From: yorton@turtle11.rtsg.mot.com (James J. Yorton)
Subject: Re: sexism in health spas
Keywords: weights
Reply-To: yorton@rtsg.mot.com
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 13:50:21 GMT

In article <1992Jul28.153130.20520@unislc.uucp>, kbiesel@unislc.uucp (Karen Biesel) writes:
|> Here's a new one that I thought would never happen to me.  My husband and I
|> are members of the Holiday Spa.  We both paid the same amount membership fees.
|> 
|> The manager has the spa set up with seperate men's, women's and co-ed areas.
|> The manager, a man, put all the nautilus and other single item machines in
|> the men's exercise area.  This prohibits women from using the machines.
|> 
|> I, <equalist> that I am, decided to go and use the equipment anyway.  So what
|> if it was in the men's gym area.  It existed nowhere else.  (We're talking
|> 10+ pieces of fancy stuff)
|> 
|> I was ushered out of the men's gym area, needless to say.  Women have there own
|> area to exercise in, I was told.  The women's gym has pulley weights that offer
|> the same range of motion as the machines in the men's gym.
|> (I talked to the regional manager on the phone, to discuss the issue, and he
|> hung up on me!)
|> 
|> OK I'm bitter.  But is this common practice throughout, to have seperate
|> exercise areas for men and women?  Is it men or women who are embarrassed to
|> be looked at, or is this a Utah thing?
|> 
|> Anyway, this is the first time I've been denied the use of exercise equipment
|> because of my sex.  
|> 
|> Can anyone beat this story?  I need to be cheered up.
|> 
|> Karen Biesel
|> 

I know of a similar story.  My health club member ship
Bally's - Chicago Health Club has an area for women in one
of its suburban Chicago clubs.  All others, that I know of,
don't do this.  Women can work out in the general free-weight area,
but there is another area for women only, where men cannot go,
at this one club.

No big deal for me, I use free weights anyway.  And all the other
areas are accessible for both sexes, except the showers :-).
I haven't been at this particular club in a year or so, so maybe
that's changed.

While we're on the subject:  It used to be practice for some
(maybe all?) of the Chicago Health Clubs to ban men from wearing
tank tops.  You had to wear a T-shirt with sleeves.  But women
could wear tank tops.  I was told two stories on this.
For sanitary reasons, sweat and body hair.  Of course women don't
sweat  :-)  And the other reason was the "intimidation factor".
They didn't want well-built guys showing off their muscles and
intimidating other members who weren't in shape.  Being a member of
this club for 5 years, I have NEVER witnesses any type of intimidation.
Granted, there is a lot of socializing, people watching, etc.,
but not intimidation.  If you had a tank top on, you were told
to put a T-shirt on.

Anyway, a few months ago, I noticed that they were no longer
enforcing the T-shirt rule.  So I asked someone who knew some of the
staff, and he said some guy filed a lawsuit and won.  The suit
says he was discriminated against on the basis of gender.  Which
he was.  Chalk one up for equal rights for men, I guess.

---
Jim Yorton
Motorola Inc., General Systems Sector
Cellular Infrastructure Group
Arlington Heights, IL
yorton@rtsg.mot.com
(708) 632-6695