Tips for Designing a Gym Changing Room
For many fitness professionals and personal trainers, setting up a gym is a dream. Health and fitness has become increasingly popular over the years, particularly with the rise of social media, and there really is no better time than now to start thinking about setting up your dream gym business. To ensure your gym gets off to the best start possible and attracts lots of people, we’ve put together a few tips for designing the right gym changing room.
While you’ll likely be focused on purchasing the right equipment and ensuring your gym looks inviting, there are lots of other things to consider too. Once you’ve found the right space, taken out the correct insurance, hired a reliable and qualified team and followed the suitable rules and regulations, it’s time to start focusing on the design of the changing room.
The gym locker room is very important – in fact, the design of the changing room is critical to the overall success of the gym facility. The changing room should be a clean, functional and warm space that invites members in and allows them to store their belongings safely and securely. In addition, there should be various facilities within the changing rooms to meet the needs of your visitors.
Below, we share our top tips for designing a gym locker room to ensure that you create the best experience possible for your health club members. From the right lighting to high-quality lockers and showers, there are lots of things to consider.
How many times have you used a shower at the gym and wish that you hadn’t? From clingy shower curtains to dirty floors and weak showerheads, there are plenty of factors that contribute to a bad gym shower experience. In fact, the quality of the shower in a gym is extremely important and could be the difference between members staying at your gym or cancelling.
After a long, gruelling gym session, it’s important that your guests have somewhere clean, private and pleasant to wash. It’s possible that members will be popping into your gym for a quick session on their lunch break or before continuing their day, and therefore it’s important that they feel refreshed afterwards.
A powerful shower is key. The draining in your gym showers should be well-plumbed to prevent water from collecting on the floor, which can be a real breeding ground for mould and bacteria. We also recommend avoiding shower curtains in your gym; this can put members off. Instead, opt for shower cubicles to give members proper privacy.
For safety reasons, the tiles and materials used in a shower should be moisture resistant and have the proper coefficient of friction for a wet environment. It’s important to remember that the airflow must be designed to pull the wet, moist air from the locker rooms too.
The lighting in the changing room is an important factor to consider. In fact, when choosing the lighting, it’s important to consider your options carefully. Changing under bright lights can make lots of people feel uncomfortable, and it’s always important to consider this when choosing the lighting. You want members to feel comfortable and relaxed when using your gym, and not worry about how they look or their body parts.
Instead of opting for bright lights, it’s best to go a diffused, orange-coloured light. This is a more modest lighting option and should make your guests feel more comfortable and relaxed when getting changed to use your facilities.
To meet the needs of different members, it’s worth considering dividing the lighting into the different zones of the changing rooms. For example, you may wish to use bright, clear lighting near mirrors and sinks so that members can see themselves clearly to reapply makeup and check their appearance. The lighting should also be brighter in shower areas so that members can clearly see what they are doing and to make sure that they don’t slip or trip.
The layout of your changing room is equally as important as the layout of the gym itself. As previously mentioned, it is important that members of your gym have the privacy they need when getting changed and showering. For this reason, we recommend avoiding having just one big square room; this can leave members feeling exposed and uncomfortable. One large square does not allow any privacy or personal space and can be intimidating.
Instead, provide some private cubicles for gym members to get changed in. Even just a couple of changing cubicles gives members the option to get changed privately. Privacy and personal space is something that many people look out for when choosing a gym, so make sure that your gym offers this.
In addition, the layout of your changing room is essential to keeping members moving to, from and within the locker room with comfort and ease. The central circulation path should allow enough room for two people to walk easily side by side without any blockages.
Members need somewhere safe and secure to store their belongings while they’re working out. No one wants to carry a heavy bag around the gym with them or constantly worry about their belongings, which is why it is extremely important that you invest in the right lockers for your changing room.
The lockers in your gym should be a practical size. Remember, some members will be coming with a change of clothes and need enough space to store their gym bags, shoes and other training gear. To ensure that your lockers are long-lasting, you’ll want to choose ones that are made from heavy-duty materials and invest in the right locks. At Racking + Shelving Ltd, we have a range of lockers available to meet your needs.
When choosing your lockers, you should first establish the number of users and available space allocated for the lockers. It’s important that there is sufficient room for clear access to the lockers at all times. The placement of your lockers should be considered carefully, ensuring that they do not block any pathways.
To maximise every inch of space in the changing room, lockers can be fixed flush up to the wall. In addition, it’s important to consider where changing room benches are going to go – again, it’s important that they do not obstruct any pathways. Incorporating changing room benches and seating arrangements provides members of the gym with more space to hang their clothes and change their footwear.
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Whether for a leisure or educational setting, locker storage is a great way of assuring your employees and customers that they can keep their valuables and possessions locked away safely and securely. We’re proud to work alongside clients from an array of sectors, delivering fantastic results at competitive prices. If you feel that your business or school could benefit from high-quality, secure storage lockers, simply get in touch with a friendly member of our team today to discuss your requirements.
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