The UK’s Most Welcoming Gyms For Women

The UK Fitness Report 2025/26 from PureGym found that women are significantly more likely to experience ‘gymtimidation’ than men, with 17% of women reporting it compared to just 5% of men. The report also found that women are more likely than men to say cost is the reason they quit the gym. [1]

 

Despite these barriers, experts highlight how exercise can help lower risks of major illnesses, boost self-esteem, and even improve sleep quality and energy levels. [2] It’s also suggested that resistance training in particular can help improve physical function during the menopause. [3] 

 

That’s why we set out to find the gyms across the UK that offer the most welcoming environments for women. We analysed more than 8,000 Trustpilot reviews from women, covering the UK’s biggest gym chains as well as independent gyms. We looked at how often reviews mentioned indicators of a supportive environment, including words such as “friendly”, “welcoming”, “safe”, “kind”, and “inclusive”.

 

The results reveal which gyms stand out for supporting their female members, and where women are most likely to find a positive and encouraging place to work out.

1. Snap Fitness

The research found that Snap Fitness is the UK’s most welcoming and supportive gym, according to reviews from women. With 55% positive reviews overall, with 50% of these mentioning how “friendly” the gyms are and a further 5% highlighting how “safe” members feel.

 

Snap Fitness operates more than 100 gyms across the UK and also offers a free app designed to help members stay motivated and track their fitness goals. [4] While its gyms provide 24/7 access for members, the company also has safety policies in place for periods when staff are not on site. [5] 

 

2. Lifestyle Fitness

In close second place is Lifestyle Fitness, with 53.1% of reviews from women highlighting positive experiences. 48% of the reviews mention how “friendly” the gym is, while a further 10.3% describe their experience as “welcoming”. Overall, women rated the gym an impressive 4.6 out of five.

 

With 24 gyms across the UK and more than 40 years of experience in the fitness industry, Lifestyle Fitness offers a wide range of classes designed to support both mind and body. From strength and cardio to wellbeing-focused sessions, members can try a variety of workouts and discover new ways to stay active. [6] 

 

3. Energie Fitness

Energie Fitness ranked third on the list of the UK’s most welcoming gyms for women. The chain received 45.6% positive reviews from women, with 4% highlighting how supportive the gym feels and 3.7% mentioning the sense of safety it provides.

 

With locations across the UK, Ireland and Spain, Energie Fitness prides itself on its “zero intimidation” ethos. This approach aims to create an environment where everyone, including women who may feel nervous about joining a gym, can feel comfortable exercising. [7] 

 

4. Orangetheory Fitness UK

With only a handful of locations across the UK, but more than 1,500 worldwide, [8] Orangetheory Fitness received 45.5% positive reviews from women. The gym focuses on expert coaching in a supportive environment, helping members make sustainable lifestyle changes without added pressure. [9]

 

Our research found that 9.1% of reviews highlight how supportive the gym feels, while 16.9% mention how welcoming it is among women sharing their experiences.

 

5. Anytime Fitness UK

Anytime Fitness rounds out the top five most welcoming gyms in the UK, with 43.9% of reviews from women describing a positive experience. Among the reviews analysed, 35.5% use the word “friendly” to describe the atmosphere, while a further 7.7% mention how “welcoming” the gym feels.

 

With more than 180 gyms across the UK Anytime Fitness offers 24/7 access for members. [10] With high-quality equipment, personalised coaching programmes and social training sessions, [10] Anytime Fitness stands out as one of the UK’s top gyms for creating a welcoming environment for women. 

The study found that Crowns Gym in Beckenham, London, is the UK’s most welcoming independent gym for women. An impressive 72.2% of reviews from women reported a positive experience, with 11.1% specifically highlighting how supportive the gym feels and a remarkable 55.6% celebrating its friendliness. 

 

Following Crowns Gym are several other independent gyms that excel in creating a positive environment for women. P1 Fitness in Manchester and Space in Glasgow both scored 66.7% positive reviews, while Graft Haus and CrossFit in Leeds achieved 62.5%.

Looking at the numbers, it’s clear that gyms can still do more to help women feel more welcome.

 

We spoke with Rhiannon Cooper, founder of Not So Typical Fitness and a personal trainer specialising in body acceptance and empowerment-based fitness, to learn more about how gyms can offer a more supportive environment for women.

 

Rhiannon says,

 

“A genuinely inclusive gym feels different the moment you walk in. Staff make eye contact and say hello without looking you up and down. The changing rooms have adequate space and privacy, not as an afterthought, but by design. The equipment is accessible, not just technically, but in terms of layout and signage that doesn’t assume prior knowledge.

 

“For midlife women specifically, inclusivity means acknowledging that their goals are often different. Many are managing perimenopause symptoms, returning after injury, or simply reclaiming time for themselves after years of putting everyone else first. A gym that gets this doesn’t push them toward a six-week transformation challenge. It asks what they actually need and builds programming around that.”

 

Rhiannon also comments on ways gyms have created genuinely welcoming environments:

 

“The gyms I’ve seen do this really well all have one thing in common: they’ve built community intentionally. That might look like women-only hours, strength classes designed for beginners, or simply a culture where asking for help feels normal rather than embarrassing. Inclusion isn’t a policy, it’s a feeling, and it’s created through hundreds of small decisions made consistently over time.”

The research found that Crowns Gym in Beckenham, London, is not only the best independent gym for women, but it also ranks as the UK’s friendliest, with 55.6% of reviews specifically mentioning the word “friendly.” 

 

Close behind is Graft Haus in Leeds, with 54.2% of reviews praising its friendliness, followed by Snap Fitness at 50% and Lifestyle Fitness at 48%. 

 

Rounding out the top five friendliest gyms in the UK is another independent location, Gym Co in Belfast with 45.8% of reviews celebrating how friendly the gym feels.

The research revealed that the top five gyms in the UK making women feel welcome are all independent locations, highlighting how smaller, community-focused gyms often excel at creating supportive environments. Leading the list is Space, where 41.7% of reviews from women mention the word “welcoming,” followed by CrossFit Leeds at 37.5% and Crowns Gym at 33.3%. 

 

Rounding out the top five are Gym 72 in Manchester city centre, with 26.7% of reviews mentioning the word “welcoming,” and P1 Fitness, also in Manchester, at 24.1%. This highlights how a number of independent gyms in the city have successfully created spaces where women feel supported and valued.

The study began by identifying popular chains and independent gyms across the UK, resulting in a list of 58 gyms in total. The research then collected 25,325 reviews for these gyms from Trustpilot.

 

Using semantic analysis, the dataset was screened for references to seven positive keywords, including “supportive,” “friendly,” and “safe.” The analysis automatically flagged and removed false positives, such as negated phrases like “not friendly” or “not supportive,” to ensure accuracy.

 

To focus specifically on female perspectives, the study applied a name-based algorithm to classify reviewer first names as female, male, or neutral. If the name was missing or unreadable, it was labelled neutral. Only reviews associated with recognisable female names were included in the analysis, resulting in a dataset of 8,044 reviews. These reviews were then examined to determine which gyms consistently featured the highest proportion of positive keywords in feedback from women.

 

To ensure accuracy:

• Only English-language reviews were included to maintain consistency across all locations

[1] Puregym, ‘THE UK FITNESS REPORT – 2025/26 GYM STATISTICS’, 2025

[2] NHS, ‘Benefits of exercise’, 2024

[3] University of Exeter, ‘First-of-its-kind study shows resistance training can improve physical function during menopause’, 2025

[4] Snap Fitness, https://www.snapfitness.com/uk 

[5] Snap Fitness, ‘Keeping you safe inside our gyms, night and day.’

[6] Lifestyle Fitness, ‘Who we are and what we do’

[7] Energie Fitness, ‘Why Energie’

[8] Orangetherapy Fitness, ‘Find an Orangetheory Fitness Studio Near You’ 

[9] Orangetherapy Fitness, https://www.orangetheory.com/en-gb 

[10] Anytime Fitness, https://www.anytimefitness.co.uk/