There is a female-only gym in Hangzhou, which only recruits female students and coaches.

　　Puregym, Britain’s largest chain fitness brand, has done a survey, and 67% of women feel "scared" when exercising in the gym. Therefore, in many gyms, the strength area is basically occupied by men, and most women will choose aerobic or even small equipment; Compared with men’s vests and shorts, jackets with sleeves and yoga trousers are the standard for most women’s fitness.

　　As a result, women’s gyms came into being. Will women feel more free and secure in such a gym that only recruits female members and coaches? In the first female-only gym in Hangzhou, the reporter got some answers.

　　Hangzhou has a female fitness center.

　　Only female members and coaches are recruited.

　　Lin Lili

　　A neat short hair, seemingly thin figure actually has clear muscle lines. When I first met Lin Lili, the manager of Metis Fitness female fitness studio, women’s introverted beauty and strength beauty came at the same time.

　　When she graduated from college, a serious illness made Lin Lili realize the importance of exercise. In two years, she became King Kong Barbie from fitness white, obtained the certificates of two international fitness instructors, and became a fitness instructor specializing in female strength training and postpartum repair. Since 2015, Lin Lili has served more than 400 female clients, including nine-to-five office workers and women of all ages who are facing problems such as shaping or repairing due to work and pregnancy, which makes her realize the importance of strength training for women. Thus, in the Double Eleven in 2021, the "Metis Fitness" female fitness studio was born.

　　What is exclusive to women?

　　In addition to recruiting only female members and coaches, you can find women-friendly details in the corner: in the corner of the dressing room, besides the necessary items such as hair dryer and hand sanitizer, there are makeup remover, eyebrow pencil, eye shadow and even brand-new beauty eggs. This allows urban beauties to bring a change of clothes whenever they come here, and they can leave beautifully after training.

　　Considering the nature of girls’ love for beauty, the store has also set up a special punching wall. As soon as the lights are turned on, the girls can shoot a fitness blockbuster when they step forward.

　　Different from yoga gymnasiums and Pilates gymnasiums, which also focus on women’s fitness market, "Metis Fitness" aims at women’s demand for strength training. Therefore, in a venue of more than 500 square meters, you can see not only small instruments such as gun barrels and kettle bells, but also big guys such as rowing machines, treadmills, Pilates core beds, Smith machines and bench presses, except that they are no longer used by muscular men in ordinary gymnasiums, but by girls.

　　The courses here are also very friendly to girls. "Many girls who have no training foundation before are a little afraid of strength training, so we mainly promote one-to-many small classes in private education, make appointments through small programs, and classes can be started with a minimum number of people. One-to-one training is recommended for those with special needs."

　　Today, the studio has not only survived the epidemic, but also accumulated 100 active female users (four times a week or more), mostly young women aged 25 to 35, and also attracted aunts who have become grandmothers in their fifties to enter the gym. "In the past two years, women’s cognition of fitness and strength training has changed greatly, and more people have begun to realize the importance of fitness in life. It is no longer the pursuit of figure, but the internal motivation for fitness."

　　Not afraid of other people’s eyes

　　Women’s gyms have a special sense of security.

　　Before opening, Lin Lili also worried that such a bold attempt as "women’s gym" would end in failure. But to her surprise, the studio not only survived the epidemic, but also gained a lot of people who came here: some young ladies living in Xihu District came to Yuhang for classes, some international students living in Shaoxing took advantage of the summer vacation to rent a house in Hangzhou for exercise, and some 70-year-old women rode her car all the way. "Because of her age, I finally declined her, but I was greatly touched by the pursuit of fitness environment and health by women of different ages."

　　The gym is located near Ali New Park in Yuhang District of Hangzhou and Cangqian Campus of Hangzhou Normal University, so besides the surrounding residents, there are many young people from big factories and university teachers who come to exercise. Some of them have had fitness habits before, but because they can’t find the intensity and training methods suitable for women, they turn to women’s exclusive gyms; There are also some sports whites, so it is difficult to take the first step bravely in the regular gym. But no matter what kind, "not letting go" in training is a dilemma that girls often encounter in other gyms.

　　Before seeing the recommended posts on the company intranet, Xiao Li, an employee of the post-90s Internet giant, also trained in the company’s gym for some time. "I will only wear cool clothes when I am in the group exercise class, and I will be wrapped up as soon as I come out." Although I am not sure whether the eyes of the opposite sex will stay on me, it is difficult for Xiao Li to relax completely in a gym with a large number of men, just as even though she yearns for strength training in her heart, she has never had the courage to walk into that all-male area.

　　But after coming to "Metis Fitness", these concerns no longer exist. "The biggest change is that the’ idol’ burden on yourself is light. The first thing to do after work is to remove makeup." Xiao Li, who is generous and plain, wears sports bra or sleeveless vest directly most of the time in order to see the strength of her muscles during the training. She used to lie in the shopping cart and hesitate whether to place an order. Fitness clothes are all worn by her.

　　Exercise is more comfortable, the frequency of exercise is naturally higher, and the hard work soon pays off. Today, Xiao Li comes to the gym 3-5 times a week and can complete strength training by himself. In her view, the emergence of women’s gyms has brought girls closer to women’s strength. "Nowadays, popular aesthetics is no longer limited to’ white and thin’, and a healthy and compact body and confident state are also a kind of female beauty. Although this concept has not spread to everyone, I think there are more female gyms, which may also provide more choices for the public aesthetics in a subtle way. "

　　Girls help girls

　　A coach and a sister.

　　In fact, since ancient times, the topic of women’s gyms has never stopped.

　　Since the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s, women’s gyms have appeared. Elaine Powers is one of the earliest women’s fitness chain brands in the United States. The focus of the course is to help girls lose weight, and the course training of "returning to the perfect dress size" is also developed for members.

　　In 2015, Curves, a world-renowned women’s fitness chain brand, established its first women’s fitness club in Shanghai. Although it temporarily withdrew from the China market in 2019, with the warming of the women’s fitness market, Curves, together with a number of domestic and foreign women’s exclusive fitness chain brands, aimed at the China market, and women’s exclusive fitness studios also emerged in Shanghai, Qingdao and other places. Behind every women’s gym is the growing female fitness group, increasing fitness demand and sufficient consumption power.

　　A major feature of women’s gyms is that there are all female members and all female coaches. According to Lin Lili, the manager of Metis Fitness, the first women’s gym in Hang Cheng, the choice of coaches is particularly important besides site selection, store layout and course arrangement. In addition to professional professionalism and three or four training specialties, coaches in women’s gyms must have strong empathy.

　　Compared with men, women are more sensitive, and what they get from fitness is not only healthy body, but also emotional value. "Girls can understand girls better, which is not only the difficulty of fitness, but also the joy of transformation." There was once a girl with severe fatty liver who left a deep impression on Lin Lili. Because of her obesity, girls didn’t like taking pictures, and they didn’t have the idea of fitness. However, after losing nearly 40 pounds in half a year, girls began to boldly show their beautiful photos in the circle of friends. "This change is from the inside out."

　　As women, Lin Lili and her members are more like sisters. In the peak period of class, coaches who have no time to eat will receive intimate "feeding" from female students who come to class; Some time ago, when Lin Lili traveled to Lhasa, his dog was put in foster care at the students’ home and was taken care of carefully.

　　Positive feedback comes not only from coaches and trainees, but also from trainees. Liu Ke (pseudonym), a 40-year-old teacher at Hangzhou Normal University, entered the "Metis Fitness" women’s gym on the recommendation of social platforms because her last gym course expired.

　　"In most gyms, because women are relatively weak, many needs are actually ignored, such as the cleanliness of equipment, the intensity of courses, and the privacy of bathrooms and other spaces." For Liu Ke, who used to focus on aerobic exercise, choosing strength training is a brand-new attempt, so an environment that can make her concentrate and relax is particularly important. "All girls, not only the environment is better, but also the atmosphere is more open."

　　After every fitness, Liu Ke doesn’t leave in a hurry, but gathers at the front desk to chat with other female members. Sometimes she complains about the difficulty of work, sometimes gossips about entertainment news, and sometimes shares funny anecdotes in her life. "In other gyms, I used to leave after class, but now I’m a little reluctant to leave."

　　Women have become the main consumer of fitness.

　　Demand for exclusive services is strong.

　　During the interview, the reporter found that compared with the regular gym, the women’s gym really considers women more comprehensively in the course setting and small details in the exercise process. It can be said that the gym "for female users" has indeed solved some pain points of female fitness in a certain sense.

　　A fitness atmosphere that is relatively friendly to women, a group of sisters who can stand, sit and chat, and a venue where they can let themselves go and devote more energy to fitness itself are all the reasons that attract the current urban white-collar workers. But can a female gym survive without a huge fitness group of male customers? In early May, 2022 CHINAFITness Industry Data Report was officially released at China Fit Beijing Fitness Conference. The report pointed out that women have become the main force in the fitness consumer market, and the proportion of female fitness consumers is 61.93%, which is a rapid increase compared with 2021. Moreover, in 2021, female consumers will spend more than 10,000 yuan on fitness and peripheral consumption than men.

　　Lin Lili also has a deep understanding of this point. In the process of dealing with female fitness enthusiasts, she found that compared with men, women are more willing to devote themselves to fitness, especially after receiving positive feedback or the two sides reach an agreement on communication, the follow-up courses will become particularly smooth. "Our store has a low abandonment rate and a strong user stickiness. In the eyes of girls, it is not only a place to exercise, but also a’ tree hole’ outside of work and life.

　　When it opened in early 2021, Lin Lili had such confusion, and he was not sure how long the gym could survive: "At that time, I thought that I would go back to be a coach at the worst, and at least become a pioneer in this field." In the first half month, the gym is open to all women free of charge, and you can experience it as long as you walk through the door. Slowly, the gym has the first and second members. After three months, the gym has reached a balance of payments. Now two years have passed, and the annual turnover of the gym has exceeded one million.

　　Profit is only one aspect, and more importantly, this attempt proves the huge potential user group of women’s gyms. Since its opening, members often come to punch in with colleagues or friends, and girls from other cities are urging Lin Lili to open branches. Lin Lili said that the service industry will be subdivided in the end, and the survival of women’s gyms is inseparable from women’s fitness needs, increasingly diverse fitness concepts and sufficient consumption power. "When we wait for the second store, we will consider making specific products, such as related clothing, and then we will keep up with fitness and light food to create our own fitness brand."