Though Pink Iron has been open to the female gym-going public since April, yesterday marked their official launch as L.A.'s premier women's only, full service health and fitness center created by Holly Holton, a certified personal trainer and globally ranked fitness competitor.
So what do you get when you walk in the door? 4000 square feet of pink walls, pink carpeting, and – yes – pink weights, but you also get nearly two dozen pieces of circuit-training equipment, fitness classrooms and a private Pilates area, tanning, beauty services, and a coffee lounge area.
Holton came up with the idea after working for Gold's Gym, realizing that the market was primed for "a fun, motivating, and unique environment where women could sweat without having creepy dudes drool on them!" Sing it, sister!
But what if you don't live in Los Angeles? Actually, there are more than a few women's-only gyms across the country.
One that we're hoping makes its way across the nation is Flirty Girl Fitness. Currently in Chicago and Toronto, Flirty Girl doesn't just consider itself a gym, it's also a "lifestyle facility." The names of their classes make working out actually sound like fun: Beach Booty Beat, Cardio Dance, Fabulously Firm, Pole Dancing, Sexy Sculpt... there's more than 40 to choose from. They throw events, host bachelorette parties, have a spa, and even daycare if it's near impossible to make gym time without the little ones tagging along.
Of course, there's also Curves, with 10,000 locations not just nationwide, but worldwide. Their concept is based on complete cardio and weight training in just a half hour, designed to hit all your major muscle groups and effectively target... well, everything. They also offer diet and nutrition plans, and you can even work with a personal coach.
American Woman fitness centers have the market cornered in New Jersey, with 30 years worth of history behind them. Also adopting a "no being hassled by creepy dudes" mantra, American Woman has all the state of the art fitness equipment you've come to expect from most gyms, along with a swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, and spa treatments to boot. They also have group classes for women over 50 (which seems an interesting distinction... isn't 50 the new 20?)
You can also find a fun, female-friendly gym in Girlfriends Fit Club in Holland, Michigan. They have the usual classes, like step, cardio kickboxing and yoga, but they also have Zumba and country line dancing! They also have massage services, an on-staff nutritionist, tanning, and the chance to try out personal training with three free sessions when you sign up for a membership.
So if self-consciousness or dude issues keep you from busting a sweat at the gym, check your town for a female-only option. It might be just what the personal trainer ordered.









Comments
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Posted on Oct 19th 2009
By JNR
How do you get around the anti-discrimination laws?
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Posted on Oct 17th 2009
By cwf
So how come it is so wrong for men to have a "all male" anything and women can have a "all female" anything the want? They don't want to exercise with men looking? You don't need a all female gym you need thereapy.
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Posted on Oct 18th 2009
By James
Yes, us pesky men are just down right evil, aren't we? We are all rapists and sexually depraved devients.
By the way, the only people I have ever seen acting lewdly in a gym are women. Men don't seem to fit the derogatory and sexist stereotype that mentally unbalanced women who go to these gyms claim. But, thats ok, isn't it? Its only degrading if men do it.
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Posted on Oct 18th 2009
By Me
This is a bunch of hype, and quite frankly lady, you're some kind of a nut.
I attended gyms for a couple decades, in all areas such as aerobics and weight-lifting, Golds and Ballys in several major metro areas, and NEVER ONCE did I see an unwelcome advance, or so much as a strange man being friendly. Not once did I see a man ogle or stare.
If these gyms prosper it will be because they offer better services, which your article indicates.
This is, generally speaking, part of the dangerous and ongoing trend of separating men from women, a process which was placed underway by radical feminists.
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Posted on Oct 18th 2009
By Me
by the way, if the mentality shall be that in general, women don't like men looking at them, then why the heck are they taking 'beach booty' and pole dancing classes???
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Posted on Oct 18th 2009
By Michael Claymore
Wow, what a load of female supremacist claptrap! I suppose you'd like white only gyms so no black people "drool" while you're around! Incidentally, male or female i think there is something deeply abnormal about wanting to be in a single sex gym, a kind of twisted tribalism so to speak.
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