Total Fitness to open new women’s only gym in Wilmslow

Cheshire-headquartered health club chain, Total Fitness, is to open a new purpose-built women’s only gym in Wilmslow.

The new 4,500 sq ft gym, due to launch in Summer 2024, will be the group’s second women’s only offering after the successful launch of a similar facility at Total Fitness’ Whitefield site in Greater Manchester in 2023.

Total Fitness used a study of nearly 4,000 women along with 150 in-depth interviews with women about their attitudes towards fitness and what health clubs currently offer in order to inform the designs of workout spaces, gym floor layouts, stretching areas, and to help encourage learning, build confidence, and help progression. The new club will also help meet the growing demand for dedicated women’s only gyms, and complement Total Fitness’ existing women’s only spaces in its health clubs across the North of England.

Kerry Curtis, brand development director at Total Fitness, said:

“We’ve witnessed an increase in demand for women’s-only gyms across our member base in recent years. Alongside the women’s-only spaces we already have in our 15 clubs, this purpose-built gym aims to serve even more women and their unique fitness needs.

“Research has found that in the UK one in three women are not currently exercising due to low confidence and as many as two in five women are avoiding gyms due to concerns about intimidation or harassment. We must acknowledge these challenges and support more women to get the health and fitness they deserve.”

Sophie Lawler, CEO at Total Fitness, added:

“For most of my career and fitness journey, I have led with the thinking that we should focus on unisex approaches. That was to assume that sameness would empower. But, as I’ve learned in the later years of my career, leaning out of sameness and into the uniqueness of being a woman day to day, has been the key to feeling comfortable and increasing performance. Taking this into fitness spaces and listening to the needs of thousands of women has led me to understand that we should champion women’s gym spaces to honour fundamental differences too.

“I understand and appreciate that not 100 per cent of women will want a dedicated space, and not everyone will empathise with that need. But for those who do, we are proud to be offering a space designed to build confidence and provide comfort while working out. This approach has been lacking across the sector, and we have been letting women down. We’re committed to solving this as best we can and for as long as our customers tell us to.”