WEIGHTLIFTING WITHOUT MEN
WEIGHTLIFTING WITHOUT MEN
Courtesy Kelly Matthews
By Jessica Salter
6 Minute Read
Women-only workout spaces are booming, as gym goers liberate themselves from the male gaze.
When you walk into the soft pastel-colored members' lounge at The Girl Spot in Miami, one of the first things you notice is a fuzzy mirror for selfies. The bathrooms are stocked with period products, and the booty bands—items you’re always searching for in your regular gym—are visible and plentiful. Plus, unlike many gyms, it smells fresh and looks sparkling clean. “As it should be!” says owner Kayla Valdez. She founded her women-only gym three years ago with the aim of creating a space where “women felt safe, happy, and inspired.”
The Girl Spot is amongst the rise of women-only gyms, fueled by a potent cocktail of gym-floor harassment, body anxiety, and a growing demand for spaces where women can actually break a sweat in peace. Beyond this, the smaller touches, such as tampons and hair ties, allow women to feel seen, acknowledged, and catered to. These small tokens gesture to women that this space was actually designed for them, in a sector of hospitality where women typically feel underserved. “For many of us, the gym is the one place we get a bit of ‘me time’ so that shared understanding is really important,” says Jade D’Aubney, who trains at the women’s gym Body By Ciara, in London.
Searches for female-only gyms are up by 10% in the last three months, according to Google Trends, and business is booming. The women-only gym market is estimated to be worth approximately $5 billion in 2025, with researchers from Data Insights Market projecting the sector will reach roughly $7 billion within the next four years.
Women’s strength is not a moment, it’s a movement. Cultural awareness around the need to get strong to live long is becoming mainstream, and women’s health is finally being amplified. From wearables to fitness brands and supplements, the market is booming, and the definition of ‘being well’ is constantly being redefined. We are no longer settling for the status quo. Women are no longer settling for the status quo.
Against this backdrop, the environments women show up in are evolving. Women's racing series such as Athlos NYC and Nike's After Dark series proved the value of women-only spaces in running; Nike’s event went on a global world tour that sold out in every city. Women want to be surrounded by women, and these gyms are part of a growing, global ecosystem that caters to our very specific needs and desires.
“Gymtimidation”
The reason women are seeking out female-only gyms is increasing reports of “gymtimidation”. In a survey of 3,774 gym members conducted by RunRepeat, over half of the women polled reported experiencing harassment at the gym (only one in five male respondents said the same, in comparison). A separate survey by FitRated found that 70 percent of women reported "uncomfortable" interactions at the gym, while a 2024 study by Planet Fitness España found that 59% of female gym goers experienced intimidation from men while working out. This impacts memberships: nearly 20% of those who experienced it canceled their memberships entirely.
Women-led gyms are not a new enterprise—Curves, the women’s only gym, experienced peak popularity in the early Aughts, with 7,800 locations in 2005. But they have adopted a new meaning in this era of the manosphere. Online, our nervous systems are triggered from a deluge of scary information. Fear and distrust are two very real emotions for women in 2026. Women-only spaces offer salvation from this constant inflammation—if only for an hour.
Seeking sanctuary
In stark contrast, working out surrounded by women, without a male gaze, can feel liberating to some. “I don't have to worry about periods, sweat patches, spots, or camel toes, which makes the whole experience feel much more relaxed and enjoyable, and I can fully be myself,” says D’Aubney. She’s found working out in a co-ed gym makes it “harder to feel confident enough to try new things or push yourself; the weights area in particular is often dominated by men.”
It’s something that Elisabeth Bradley, who lives in San Diego, agrees with. “At my school, the weight room was basically all men, so it didn’t feel like a space for me.” But when she discovered Glute Lab in San Diego, “it completely changed my life. Walking into a gym full of women who were encouraging each other, regardless of how much weight they were lifting, was a new experience. I had never felt that level of support before. I realized this was the kind of environment I had been searching for.”
This experience was the catalyst she needed to found Girl Gains, a university lifting club that later rolled out nationwide. The community element of women-only gyms is a major selling point. As an adult, it can be really hard for women to make new friends. “The women-only gym gave me the blueprint,” she says. Likewise, in Minneapolis, Fatma Sheekh opened Hawa Women's Health Club in 2024 after experiencing that co-ed fitness facilities weren't a good fit for her as a Muslim woman—her business is a gift to other women, and future generations. Most gyms do not offer women-only hours, for example, which would enable Muslim women to work out. “Gyms don’t meet the needs of Muslim women, especially when it comes to modesty and privacy,” Sheekh says. Personal trainers who are women can also be more hands-on in their help. “Guidance and support are part of the package; personal training is often an added cost that not everyone can afford.”
Kristie Larson is the founder of Tension Strength, a new women’s training studio in Brooklyn. She thinks a women-only space is important for the psychological health of her members. “Training without constantly monitoring your safety and privacy means you can actually focus,” she says. “You can laugh, chat, miss a rep, ask questions, and stay in the discomfort long enough to get stronger. That's where progress actually happens.”
Women-only spaces offer community and calm. Courtesy 1stPhorm/Vogue Italia/Conde Nast
Designing for women
But the women who do seek female-only spaces aren’t just running away from men. They’re looking for something bespoke to them—most gyms are designed around a male experience and male physique.
Equipment tailored to female bodies is essential. Think: smaller barbells, shorter and less bulky machines, given the average height for women in America, Australia and the UK is 5’4”. These neater pieces of equipment are increasingly complimented by “softer” amenities like steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs—ideal for hormonal fluctuations when our body needs some tender loving care and a session that involves lighter reps. Plus, vanity units for getting ready afterwards. Many gym changing rooms are reminiscent of school locker rooms; they also lack a dedicated space for beauty and grooming. Women deserve facilities that enable them to dress in comfort, and leave feeling their best.
A new white paper by Total Fitness, published in April, surveyed nearly 6,000 gym goers and found that women in particular “are highly attentive to how the gym environment feels.” The report referred to this as “‘emotional infrastructure”. Scoring factors were specific: cleanliness, visible staff presence, and overall atmosphere ranked highly, but elements such as visual cohesion, the positioning of mirrors, the proximity of equipment, lighting levels, and acoustics all played a part. That’s why gyms need interior designers. Just ask Kelley Wearstler, the world-renowned interior decorator behind the gym for the Proper Hotels and the Proper Club in Los Angeles. Here, warm woods are mixed with soft cork floors. It’s as far removed from a black box gym as you can get.
Programming also helps foster accessibility. Larson says that Tension Strength uses a dumbbell-based schedule, “which lowers the barrier to entry considerably. You're not navigating a complicated barbell setup or competing for equipment. We also don’t orient the class towards the mirror; you can book a mirror spot if you want the visual feedback, but we do most of our work facing each other.” Trainers are on hand to spot - and correct - members’ form, and facing each other provides moral support when lifts get tough.
Childcare is a huge barrier to entry for some women in maintaining an exercise routine or taking it up for the first time. That’s why Gainesville Health’s Women’s Centre (Gainesville, FL), Empowher (Statesborough, GA), and EveFit (Chicago, IL) even offer free babysitting, giving mothers the convenience of childcare while they work out. Many more also have special mom and baby classes where you can bring your newborn. “It makes it much more accessible for moms looking to rebuild their strength postpartum,” says D’Aubney, who is a mother of two and appreciates the assistance.
There’s also often a strong focus on mental health. At Hawa Women's Health Club, for example, there are “Chai and Chat” evenings, where members can have conversations with a life coach.
Women-led gyms can foster consistency.
A study by Total Fitness found 80% of women using dedicated gyms reported having taken better care of themselves since joining, with the majority now working out three to four times a week. Valdez, who owns The Girl Spot, adds that she can visibly see her members grow in confidence: “I’ve seen firsthand members of the gym begin their journey at our gym by wearing leggings and big t-shirts to finally showing up in their favorite short sets because they feel like they finally can.” In safe company, no-one needs to dim their outfit to avoid unwanted attention in a women-only space.
The growth mindset
Some might argue that women-only gyms could face business challenges. On a serious note, states such as Connecticut have ruled against single sex gyms as they violate state laws banning discrimination based on gender. Plus, such gyms only cater to half of the population, so skeptics might suggest that there is a limit on the extent that these gyms can scale; Curves saw its footprint shrink to 367 by 2019. However, advocates could counter that the entire fitness industry has only ever catered to men, and it has managed to survive just fine. Curves’ decline wasn’t so much down to appetite for co-ed gyms, but simply changing exercise preferences: boutique fitness classes became the most popular workout for women in the 2010s.
Larson, founder of the Brooklyn gym, thinks the time is right once more for separate spaces for those who want it. Gyms are overcrowded, and heterofatalism is a well-engrained part of popular culture. Many women of all generations are seeking refuge from men, and a women-only space offers members the chance to workout in peace, and to build their own community.
Larson says focusing on women is making her business grow fast. “When women who have felt overlooked by traditional fitness spaces find a place that was built with them in mind from the ground up, they tell people. Members bring friends, colleagues, and even their moms,” she says.
This has the knock-on effect of increasing age diversity in gyms—currently, only 13 percent of gym goers are aged 65 and over. Given that strength training boosts bone density and physical stability, it’s important that women in older age categories lift weights. The safe space offered in women-led gyms can make older women in particular, feel nurtured. “The women's market for strength training is enormous and underserved,” says Larson. “Having a clear point of view isn't a limitation. It’s what makes the business work.”
As demand grows and more spaces open, these gyms offer women choice in a sector that has drastically overlooked and underserved them. With the awareness that these spaces exist, women can decide what environment best serves them, and perhaps question how their gym environment impacts them. Remember: Knowledge is power, and choice is empowerment. Would you go all-in on a women-only gym?
