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WOMEN WORK OUT
HEALTH CLUBS FOR WOMEN ARE
THRIVING THROUGHOUT THE REGION
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By Pam Droog
Jones
No makeup. No electric-color Spandex tights. No awkward come-ons.
And, oh yeah...no men.
“I realized a lot of women don’t want to work out where men are,”
says Cindy Brenneke, owner of She’s the One Fitness. “They feel
they have to be fit to work out, which completely defeats the purpose.”
Women-only fitness centers are making wide gains across the U.S.—and
for good reason. In a 2000 survey by the International Health, Racquet
and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), a health-club trade group, nearly
66 percent of women prefer a same-sex club format. (For men, the
number is much lower, less than 50 percent.)
Brenneke opened her 16,000-square-foot facility in Downtown St.
Louis in March 2001. The gym offers Nautilus equipment and free
weights, plus a wide range of exercise classes. Amenities slanted
toward women include makeup counters, blow dryers, private dressing
rooms, and even a built-in ironing board. Memberships run $33 a
month, and one of the most popular activities is Brenneke’s personally-designed
Body Blaster class.
CINDY
BRENNEKE
owner,
She's the One Fitness |
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“It’s like a group workout with a personal trainer,” Brenneke says.
After a good sweat, both men and women can grab a bite to eat at
her attached restaurant, the Midnight Sun Café, which serves a healthy
South Beach-style menu for breakfast and lunch.
“I’ve had a lot of people transfer from male-female clubs,” Brenneke
says. “They don’t want to flirt, they just want to sweat.”
In the St. Louis Hills neighborhood of Southwest St. Louis, Kathy
Pieri, owner of Curves for Women, says the equipment and program
at her club are designed exclusively for women. “I don’t think a
man would get a very good workout here,” she says.
Pieri’s business is one of about 40 Curves for Women franchises
in the St. Louis region. She believes there are several reasons
for the company’s success. In addition to being affordable (less
than $30 a month after the initial sign-up fee), the schedule is
highly flexible. “There are no class times,” she says. “You can
come when you want and just get onto the circuit.”
Just as important are the social factors and comfort level women
find at Curves. “A lot of women come with friends and talk and have
fun while they work out,” says Debbie Weinstein, a Curves franchisee
in Creve Coeur and Olivette. “You never feel like you’re working
out alone like at a regular gym.”
That feeling of community also can be found at Lady of America Fitness
Center in Fenton. “We want this to be a sanctuary,” says owner Jeanne
Cunningham. “For a lot of our members it’s their only time for themselves
away from their families.”
Cunningham and her husband opened their 5,000-square-foot franchise
more than two years ago. The full-service facility includes strength
training and cardiovascular equipment, babysitting services, and
tanning beds.
“There’s a real comfort factor working out in this type of atmosphere
with women only,” Cunningham says. “When you’re stretching or in
class you don’t have to worry about how you look, or who’s looking
at you.”
Pam Droog Jones is a freelance writer based in Jefferson City,
Mo.
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