Among the popular fitness trends in recent years—including in the Spokane area—is a growing number of personalized fitness studios, or boutique gym settings. 

Some here say the atmosphere and workout styles offered by these smaller gyms is an attractive feature, particularly to women, who often don’t feel comfortable in large, co-ed spaces.

According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association’s 2014 Health Club Consumer Report, 54 million Americans were health club members in 2014, and of those, 42 percent were members of a studio, boutique, or discipline-specific facility. 

IHRSA also reported that in 2014, the U.S. health club industry tallied $24.2 billion in revenue, an increase of 7.4 percent from 2013, with much of that growth coming from smaller boutiques and sport-specific studios. 

The organization’s report also indicated that because of their lower overhead costs, boutiques are better able to succeed in smaller towns, which are unable to sustain larger health club facilities.

In the last four years, at least 10 smaller gyms focusing on group or specialty classes have opened in the Spokane area.

For many people, gyms such as Curves used to be synonymous with women’s fitness. Indeed, local franchisee Peta Countryman says she was a Curves member for many years, before taking ownership of the only remaining Spokane outlet at 1104 W. Wellesley last year. 

“No one else was interested in buying the place, but having been a member I’d gained a comradery with these women,” says Countryman. 

Founded by Gary and Diane Heavin in 1995, Curves International Inc. has more than 10,000 locations around the world. While Curves still has Idaho fitness centers, in Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene and Hayden, many Spokane facilities have closed. Countryman says it’s because their owners tried to take on too much.

“After the franchise ownership changed, we were asked to take on more hours. Some of those ladies owned more than one location, and that gets to be a lot to keep up with,” she says.  

Countryman says the northwest Spokane facility she operates ranked 66th out of all 10,000-some locations in terms of most new members per location.

“We have about 250 members currently, although I’d like to see at least 100 more active members,” she says. 

Curves offers a basic 30-minute workout, as well as other specialty classes such as Zumba, Jillian Michaels video workouts, and stretching exercises. While the majority of Curves members are women in their 50s or 60s, the facility also is host to women with children, mother-and-daughter pairs, and the occasional man. 

“It used to be called Curves for Women, but I think they found that some men want to come along and work out with their wives, or train to become instructors,” she says. “Men can come along, but we don’t get many.” 

Countryman says Curves still appeals mostly to women because of the feeling of belonging. 

“It’s really about the atmosphere; unlike some of our competitors, we don’t push the ladies quite so hard,” she says. “I think a good many of these women just wouldn’t work out at all if they didn’t have Curves. Some gyms push too hard, or have distractions that make workouts difficult.”

Countryman contends Curves is unique in that its fitness moves aren’t overly complex. 

“For some of these businesses, I’d imagine that 40-and-under group is pretty important. They’re open 24 hours, or have numerous styles available,” she says.  

“But Curves is a basic, 30-minute workout, designed to keep you moving. It’s not for sissies. These women come back because they know it works,” she says. 

Curves memberships are generally $39.99 a month, but vary depending on periodic special offers. Countryman says new members can often try a week or several classes for free, or bring along a friend for a membership discount.  

“Curves is always adding new programs, and the ladies here are all so giving,” says Countryman. “We donate to the food drive, list people during cancer awareness month, and do a tree of sharing during the holidays. That community is a part of why I love it so much.”

Leslie Sanborn, owner of Spokane Barre, located in the historic Globe Hotel building at 204 N. Division, agrees that women are looking for a sense of community and comradery when choosing a place to work out. 

“I get the sense that for women, a community is important,” says Sanborn. “The biggest draw besides the actual workout, is knowing the instructors and your classmates, and feeling encouraged and supported.” 

Originally from the Sandpoint area, Sanborn took over ownership of Spokane Barre last summer and moved the 3-year-old studio from 201 W. Riverside, into the Globe building in Spokane’s University District.

“I was a former student of the first owner, and I just loved it so much I didn’t want to see it go away. So I went through training and became barre certified,” says Sanborn. “I’m not sure just how many members we have, but it’s a very wide range. We were originally the first and only barre workout studio in Spokane.”

Sanborn explains that barre workouts are high-intensity, low-impact blends of strength training, stretching and ballet movements. While barre workouts tend to attract more women, Sanborn says the studio does have the occasional male student join. 

“We do some ballet references, but really it’s more about body placement, so some men may find themselves thinking it’s just not their style,” says Sanborn. 

“It’s a great workout for people working on a long and lean physique. It’s also good for people with joint issues,” she says. 

Sanborn says due in part to its downtown location, Spokane Barre focuses on attracting members who are part of the downtown business community, or students in the nearby U-District. 

Because Spokane Barre isn’t part of a chain, like many other barre studios, she maintains it’s important to create an experience customers value. 

“Feedback is very important to us,” she says. “We have a curriculum, but we’re always open to feedback from our clients as to what’s working and what’s not. We want them to know we value their opinion and are willing to tailor services to meet their needs.”

Sanborn says she believes women have grown more conscious of physical fitness in recent years, with a desire to eat right and stay active. 

“There is this wave of women that want to make time for themselves, putting their health and well-being first,” she says. “It’s definitely possible for a business to operate profitably by focusing on just women, creating an environment where they can get excited about their exercise experience.” 

As co-owner of a larger, co-ed gym, Joey Fenske says his business, Spokane Fitness Center, doesn’t cater to one gender over the other, but rather tries to offer a wide range of styles and equipment to suit individuals’ needs.

 “I would say our membership is a good even mix of men and women, although some programs are more predominantly female,” says Fenske. 

Co-owned by Fenske and Gene Cavender, the gym maintains three locations, including one at 110 W. Price, a 24-hour location at 7140 N. Division, and a Spokane Valley location at 14210 E. Sprague.

Over the years, Fenske says he has noticed the trend of boutique and female-focused studios opening in the area. 

He suggests that some of what makes these studios appeal to women is their focuses on group class offerings. 

“For us, our group fitness schedule classes like Zumba, TRX, Ripped, and body-core classes are probably 95 percent female. Some of those smaller studios are known for that type of group training style,” he says. 

While he doesn’t doubt a business can make a female focus work for them, he says it’s really up to the individual as to the workout style they prefer. 

“Obviously, we wouldn’t want anyone to join with us if we’re not what they’re looking for,” says Fenske. “I’ve heard both from people who really like those kinds of studios, as well as others who dislike them.”

He says that while smaller studios may also end up charging clients more to maintain operations, Spokane Fitness Center offers discounts, as well as a punch card system for those who want to give it a try but are unwilling to commit to a membership. 

“We try to keep things affordable,” Fenske says. “I do know that some of those smaller studios end up charging more, and many people can’t afford their prices.” 

While Spokane Fitness Center isn’t marketing to just female clients, it is working to upgrade its locations to include more women’s fitness areas. 

Fenske says the business is in the process of remodeling its facility at 110 W. Price, as well as adjusting its Spokane Valley location to include a women’s fitness room. 

In the future, he says, Spokane Fitness Center also would like to offer its members classes on nutrition, healthy eating and diet shaping.  

“Fitness as a whole is constantly evolving. Styles like yoga, along with nutrition planning and healthy eating habits have gained momentum recently,” Fenske says.

He adds, “We want to keep offering our all our clients the best options to stay healthy.”