Gold's Gym Thousand Oaks, in Southern California, has announced the completion of its remodel and expansion.

Franchise group, Gold’s Gym SoCal owns 23 locations in Southern California and is investing US$15m in revamping its estate over the next three years, to keep up with consumer demand.

"The unveiling of Gold's Gym Thousand Oaks' state-of-the-art remodel and exclusive new features represents a bold step forward in the evolution of our fitness facilities," says Brian Morris, senior vice president of Gold's Gym SoCal. "We believe this transformation not only enhances our members' experience but also sets a new benchmark for the industry."

The remodel includes the addition of a Posing Room for content creators; an Escape Fitness Room for more private workouts; an expanded weights area with new equipment from gym80, Life Fitness, Cybex and Free Motion; an expansive outdoor workout area, a heated 25-metre indoor lap pool, a group exercise room and a signature playground turf area.

Gold’s Gym Northridge was the first to get the club-in-club Escape Room: a bespoke, standalone training space separate from the main gym, providing an atmospheric, boutique-style functional training box with blue mood lighting.

The space combines the modern methods of functional training with traditional free-weights and lifting platforms, incorporating Escape Fitness functional training kit such as lifting platforms, battle ropes, slam balls, medicine balls, core bags, strongbox benches, plyo boxes and Bulgarian bags.

“The Escape Room acts as more than just an atmospheric, functional training space. It’s about providing members with a zone in which they leave everything else at the door, enter an engaging and motivating environment that is packed with functional training tools, providing them with a complete playground of exercise variety,” says CEO of Escape Fitness, Matthew Januszek.

He believes spaces such as this are effective in overcoming gymtimidation: “A recent poll shows that 67 per cent of women report having gym anxiety and the ‘Shy Girl’ workout trend on TikTok has gained immense popularity, with over 700 million views. Incorporating trends such as this could be a key differentiator for gyms, demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity and understanding of diverse client needs.”

UK operator, Total Fitness, is also taking women’s considerations seriously with the launch earlier this month of its first Women’s Gym.