Our Vancouver studio sits at 316 Carrall Street in Gastown, a five-minute walk from Waterfront Station. We see clients from across Metro Vancouver here — Yaletown locals walking over the bridge, North Shore commuters timing it with a SkyTrain ride, suburban athletes making a morning of it. If you’re booking a DEXA scan in Gastown for the first time, here’s exactly what to expect, what to wear, and how to make the most of the appointment.

Where to find us

Our Gastown studio is ground-floor, with a frosted-glass storefront and the BodyStats wordmark visible from Carrall Street. The neighbourhood is walkable from most downtown hotels, and we’re ten minutes by car from Yaletown, Mount Pleasant, or Kitsilano with no bridge crossings required.

Transit options:

• Waterfront Station (Expo + Canada Line + SeaBus) — five-minute walk along Cordova.
• Granville Station — eight-minute walk via Pender or Hastings.
• Stadium-Chinatown Station — six-minute walk via Carrall.
• Bus 4, 7, or 14 — stop at Waterfront or Hastings & Carrall.

Driving in: street parking on Carrall, Cordova, and Powell is metered until 8 PM and free after. The Gastown Parkade at 26 Cambie Street is a four-minute walk and easier to find than street spots on weekend mornings.

What the appointment looks like

From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave, expect 30 minutes:

1. Check-in (3 minutes). A technician greets you, confirms your details, and walks through what’s about to happen. We answer any questions before the scan.
2. Change (3 minutes). Private changing area. Wear something metal-free — athletic shorts and a thin t-shirt or metal-free sports bra is ideal. (More on what to wear in our metal-and-DEXA guide.)
3. Scan (7 minutes). You lie still on a padded table while a scanning arm passes over you slowly. No enclosed tube, no loud noise. The radiation dose is roughly equivalent to a one-hour flight.
4. Results walkthrough (15–17 minutes). We open your full report on screen, explain every section, and answer every question. You leave with a PDF of your scan and access to our online dashboard.

Most first-time clients are surprised by how relaxed the scan is. Nothing claustrophobic, no loud noise — you can talk to the technician the entire time.

What you’ll see in your report — and your dashboard

Every scan generates a multi-page report with:

• Total body fat percentage and absolute fat mass in pounds.
• Lean mass by region — left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, trunk, and head.
• Visceral fat (VAT) — the deep abdominal fat that matters most for metabolic health.
• Bone mineral density with T-scores (vs young adult norms) and Z-scores (age-matched).
• Estimated RMR derived from your lean mass.
• Percentile bands showing where you fall vs age-matched and young-adult populations.

If you’re new to body composition reports, the easiest way to preview what you’ll see is to look at our sample DEXA scan report — every section labelled and explained.

Best times to come

For consistent tracking across multiple scans, do them at the same time of day under the same conditions. We recommend:

• Morning (8–11 AM): Most popular slot. Easiest to control for hydration and recent food.
• Lunch (11–1): Convenient if you work downtown. Avoid if you’ve just eaten a large meal.
• Late afternoon: Available, but readings are slightly affected by the day’s water and food intake.

If this is a one-off baseline, time of day matters less. If you’ll be re-scanning every 8–12 weeks during a cut or bulk, pick a slot you can consistently book.

What to bring (and skip)

• Bring: ID, payment, and a water bottle for after.
• Wear: Athletic shorts, t-shirt, or metal-free sports bra. Anything snug and metal-free works.
• Skip: Underwire bras, jeans with rivets, pants with metal zippers in the trunk area, jewelry, and metal hair pins. We have a private changing area if you need to swap.
• Avoid right before: A large meal, a heavy workout, or a litre of water — all can shift the scan-to-scan numbers slightly.

Pairing with VO2 max or RMR

If you’re already coming to Gastown, it’s often worth bundling a DEXA with a VO2 max or RMR test in the same appointment. The studio has the equipment for all three, and the time savings versus separate visits is significant. See our packages for the bundled options.

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