Gym Fees

[Felix125]

I'm a male who is a member of a local gym. Open to all genders & ages and we pay a monthly fee. Its quite a nice gym and has a pool, steam room, sauna etc

They are now suggesting that the afternoon sessions at the gym/pool will be female only. Now, as I work shifts I can only go to the gym at certain times which will make things awkward as you can imagine.

As the availability of the gym is now restricted for me I have inquired if my fees will be reduced as a male - as I have less opportunity to attend. They response i got was 'No - they will stay the same for both men & women'.

Surly this can't be correct?

@PurpleDaisies

Every single afternoon is women only?

Yes, my question too.

Sounds really odd.

Idk I normally can't get the near the weight machines because it is over run with men hogging them. I pay the full fee too.

Im sure you can leave and go elsewhere.

Depends on the facilities you are after. Plenty of places to lift weights, not so many places with a pool. Anyway, seems a bit shit that you are forced to change gym due to access being reduced and expected to pay the same rate.

dk I normally can't get the near the weight machines because it is over run with men hogging them. I pay the full fee too

But presumably it's not official gym policy to deny you the use of the weights? Are the men using the machines stopping you from using them? I often have to wait to use some facilities at peak times but it's very different to being barred from using them.

Cancel and go elsewhere. I think it's unreasonable - it was like the Race for Life banning men because women said "oh we don't want men around ogling our bottoms running behind us" - so they'll just ogle you from the sidelines instead?

I know some gyms do women-only sessions to fit in with certain religious groups but every afternoon seems a bit over the top.

And of course it's completely unreasonable to restrict access and charge you the same! A service provider cannot make unilateral changes to a service and charge you the same under the unfair terms provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Report them to your local trading standards. Trading standards don't have the resources to do anything, but it may make your gym think again if you cc them in on your complaint.

Advance search is quite illuminating

Care to provide any links?

@igelkott2021

Advance search is quite illuminating

Care to provide any links?

Aren’t you able to use that function?

It does sound odd. Pre Covid we did have women only gym time but our gym is on two floors so only one floor was restricted and both floors have the same equipment.

I wouldn't appreciate not being able to use the gym every afternoon.

@Insert1x20p

To be honest you should probably not be going to the gym at all until you get over the severe case of "whataboutism" that you seem to have contracted. I hear it's quite contagious and can lead to a severe loss of perspective. Best avoided.

He's literally getting restricted access for the same price as a woman getting full access because he has a penis...

If the contract, which you agreed to and signed has been changed, there may be a get out clause so you could leave and tell them why. Equality should not be about equality +.

@Insert1x20p

Very surprising indeed

Quite, but the OP does seem rather concerned with women getting sports participation opportunities denied to him. Synchronised swimming, just one more example of how women have it all their own way these days. Poor men. Le sob. Smallest violin, etc.

Not sure I understand your argument here. Its nothing to do with sports participation opportunities. And its nothing to do with synchronised swimming sessions - if the gym wanted to have a female only synchronised swimming session that would be fine.

My issues is that by limiting my access to the whole gym i will be effectively paying the same price but only having access to half the service.

Now, this has only been a suggestion made by a few members - I think the vast majority of members (male & female) do not want this, so it might not come in to existence if they canvass their membership.

Just wondered what the community thought

Just change your gym? You don’t like the new terms so go elsewhere.

OP maybe take a moment to it make it about you, but ask yourself why you think there's a market for women not wanting men around them in the swimming pool! Ladies only sessions are very common in most pools and gyms. Why do you think that is?

Have a think and then decide if you're the oppressed sex here.

If you aren't happy with it then rather than stamping your feet and having a tantrum, maybe be part of the change that makes being around men more comfortable. Challenge everyday sexism. Challenge inappropriate comments you hear from your male peers. Listen to women. That's a good start.

Oh and the gym still offer swimming sessions you can be part of, it's not their fault you can't make those sessions, so no you're not entitled to a refund.

Insert1x20p

In your haste to play the 'poor menz' card you seem to have not bothered to read the actual OP.

@ActonSquirrel

Idk I normally can't get the near the weight machines because it is over run with men hogging them. I pay the full fee too.

Same.

I do weight training and I get sick of waiting for men to do 10 reps, followed by a prolonged period of sitting there stating into to abyss for 5 minutes, as Infinitum. Then when I do get on the weights I either get my arse stared at or mansplained the weights to by someone who was in nappies when I picked up my first kettlebell.

Maybe I should have a tantrum too

Female only sessions are good.

But if the change means that you are now unable to attend, they should let you cancel regardless of whether there was a contract.

I do weight training and I get sick of waiting for men to do 10 reps, followed by a prolonged period of sitting there stating into to abyss for 5 minutes, as Infinitum.

Ask to hop on the machine/weights during someone's rest period. This happens all the time down my gym when it's busy. Not once have I had anybody say no and neither have I refused access when somebody (man or woman) has asked me to 'hop on' between sets.

If the terms have changed then so should the feed imo, especially if it’s more than once a week. I’d like to see the reaction here if it were men only sessions! Ridiculous!

Hang on hang on...this isn't ACTUALLY happening.

It's only whisperings.

I did an advanced search. Very illuminating. The OP is a thinly veiled MRA with a huge chip on his shoulder that women get X Y Z and men don't.

Forgot to mention it's ALWAYS men who leave their sweaty arse marks on equipment too, even after COVID. Leaving it up to women to clean. Though I don't really care and ask them to come back and clean it because I want to use it

@Wrongsideofhistorymyarse

You should ask them. Not worth asking Mumsnet.

He has asked

@DillonPanthersTexas

I do weight training and I get sick of waiting for men to do 10 reps, followed by a prolonged period of sitting there stating into to abyss for 5 minutes, as Infinitum.

Ask to hop on the machine/weights during someone's rest period. This happens all the time down my gym when it's busy. Not once have I had anybody say no and neither have I refused access when somebody (man or woman) has asked me to 'hop on' between sets.

I've done this and been told "I'm still using it love" and have also been completely ignored.

You know dillon, I did read it, and I also read the update that is a completely different scenario (more plausible, admittedly, but rather different).

Here's what I did when I read the OP: I engaged my brain and I thought, this seems like quite a big gym if it's got a pool..... probably they would have a lawyer and they would ask that lawyer before they make contractual changes to memberships, because that would seem like a sensible thing to do. Now contract law is not cut and dried, so maybe a women's hour, that would be ok. Women's afternoon (i.e. up to 33% of the gym opening hours), unlikely to wash. So I think this gym would be unlikely to be able to do this and they therefore wouldnt.

Happily, as the OP has updated, it's actually not happening- it;'s just a few members have asked for it. So we're all good in gym land. THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT.

They did something like this at our pool. They blamed COVID. I didn't renew my subscription

I believe you're right Frangipani.

What's the name of the gym OP?