,” said RecWell Director Aaron Hobson.

The building has a whole wing dedicated to things like coaching, massage and yoga studios. The studios don’t have mirrors, so people can focus inward. Eventually, that same area will have nap pods, but supply chain issues have delayed their installation.

There are even gathering spaces, somewhat unusual for an athletic facility.

More than three quarters of college students experienced psychological distress in 2022, according to data from the American College Health Association. 

The Bakke Center is designed to support a student's entire well-being. 

“We know the four major impediments to students’ mental health right now is anxiety, depression, stress and sleep deprivation,” Hobson said. “These buildings and spaces can really help with that.”

The rec center features huge windows overlooking Lake Mendota wrapping around the back of the building. On the terrace overlooking the lake, there's also a spot for a monument to honor Ho Chunk Nation.

“[It] was really designed to keep in mind the indigenous spaces that lie to the north of our building,” Hobson said. “Looking out from there, especially in the early morning, is my favorite.”

The whole space is meant to be as inclusive as possible. The locker room is for everyone, instead of being separated by gender. There are banks of lockers, and everyone goes to their own changing room. That way, everyone gets privacy.

Sophomore Ethan Tuvlin said he could see the center making a difference in his fellow Badgers’ mental health.

“Having this in such a location where a bunch of students from campus are coming together every day, I think it’s beneficial,” Tuvlin said.

Students were involved in the design from start to finish, so they’ve helped create the space they really need.

Faculty will hold an official grand opening of the entire Bakke Center in September.