Women-Only Gyms Are All Over TikTok — and They Look Like Paradise

TikTok users have been highlighting an interesting development within the fitness world: the rise of women-only gyms. While they're not necessarily a new trend, women's fitness clubs have been receiving significant attention on the app lately, with the hashtag #WomensOnlyGym at 18 million views, and counting.

In one post from April that's been particularly popular, TikTok user @heatherhuesmanrecapped her visit to Blush Fitness, a gym in Overland Park, Kansas, that caters to women. The video gives a brief tour of the facility and features some of its amenities, including a full range of free weights and machinery, 24-hour members-only access, and a mirrored studio for group classes.

In the same video, @heatherhuesman also describes measures provided to create a safe and comfortable environment for women. For example, the gym has covered windows so there's no creepy "window shopping" by passersby. Additionally, the facility provides free menstrual products, and posts signage indicating when male staffers are scheduled to work.Blush Fitness also hosts social wine nights and offers free babysitting for premium members, according to the gym's website.

Fernwood Fitness, an Australian-based chain exclusively for women, has also gone viral on TikTok. Similar to Blush Fitness, Fernwood is a 24-hour gym with keyfob access to members. Based on a post from TikTok user @bisousx showcasing one of the locations, Fernwood Fitness embraces a stereotypical female aesthetic and has extensive equipment, pink LED-lit studios, and bathrooms so nice, you'd want to have them in your own home. (

Alongside these gym tour videos, some women have turned to the app for support when establishing their own gyms. Notably, @leighchristinafit posted about a gym she opened in the COVID-19 pandemic, telling her followers how she turned her dreams into a reality by following her passion for fitness.

It comes as no surprise that gyms for women are gaining traction at a time when stories of creeping patrons and mansplaining lifters abound on the internet.Case in point: TikTok user @j_rodriguezxo shared her experience of being watched at the gym, posting footage of herself confronting a stranger after other gym-goers had informed her that she had been photographed by the patron in question. The individual later revealed the photo on his phone.

Another TikTok user, @juliaapic, endured a similar experience during a glute workout, catching the man, who she believed photographed her, on video. The appeal of women-only gyms for anyone who has experienced something similar is obvious.

The videos of Blush Fitness and Fernwood Fitness have sparked some backlash, however, with some male TikTok users complaining about the concept of women-only gyms being a form of segregation. Many, though, have celebrated the idea, TikTok user @makennagomez615, specifically. A response to a Blush Fitness post pretty much sums up the general consensus: "I would feel soooo much safer [at a gym like this] using a machine wrong because I'm a beginner. I would feel way less judged and more comfortable asking for help."

From the looks of it, gyms catering solely to women might be on the rise and hopefully, they're here to stay (assuming they operate with an inclusive view of gender identity). Even if you aren't in Australia or Kansas, perhaps you won't necessarily have to travel far to try one.